Culture
Crack Open a Cold One on the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway
By: Emily Votaw
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It’s been said that few things are more satisfying than cracking open a cold one with the boys, but whoever said that has obviously never experienced the ultimate satisfaction of taking a brewery tour on their bike.
Cue Brewed on the Bikeway, the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s latest summertime activity for both the novice and experienced bicyclist and craft brew enthusiast.
“As we speak, maps for Brewed on the Bikeway are just trickling out,” said Paige Alost, the executive director of the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau in an interview in mid-June. “It’s something that we actually put together last fall when the Columbus Road bike paths opened. I remember it was a cold, snowy, miserable day when we had the realization that all of the breweries in the region are accessible by the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway.”
The breweries accessible from the bikeway include the Eclipse Company Store and Craft Beer Hall, Multiple Brewing Company, Devil’s Kettle Brewing, Little Fish Brewing Company, and Jackie O’s Taproom and Production Brewery.
Aside from combining two common topics of passion, Brewed on the Bikeway is also a safe way to experience biking in the region.
“Many bicyclists who aren’t too experienced, like myself, just don’t want to be riding their bike in city traffic on a Saturday afternoon,” said Alost. “The bikeway is safe, well-paved, and a unique way to bike in Athens.”
Alost said that already a number of bikers who have taken advantage of the mapped out brew and bike pairing have told the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau about the high quality of their experience.
“This was a product that came together amazingly easily, and it’s one that locals can engage in, too,” said Alost. “There is something really authentic about this product, because everything we needed for it was already there. That investment in the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway over the past 20 years has allowed us to use it as real leverage to get people into the area.”
The craft beer and bike tour also highlights various places in the region where one can repair their bike, rent a bike if they don’t have one, and interesting spots in the Athens region that are worth a detour off the bikeway.
“This is all about doing what we can as a community to support the things about Athens that we love and that we want to keep around,” said Alost.
