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 were lucky enough to tour 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 handmade 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.
With 16 taps (plus 3 kegerator taps) available this allows the brewery to get very creative with its offerings. During our visit, we had the chance 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. Their very spacious outdoor seating area offers 6,000 square feet of space. Offering guests an outdoor bar as well as an eatery. And plenty of room for games like cornhole. Take a tour of their taproom and outdoor beer garden for yourself (some photos courtesy Shy Bear on Facebook):
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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.
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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.
