Ben Peck is melding biking and brewing

Biking has always been a part of Ben Peck’s makeup; he has been riding since he was three years old and as he got older, he made it a part of his lifestyle. “I worked at Rushmore Bikes in Spearfish while going to Black Hills State to get my degree, but I was always riding a bike and even got into bike touring and camping over time,” Peck described. “I even spent a couple of summers driving pedicabs for Ride On when Josh Bruhn owned those. We would take people to Armadillo’s, to and from the Civic Center (now The Monument) and it was a way to make some extra money,” he added.

Ben is most recognized as the delivery person for beer at Hay Camp and not only for his signature beard. He’s most famous for his method of delivering beer downtown: a unique bike. “Justin, owner of Independent Ale House, is a collector and was offered this Jose Cuervo bike and he didn’t want it, but he knew someone who would, and he called me,” Peck explained. The bright yellow bike needed some modifications, but it was something Ben could use to make delivering kegs easier throughout downtown. “I had to rebuild the headset because the bike was mostly for show, and I had to figure out how to be able to use it for my deliveries. I used a two-wheel hand truck, and I knew that if I could make some simple changes, I could make it more efficient,” added Ben. “I get a lot of double takes while riding, it’s not every day you see a bike carrying four kegs.”

His love for biking is a perfect marriage with Hay Camp Brewery and he has been able to incorporate biking into the business in a few different ways. Hay Camp used to organize Bike for a Pint, bike rides on Friday evenings where bike enthusiasts could ride the bike path and stop for a beer while enjoying a nice ride. “We would have some pretty cool bikes as part of the ride, regularly Karl, the owner, and I rode a Penny-farthing bike for the ride,” he recalled. Peck and other staff have also participated in a 24-hour stationary bike event called MoPower and raised $10,000. Ben also began a bike swap that encourages bike enthusiasts to bring bikes and parts down where people can trade or purchase. “We want to create a community center where we can have a mixed-use space, we can be more than a brewery. The cycling community and local breweries go hand in hand so we can further engage with our customer base,” added Peck.

With the influx of downtown living, downtown businesses, and growth of the School of Mines we can expect to see more bikes downtown in the coming years and Ben’s idea of delivering on bikes is sure to expand as well. “Electric Bikes are growing in popularity in terms of sales and because of their ease I would expect that bike deliveries will be more prevalent moving forward, even a novice rider will be able to keep up with traffic and ride in the hills.”

"WE WANT TO CREATE A COMMUNITY CENTER WHERE WE CAN HAVE A MIXED-USE SPACE, WE CAN BE MORE THAN A BREWERY." - BEN PECK

by Andy Greenman

Keep a look out for Ben and riders like him as downtown Rapid City continues to grow and prosper.

BEARD OIL

Ben started growing his beard when he started at Hay Camp eight years ago and has only cut it twice, both for fundraisers for the Movember Foundation which raised $ 1,000.