Good Read – Hop in the Saddle: A Guide to Portland’s Craft Beer Scene, By Bike

By Lucy Burningham, Ellee Thalheimer

Into Action Publications, 2012

96 pages

$9.95 US

Reviewed by Jackie Kanyuk

Reading this interactive and sensory feast of Portland’s craft beer scene by bicycle is like having a couple of local friends share all their secrets.

Learn about the love affair between brewpub and cycling culture in the land where the lore of sandwiches made to fit in your water bottle cage is true.

In this thought-of-everything guide, authors Lucy Burningham and Ellee Thalheimer share 87 miles (140 km) of cycling routes, packed with 50 of their top breweries, bars and restaurants.

The guide is full of extras on bike-friendly lodgings and bottle shops along the way, sidebar tidbits on local history, bike parking, even where to get half-price pints on Tuesdays. A superb layout and iconic graphics by Laura Cary make this user-friendly guide flow as well as an IPA after a riverside cruise.

Hop in the Saddle is a fun and endearing collection of routes that even savvy Portlanders would benefit from having on hand. If you agree with the authors that drinking beer after a bike ride is perfection, this guidebook promises to be a well-thumbed companion.

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