Photo: Logan Watts/bikepacking.com

Our trusty Salsa Warbirds posted up at the Alchemist before the doors opened. Visitors travel from all over for the brewery’s iconic Heady Topper, an award-winning double IPA. By the time it opened, there was a line around the building. Our favorite was the Focal Banger, an incredible American IPA (7%) that’s a bit more forgiving than the Heady (8%). It’s hopped with Citra and Mosaic, and it smells and tastes damned near perfect.