Tempe's Pedal Haus Brewery Hosting Beer-Themed Bike Ride

TEMPE, AZ — Chris Purcell found a way to combine two of his favorite pastimes, drinking beer and biking, into an event.

Purcell, who is the chief operating officer of Mill Avenue's Pedal Haus Brewery, is the brainchild behind the inaugural, 10-mile Day Drinker Devil Ride, which takes to the streets (and trails) of Tempe from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.on Aug. 7.

The event covers the gravel and mountain bike trails of Tempe, with eight landmarks spread out across the course.

Participants are supposed to snap a selfie at the landmarks, with those that capture all eight landmarks receiving two additional raffle tickets, in addition to the eight that attendees automatically qualify for.

The goal of the early August ride is to create an event for two-wheeled aficionados that's tougher than the average beer cruise, while still be attainable to a large number of cyclists, Purcell told Patch.

"I'm a big cyclist, I mountain bike, I road bike, and our brand is bike-centric," Purcell said. "And we wanted to come up with a reason to get people out on the bikes in the middle of the summer.

"Hopefully, it's not record heat, but we know it'll be hot as heck. And we've added some fun elements to it, in what I would term a digital scavenger hunt."

Purcell hopes the August ride can be a community event, for bicyclists and non-bicyclists alike.

The brewery will raffle off a range of gifts, ranging from bicycles to free Pedal Haus brews for a year, with the first 50 people to register receiving a free event T-shirt.

He's hoping that the brewery's decision to offer a $12 bottomless breakfast menu, along with all-day happy hour pricing on all Pedal Haus beers will spur people to come out and take part in the festivities.

"In July and August, there's not a whole lot going on in the Valley as far as organized bike events, for obvious reasons," Purcell said. "And so we wanted to do something that was a little bit different, a little bit unique, and see if we can generate some excitement around getting your bike out in the summer."

Above all, Purcell hopes that people will come out to take part in a day-long celebration of bicycling and beer in an entertaining environment.

"We have a great, fun space. We really love our weekends for day drinking," Purcell said. "As long as you're drinking responsibly, come in and hang out. If you're not out of town, it'll be a great way to spend the afternoon.

"There's no better way then to get a little bit of grueling exercise in before you start eating and drinking."

Anyone that's interested in participating in the inaugural Day Drinker Devil Ride can register on the event's website.