There's been a ride to the Three Floyds brewpub in Munster, IN, every January since 2006. The beer is great ("there are few places more exciting from a beer lover's perspective", says the NY Times), and the menu, like the beer, is unapologetically in your face with flavor you can't avoid.

Neither snow nor rain nor sleet nor gloom of night stays these couriers (and other riders) from the swift completion of their appointed rounds (of beer). We depart Daley Plaza at 8:00 AM and collect riders at Promontory Point at 8:45 AM. I like to get there before they open at 11 (it's still the the eighth-best brewery in the world, so sometimes there's a line). After we complete our rounds, we may be less swift, so there are different return options: 40 miles total if you ride to Flossmoor Station and take the Metra, 45 if you ride to 93rd and take the Metra or to 100th and take the J14, 50 if you ride to 71st and take the J14, 60 if you ride both ways.

The fine print: There is no support vehicle. You are responsible for yourself. The pace is 12-15 mph with a short break at 7-Eleven. January weather can be extreme. Be prepared for cold as well as flats/mechanical problems.

Checklist:
▢ Water and snacks to have en route
▢ Lights
▢ Lock
▢ Pump, tube, tools
▢ Extra layers of clothing (more than you expect to need)
▢ Money
▢ Government-issued ID
▢ Panniers for beer you can't get in Chicago

Online resources: Google map, cue sheet, Metra Electric train schedules, Jeffrey Jump (J14) bus schedule, Bikes on the Metra, Bikes on the Bus, and, to save a minute at the start, the nifty online CCC waiver.