There are few sensations more refreshing than drinking a cold beer on a hot summer day. So what better treat can a person enjoy than a beer by one of the Rocky Mountain’s fresh mountain streams? 303 Magazine is dedicating “Brew With a View” to hikes around the Colorado area that are perfect for hiking/beer enthusiasts. Our first beer is Ska Brewery’s Mexican Logger. We decided to take this beer on a test drive in the front range mountains of Chautauqua in Boulder, Colorado. Read further to see what happened along the way.
Bear Mountain+Mexican Logger
The Beer: Mexican Logger, Ska Brewery, 5.2 percent ABV: Ska Brewery from Durango, Colorado has released its refreshing summer beer, Mexican Logger. Not only does the beer have a light flavor of malted grain, finished with a small floral burst from the Saaz hops, but also has a low alcohol content that makes it perfect for hiking. 303 Magazine decided to take this beer for a test ride to the top of Bear Mountain in Boulder.
The Hike: Bear Canyon Trail, Boulder (1.7 miles, beginner): Bear Canyon splits the steep hillsides of the flatirons into a meandering canyon that is easy to walk through. The canyon mouth is rocky with gigantic chunks of the flatiron cliffs hanging off the sides of the start of the trail. A stream gurgles towards the bottom of the canyon between walls of pine and aspen trees that stand in thick groves throughout the canyon. As a meandering dirt trail, the hike is relatively easy, so the beer could be enjoyed as a break while hiking without losing your breath every 10 feet. Towards the top of the mountain, all of the trees get much smaller. The top gives the hiker a fantastic overlook of the continental divide on one side, and a vast view of the stretching sea of plains that extends beyond the horizon line. Definitely a hike worth the light alcohol of the Mexican Logger.
How to get there: The hike starts at the entrance of NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research). From Highway 36, take the exit for Table Mesa, and drive west for approximately 3 miles. NCAR is a large brown building perched above Boulder, and is easily seen from the road.