The Montana Brewing Company, one of the most popular eateries in the area, has a big outdoor patio seating area; indoors, maroon-colored walls extend to a high ceiling, with vintage photographs of the area hang throughout. A few TVs in the bar and dining areas, together with an on-site brewery that has won numerous World Beer Cup awards and medals, make this place an ideal spot for catching a football or basketball game, though any excuse to hightail it over here for a quick lunch or relaxing dinner will be sufficient.

A good mix of burgers, wood-fired pizzas, pastas, salads, and appetizers fill the menu; I decided on the sesame spinach salad with mandarin oranges ($3.95) and the Grass and Hay ($7.95), a savory mix of artichoke hearts and mushrooms in a light cream sauce garnished with spinach. My travel partner for the week and I felt a little odd ordering beers this early in the day, at lunchtime, but hey! We were there on a bikes-and-brews trip, so we figured we might as well get down to business and start drinking! As such, cold pints of Whitetail Wheat Ale, Sandbagger Gold, and Huckleberry Wheat (my personal favorite) were served as we awaited our entrees and chatted with the nice folks from the Yellowstone Country Tourism Board.

Listen, if you’re getting a salad AND an entrée, make sure you order the small salad--it's a lot of food. The Grass and Hay was surprisingly light, and though I’m usually not a huge fan of artichoke hearts, this dish had me wishing there was enough left over to save for later. Lunch at the Montana Brewing Company was a perfect way to start the trip: good food, good beers, and good company.

For more information and to check out their whole menu, please visit the Montana Brewing Company website.