After a good day hiking, any beer that’s still cold is usually good enough—especially when the day ends at a campsite miles from the trailhead. But ��(SYMG), a 34-year-old outfitter specializing in the California wilderness, doesn’t think you should settle just because you’re��in the backcountry. The company��teamed up with the one of its favorite breweries, ��(SGBC), to launch��a four-night camping trip that takes��beer aficionados��deep into the Golden State’s ,��along with a trove of choicy beer.��Ales and Trails, as the adventure is named,��involves��a moderate amount of day hiking, plush camping, and a brewmaster who pairs gourmet food with craft beer.��

How It Works

On day one, you��hike six miles from the trailhead to a gin-clear lake where you set up camp. By evening, the SGBC brewmaster brings out handcrafted brews—including��one made specifically for this trip, and then you eat a gourmet meal (SYMG is known for its quality cooking) that’s been paired specifically to the flavor of that evenings suds. On one of the nights, you’ll be downing (and potentially naming)��a brew that SGBC will release this fall.

Afterward,��you mellow out around the campfire on comfy chairs before crashing out on sleeping pads in comfy��tents.��

“The theme of the trip is beer, from start to finish,” says Colby Brokvist, senior backcountry guide for SYMG,��but this isn’t the kind of trip for the beer-bellied. For example, on day four, you have the option of summiting a 10,000-foot peak on the border of Yosemite National Park.��SYMG says you should��be in good��athletic shape and��even recommends��a few go-rounds on hilly, rocky trails with a daypack��in the weeks before you head out.

The trip is supported western-style with a mule team��that packs everything into camp, including all gear and custom-made bear-proof panniers built to carry coolers. “That translates to daypack-only hiking, and cold beer and fresh ingredients for our meals at camp,” says Brokvist.

More Information

Duration:��Five��days/four nights (four��days/three��nights in the backcountry)
Group Size:��Three to��12 participants, plus two��mountain guides and a brewmaster from South Gate Brewery
Trip Difficulty: Moderate��
Price: $1,495 per��person. Guests are responsible for travel to and from Oakhurst, California.
2015 Trip Dates: July 15–19

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By now, everyone’s heard the hype about eating paleo, a diet low in processed foods and sugars that’s allegedly��similar to what our Paleolithic ancestors ate. Some tout the diet’s lean meats and antioxidant-rich vegetables as a route to superior metabolism and increased muscle function, while others have successfully lost weight by eating paleo. Whatever the overarching reason,��it’s widely accepted that eating a diet low in processed ingredients leads to better health and fitness. But for outdoor athletes on the go, sticking to the diet��can be very difficult—it’s not easy to slip a salad into a pack or��jersey pocket.

Enter Denver-based startup .

Mother and son team Dawn Anderson and Ty Soukup started making their own freeze-dried meals in 2013 after Soukup found nothing suitable on the market to sustain a backpacking trip in Colorado’s Maroon Bells. They strive to use as few ingredients as possible��and source only those of the highest��quality (non-GMO whenever available). The result:��a modest line of four freeze-dried meals and a pair of energy bars (not tested here), with more items in the works��designed to go head-to-head with other brands entering the growing gourmet freeze-dried market, including Good To-Go, which has vegan options.

In my series of tests, I found that all of the meals, which technically can be rehydrated with cold water, both tasted and rehydrated best when I used water��just below boiling. Rehydration’s quick—just six minutes for all meals tested—and complete. Bonus points for the paper packaging, which, thanks to a foil lining, did not wet out.

Final note: I’ve included hacks for each meal—some paleo��friendly, some not—that can stretch��a single-serving pack to feed two hungry athletes.

Palisade Pineapple Mango and Cliffside Coconut Berry

Both of these��breakfast offerings start with the same base: a blend of freeze-dried coconut water, tapioca dextrose, flaxseed meal,��and almond flour. They rehydrated to a creamy��texture; the packaging suggests adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of��water. pairs bright pineapple with creamy bananas. Crunchy whole pecans and walnuts��round out the��decidedly tropical flavor profile. A dash of salt (okay��by some paleo standards) perked up the flavors. was somewhat less��sweet, with beautifully��rehydrated blueberries and slightly mushy��yet serviceable��strawberries taking center stage. Shards of coconut added texture.��Both flavors��are free of gluten, grain, milk, soy, and nightshade.

Non-paleo tasters liked adding half a package of vanilla Instant Breakfast for a creamier mouthfeel and more sweetness.��All testers happily chomped on an add-in of cubed candied ginger.��

Stats for both meals:

$13, 4.5 ounces each.��Calories: 680 (450 from fat).��Protein: 13 grams.��Carbs: 58 grams.��Fiber: 14 grams.��Fat: 50 grams.��Sodium: 90 milligrams.

Summit Savory Chicken

The smallest dish in the line, both in serving size and calories, is a lighter option for athletes��who struggle with eating after hard exercise, especially at high elevations.��Big protein numbers balance a lower calorie count. While freeze-dried chicken often rehydrates either mushy or tough, all of this meal’s��ingredients, especially the chicken, had great texture, taste, and color. Fat chunks of broccoli—florets and stems—swam in a light sauce with thick mushroom slices and asparagus spears. Spinach added micronutrients and vitamins A and C. Summit Savory Chicken is free of gluten, grain, milk, soy, and nuts.

Non-paleo hack: We added one��packet of soy sauce to the package to give it a slightly Asian twist and boost up the sauce. You can easily feed two by serving this meal��over one��package of boil-in-bag instant rice.

$13, 2.7 ounces.��Calories: 340 (140 from fat).��Protein: 45��grams.��Carbs: 11��grams.��Fiber: 5��grams.��Fat: 15��grams.��Sodium: 660 milligrams.

Mountain Beef Stew

One of our testers, a veteran backcountry gourmand, called this “the best rehydrated beef I’ve seen to date.” The quarter-inch cubes retained a firm, toothsome texture and real-world beefy flavor. Carrots, celery, and mushrooms round out the dish and plumped up perfectly. Like the chicken dish, this��stew is very lightly seasoned��and benefitted from the addition of salt (included separately)��and a packet of pepper, which we added. At 13 grams of fat per three-ounce package, this meal will appeal to backpacking gram��counters—it’s tough to beat that fat-to-weight ratio in a prepared meal. The only complaint?��A high 1,390 milligrams of sodium. This meal is free of gluten, grain, milk, soy, nuts, and nightshade.

One packet of easily fed two—and was reminiscent of shepherd’s pie—when we served it as a topper over a four-ounce package of Idahoan mashed potatoes, available in most grocery stores.

$13, 2.89 ounces.��Calories: 300 (120 from fat).��Protein: 37 grams.��Carbs: 14��grams.��Fiber: 2��grams.��Fat: 13��grams.��Sodium: 1,390 milligrams.

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