Alaska, Where the Ride Ends With a Local Beer

The bikes are put away for the day, but the sun doesn't seem particularly interested in calling it quits.

On the lodge deck, the guides have set out a selection of beers from an Alaskan craft brewery. Everyone gets a small tasting flight, along with a little background on what's in each glass. There are opinions about favorites, a few surprises, and occasionally something as unexpected as Kenai Brewing's Gummi Bear Beer, a Belgian Tripel made with, according to the label, more than 7,200 gummy bears.

It's a pretty good way to spend an Alaskan summer evening.

But the beer is only half the story.

Alaska is made for the long way around

Alaska has a way of making distances feel different. Mountains rise above vast stretches of tundra, rivers carry glacial water through broad valleys, and even a short stretch of road can deliver views that would qualify as major attractions elsewhere.

Lower down, forests of fir and poplar give way to open country as you climb toward the Alaska Range. The scenery changes with the elevation, from sheltered green valleys to wide views across tundra and distant peaks.

Then there's the summer daylight. With the sun lingering well into the evening, the usual sense of needing to hurry along to the next stop seems a little unnecessary.

On a bicycle, you experience those landscapes differently. You notice the temperature change as you ride through a patch of forest, hear the rush of a river before you see it, and watch mountains gradually rearrange themselves as the miles pass.

There are plenty of reasons to stop, but there's just as much to enjoy between them.

A little Alaska in every glass

Alaska's independent breweries have developed their own place in the state's food and drink culture. Brewing in a place with long distances between communities and a strong independent streak gives the industry a distinctive personality.

In Talkeetna, we visit Denali Brewing, one of the better-known names in Alaska's craft beer scene. It's an opportunity to learn a little about the brewery and taste beers made in the region we've been exploring.

But we don't spend the trip moving from brewery to brewery. Too much of a good thing can get boring.

Instead, local beers turn up in different settings. Sometimes it's a brewpub with dinner, where a tasting flight accompanies the meal and conversation. Other evenings, the guides introduce a selection from a particular brewery, perhaps out on a deck, beneath the fir trees on the lodge's lawn or on the porch of a bungalow.

A few small pours, some explanation of the different styles, and everyone gets to discover what they like.

There's no need to become a beer expert. Curiosity and an appreciation for a good evening are sufficient qualifications.

The pleasure of an Alaskan evening

One of the more remarkable things about summer in Alaska is how much day remains after you've finished riding.

You've reached your lodge for the night, showered away the miles and found a comfortable place to settle in. Perhaps dinner is still ahead, and there's plenty of light left to sit outside. The mountains haven't gone anywhere. The air begins to cool, but darkness is in no particular hurry.

It's an ideal setting for trying a few local beers and talking about the day.

Perhaps someone remembers a particularly beautiful stretch of road. Someone else mentions an unexpected wildlife sighting or a conversation along the way. And there's usually a little debate over which beer deserves another taste.

There's something satisfying about an evening that doesn't need a schedule. You've had a full day on the bike, there's still daylight to enjoy, and nobody is in much of a hurry to go anywhere.

More than mountains and beer

Alaska's mountains, glaciers, forests and wildlife provide plenty of reasons to visit. Its independent breweries add another dimension, introducing some of the people and communities that make their lives in this enormous state.

On our Alaska Cycling & Craft Beer trip, the two fit together naturally. We spend our days exploring Alaska by bicycle, enjoying the changing scenery and the places along the way. The beer comes afterward, whether at Denali Brewing, over dinner or during a relaxed tasting with the guides.

Neither experience needs to compete with the other.

After all, a day of cycling through Alaska is pretty satisfying on its own.

A good local beer at the end just makes it that much better.