Mike I rarely drink beer, but when I cycle tour I often develop a craving for stout. And while cycle touring in New Zealand I developed a mild addiction for their Pinot Noir wine which is excellent there. 
That said I’m currently  preparing to cycle tour from Canberra to Perth. In addition to extra riding and swimming in an attempt to become fitter for what will potentially be a physically and mentally challenging ride, I’ve also not drunk any alcoholic drinks for several weeks. Nor will I drink any on the ride. I suspect vanilla milkshakes will be my favourite beverage on this next tour while I’m a temporary tea-totaller.

Beer is what I crave after a hard day in the saddle!  But oftentimes when on tour, I find that I just don't have the time when trying to do laundry, plan for the next day, prepare or find something to eat,  write and upload a journal entry, inspect the bike, etc. - so many times I only have a beer on the night before a rest day.  But when I'm traveling with my touring bro "Doc," it wouldn't be unusual to imbibe when I shouldn't, such as during lunch when only halfway through a hard day!  Or, when rolling into town or whatever is the destination for the night, if the local store will sell me a single large beer (versus having to buy a 6-pack), then it goes with me to the hotel or camp for the night - and enjoying that beer after the ride before my shower is one of life's greatest pleasures - it ranks only slightly behind sex, and sometimes it's even a wee bit ahead ! 

As to what type of beer - well, my tastes have evolved over the years - most any cold brew is appreciated, but I enjoy the Porters & Stouts the best - so it's a dark beer for me if I can find one!   I felt like I had died and gone to Heaven in 2019 while in Germany on a 6-month work assignment; I commuted to/from work via bicycle and took long rides on the weekends (usually along the Rhine River) - and I could stop at cafes along my ride and order a schnitzel and dunkel (dark beer) when I needed refueling.  Good beer - really good beer - was cheaper than bottled water, no kidding - so it was just stupid to order water!   Wow, writing this post has got me excited to commence my next tour in 2 weeks - thanks for asking the question!  Best of luck,

Buddy Hall

Thirty years ago in Scotland NHS nurses recommended a ‘stout a day’ to nursing mothers 🍺! A good friend of ours took that advice and her kids grew up vigorous and healthy. Not sure if they got into bike touring though 🤔

I turned into an almost teetotaler about 12 years ago as part of cutting out alcohol when I lost about 50 lbs. 

That said, even when I was drinking more the idea of a beer or glass of wine after a long, hot ride was never all that attractive to me. I always seemed to want something tart/acidic like lemonade or lemon-flavored Vitamin Water kinda drinks.

Though, when my wife and I bike toured the Aland Islands, we got turned on to Happy Joe's Pear Cider and I've become a big fan of ciders. For Christmas a few years back my daughter gave me a hard cider home brewing kit and there are usually a few bottles of that. When I end a ride, still looking for lemonade but when I get home some hard cider hits the spot.

What a question!

Al and I both like a cold beer after a long ride, but we, well mostly me, are fussy.  Local craft beer, if you please.  I guess we're spoiled living on Canada's west coast, though I understand there are a lot of good craft beers south of the border in Washington and Oregon too.

I was disappointed in Germany on two fronts:  no craft beer (although there was some good beer to be had, the variety wasn't what we are used to) and, thanks to the, for me, extreme heat, I just couldn't drink alcohol after a ride.  (I note that all German establishments that sell beer must also offer nonalcoholic beer, but never in a style I like.). Make that 3 fronts; water was just as expensive as beer in a cafe or restaurant, sometimes even more.  Or maybe beer was as inexpensive as water...

Touring solo, I'm less likely to go for a beer after a ride, though I do sometimes.  In either case, I almost always have a glass of wine with dinner.

Tea, green tea, fresh brewed, three cups.

When that is not available, then canned or bottled green tea, preferably unsweetened. Then onto black tea right down the line to Lipton. I find tea refreshing and more importantly re-hydrating and it helps prevent leg cramps. 

With that said, when I rode the northern Camino de Santiago route in Spain, a glass of local red wine was always served with the perigrino (pilgrims’) meals. Hard to refuse. 

Reading the various replies to your question, I was struck by how everyone referred to their after ride beverage preference, rather than their during ride preference. But (sort of) soon, I realized that after ride is precisely what you had asked about. Undaunted, I am going to give my in ride answer, because I think it is mildly amusing. 

My in ride preference is  hot coffee. But that is not of the "stop for a coffee" sort. Rather I always insist that one water bottle holder is holding a thermos of hot coffee. The reason is a little quirky.  Out on the long and  possibly lonely feeling road,I find "hot beverage service" right on the bike to be  rather comforting.  Dodie has found that she can put anything into the thermos, from coffee salvaged at breakfast to boiling water and coffee powder, and even to just plain hot water. She rather favours the cheaper options, since to her chagrin she often finds that I am not actually drinking the hot drink, I just like to know that it is there!

One of my favourite stories comes from our first  trip to France. On the first day I went into a cafe and tried to get my thermos filled with hot coffee. The man put in one, two, three shots of espresso before blowing  the whistle. I had already run up a tab of almost 10 euros! From that day forward we switched to boiling water  and  powder!

Steve, your story definitely IS amusing -- and more than "mildly" amusing.  The incident involving little shots of espresso reminded me of a mildly amusing story of my own.  Two friends and I were camping in the north woods of Wisconsin and one day we found ourselves at a tiny little bar in the middle of nowhere.  One of the many quirks about the bar was that it only served beer in 6 oz. bottles that were known at the time as "shorties."  We played pool there for a couple of hours in the sweltering heat.  (Another one of the bar's quirks was the lack of air-conditioning.)   Luckily, we were the only customers the whole time, otherwise people might have been shocked at seeing about 50 beer bottles on the table beside us.  All three of us have fond memories of that place to this day.  

Thanks to all those who replied. I like Bill Stone's idea of carrying it with you to guarantee supply. 

Leo, if the Wine Police get to hear about your remarks your French citizenship could be cancelled and and you could be exported back to the land of Boris.

Re stout, Mary was a premature baby and in her teens she was advised to drink bottled Guiness for the health benefits as outlined by Lyle. I find stout is a nice  winter beer.

Mike

while my alcoholic beverage of choice is usually a good quality craft beer, I have to say at the end of a long day bike touring, my go to is a nice milkshake. It's like I can feel the sugar and the cooling effect working its way to my muscles! 

After that, a nice hoppy IPA... or four... goes down a treat :)