Rusty Rail Brewery- traveling east from State College & Boalsburg on Route 45, you find yourself in the beautiful Penn;s Valley. It does not take long to pass the last of the new housing developments and you are in farm and amish country. This is a very popular bicycling route with the mostly level and straight roadway, with an exception of a short curvy, mountainous section near Woodward. As you drive, do not lose you focus on the scenery, amish buggies, wagons and more buggies are everywhere on this road. You should also keep your tires off the edge of the road to avoid the Amish horsepower waste ( these piles are a bicyclist's hazard). Ok back to the beer. You will enter the small town of Milheim after driving 25-30 minutes from Boalsburg. Milheim is a neat little German town with a few artisan stores and the Elk Creek Brewery. I visited this brewery early in my beer quest and it is worth the stop. Drive another 30 minutes and you will enter a town of Mifflinburg. Just as you are entering the town limits, look for the signs directing you to the Rusty Rail Brewery. Located in an old Buggy Factory building, the bar and seating area is very large. The brick, wood and stone provides a very rustic setting. To the right of the bar you are able to look down on the brew works. The polished fermenters look quite impressive from the seating area. You can also go up to the second floor to a gaming area with pool tables, a 22 ft shuffleboard table, dart boards and a few vintage arcade games. You will also be surrounded by numerous exotic stuffed animals. Watchout for the teethy baboon that looks down on you. The Brewpub has a full menu, I highly recommend the Grilled chicken, apple & brie salad. The Brewpub and taproom have 12 to 15 of the house brews on tap. I enjoyed Honey Almond Rye Rail Spike IPA, Rails End Pale Ale, Blue Collar Blonde, Blood Orange Pale Ale, Apple Saison, my favorite of the sampler, Wolf King Warrior Imperial stout. This is a great stop, the food is very good, the beer is good and the atmosphere is great. If you plan to visit at night, reservations are highly recommended, they are packed at night.
The Buggy Museum, no I did not visit the buggy museum. I only mentioned it since when you ask about Mifflinburg, the locals talk about the brewery and the Buggy Museum. Plus it made a good title for this blog.
The Buggy Museum, no I did not visit the buggy museum. I only mentioned it since when you ask about Mifflinburg, the locals talk about the brewery and the Buggy Museum. Plus it made a good title for this blog.