Located in Lewistown, just outside of State College, you will find the 11,000 square foot brewery known as Shy Bear Brewing. With 5,000 square feet inside and another 6,000 outside there is plenty to take in at this brewery. We recently toured the location with owner Jason Ufema.
Located on what was historically known as Meadowbrook Farm this 10 barrel brewery offers much more than just fermented beverages. With an onsite kitchen, special hand made coffee, wine and spirits and of course the beer, there is much to take in; one visit just won’t do it justice.
As we learned, Jason blends coffee by trade. As a result Shy Bear has a very strong coffee influence in a lot of what they do. Whether that is the hand made brunch coffee or the boozy shakes with coffee, rum or bourbon there are many coffee themed options available. Get a full view of their drinks here.
But you know why you’re here….let’s talk beer. The brewing operations are led by Rodger McKelvie, who was formerly responsible for cellaring at Pizza Boy. With 16 taps (plus 3 kegerator taps) available this allows Rodger to get very creative with his offerings. During our visit we got to taste the creativity first hand. Pictured below is their Cookie Dipper – a 6% Oatmeal Cookie Cream Ale. If you’re asking yourself if this beer tastes the way it sounds. Let’s just say….yes! And it was delicious.
Jason was kind enough to give us a tour before opening for the day. Take a tour of their tap room and brewery for yourself:
Shy Bear Tap Room
We told you about the kitchen, right? Lead by head chef Shane Orndorf their kitchen offers everything from Pretzel Logs, Poutine, Salads, Soups, Entrees, Desserts and so much more! With close to 30 menu items there really is something for everyone. Offering a kids menu, makes this the ideal location for families. See the full menu here.
While the beer and food is top notch at this location, there is much more to Shy Bear. As we learned their location is extremely eco-friendly. The entire property boasts over 300 solar panels generating roughly 89 kilowatts per hour in addition to on-demand water heating, LED/solar lighting throughout. Along with this the brewery outputs only 5-10% waste.
The worst part of our visit to Shy Bear? That we visited in the middle of winter and couldn’t take advantage of their outdoor space. As we mentioned, their outdoor seating area offers 6,000 square feet of space. Offering guests an outdoor bar as well as eatery. And plenty of room for games like cornhole. See this very large and spacious area for yourself:
Shy Bear Outside
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As you can see there is a lot to take in with this brewery. We highly recommend a visit. If you can’t get there any time soon make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all they have going on.
