Craft breweries in Pennsylvania worth a day trip

Sometimes, you just want to go out for a beer run. Way out.

Pennsylvania has long been awash with great beer, with more than 400 craft breweries in the commonwealth, which produced 3.6 million barrels of beer in 2019, according to the Brewers Association. And now, we can finally visit some of them again.

Here are a dozen Pa. breweries that you can make a day trip out of visiting, whether that means some outdoor dining and drinking, or just a quick trip for some curbside pickup.

Check out the list below, in order from closest to furthest from Philly:

La Cabra isn’t a far trip from Philly, but it is a good one — especially now that they’re offering outdoor and limited indoor dining. There’s plenty of options for IPA lovers, but if you’re looking for a great Belgian tripel (or quad), or a nice dry stout or cider, they’ve got you covered there, too. Hungry? Order up a plate of tacos (jerk chicken, pulled pork, or sweet potato) or some wings and chow down.

Pro tip: Valley Forge National Historical Park is about a 10-minute drive away, so you could plan for a hike before your visit.

📍 642 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn, ↔️ 22 miles from Center City, 📞 610-240-7908, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 lacabrabrewing.com, 📷 @lacabrabrewing, 🕑 Tue.-Fri. 3-8:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-8:30 p.m.

Head to this Royersford-based brewery (or its Chester Springs counterpart) to get your Stickman fix. Here, they’ve got plenty to offer on tap, like their Stack that Cake pastry stout, several IPAs, and some more experimental options, like a smoked brown ale made with soft pretzels. Food-wise, you can fill up on hearty sandwiches (think buffalo chicken and eggplant parm), or grab a pan pizza.

Pro tip: If you’ve got a sweet-tooth, Suzy-Jo Donuts (a favorite of Inquirer food writer Michael Klein’s in 2013) is right down the road.

📍 326 N. Lewis Rd. Ste. #240, Royersford, ↔️ 32 miles from Center City, 📞 484-938-5900, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 stickmanbrews.com, 📷 @stickmanbrews, 🕑 Wed.-Sun. noon-8 p.m.

This Chester County brewery has a bunch of stellar beers and sangrias — plus house-made sodas and bags of locally roasted coffee from L’Assemblee Coffee, if you’re looking for something alcohol-free. And if you’re hungry, grab a bowl of their Kennett mushroom soup (hey, when in Rome...), or pig out on some wings (jerk, honey ginger, or red hot) and empanadas (beef and cheese or Caribbean fish).

Pro tip: Anson B. Nixon Park is about a mile away from the brewery, and it offers three miles of walking trails, a dog park, and a disc golf course.

📍 109 S. Broad St. Ste. #2, Kennett Square, ↔️ 38 miles from Center City, 📞 610-444-0440, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 kennettbrewingcompany.com, 📷 @kennettbrewingcompany, 🕑 Fri. 5-9 p.m., Sat. 2-9 p.m., Sun 2-7 p.m.

If you’re not into traveling, Free Will is shipping their brews to all of Pennsylvania. But their Perkasie spot is worth the trip thanks to its large outdoor seating area, massive tap list (with tons of barrel-aged options, and tons of cans and bottles to boot), and visits from their rotating list of food truck partners.

Pro tip: Should you want to work up a pre-beer sweat, Nockamixon State Park is about a 20-minute drive away (but sorry, disc-golfers — the course is currently closed).

📍 410 E. Walnut St., Perkasie, ↔️ 40 miles from Center City, 📞 267-354-0813, 🌐 freewillbrewing.com, 📷 @freewillbrewing, 🕑 Mon.-Thu. 3-9 p.m., Fri. 3-10 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun noon-8 p.m.

Blonde Ales, Belgian wits, nitro stouts, sours, and hazy IPAs are all available from this Bucks-based brewery, which is now doing takeout and on-site dining. For the peckish, there’s also a ton of bar food staples, like pretzels, wings, burgers, and nachos — plus a kids menu, so feel free to bring the little ones if you’re comfortable.

Pro tip: The Quakertown Farmers Market and Flea Market is a five-minute drive from the brewery — and it’s open on weekends thanks to the area’s yellow phase designation — so feel free to do some socially distant shopping.

📍 117 W. Broad St., Quakertown, ↔️ 47 miles from Center City, 📞 267-490-5168, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 theproperbrewing.com, 📷 @theproperbrewing, 🕑 Mon.-Thu. 4-10 p.m., Fri. 4-11 p.m., Sat. noon-11 p.m., Sun noon-8 p.m.

Funk’s Emmaus brewery makes brews that run the gamut from crisp lagers to hazy IPAs, plus case specials and merch. Or if you want a more relaxing option, you can grab some beers on-site, and snag some food from one of the local food trucks with which the brewery partners.`

Pro tip: To get a little nature in before your visit, check out the nearby Wildlands Conservancy South Mountain Preserve, which offers nine miles of hiking trails.

📍 19 S. 6th St., Emmaus, ↔️ 52 miles from Center City, 📞 610-421-8270, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐funkbrewing.com, 📷 @funkbrewing, 🕑 Wed.-Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat. noon-8 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m.

If a drive through bucolic Bucks County to get some beer sounds good to you, Great Barn Brewery is your place. Order four-packs, cases, and 22-ounce bottles of their beers ahead of your visit online, and pick up Monday through Friday at the brewery’s Kintnersville farm, where they happen to grow all the grain with which they brew. On weekends, you can find their beers at their taproom in New Hope (12 W. Mechanic St.), which features 16 taps and a dog-friendly outdoor patio. A new taphouse location has also opened in Warrington.

Pro tip: Check out Ringing Rocks Park — about four miles away — where you can check out Bucks County’s largest waterfall, and strike some boulders that will ring like bells (as the name would suggest).

📍 665 Kintner Rd., Kintnersville; taproom at 12 W. Mechanic St., New Hope, 1500 Main St., Warrington ↔️ 58 miles from Center City, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 greatbarnbrewery.com, 📷 @greatbarnbrewery, 🕑 Mon.-Fri. 12:30-3:30 p.m.; taproom open Tues.-Thurs. 5-9 p.m., Fr. 4-10:30 p.m., Sat noon-10:30 p.m., Sun. noon-9 p.m.

For a beer menu not dominated by hoppy IPAs, head to Bethlehem’s south side. There, Bonn Place Brewing is offering unique takes on everything from English-style ales and witbiers to hazy IPAs and sours. Order ahead for curbside pickup of four-packs, cases, growlers, and crowlers of its brews.

Pro tip: Get a little outdoor R&R on the Saucon Rail Trail, which offers 7.5 miles of hiking trail on what used to be a railroad track — and it’s only about 15 minutes from Bonn.

📍 310-14 Taylor St., Bethlehem, ↔️ 69 miles from Center City, 📞 610-419-6660, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 bonnbrewing.com, 📷 @bonnplace, 🕑 Mon. noon-8 p.m., Wed. noon-10 p.m., Thu. 4-10 p.m., Fri. 3-11 p.m., Sat. noon-11 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m.

If you want your beer run to take you up to the Poconos, Barley Creek — the area’s first microbrewery since Prohibition — is your spot. The brewery has a wide range of beers, and is also a distillery, making spirits from rum to whiskey. Dine or drink there, or get takeout on food and beer, and even bottles of their spirits and canned cocktails.

Pro tip: Barley Creek is located right next to Big Pocono State Park, so feel free to get your hike on — or for something a little more combative, The Paintball Asylum is just down the road.

📍 1174 Sullivan Trail, Tannersville, ↔️ 102 miles from Center City, 📞 570-629-9399, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 barleycreek.com, 📷 @barleycreekbrewing, 🕑 Sun.-Mon. 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Situated on 77 acres of land, Wyndridge Farm is the perfect place to enjoy a beer, wine, or cider — and they’ve got plenty to go around. Beers come under the label of Winding Path Brewing Co., and include options like the juicy Hazeway IPA and the crisp River Hill Pils. And if you want to grab and go, you can order ahead online for your preferred adult beverage, and even pick up some some food from their extensive menu, too.

Pro tip: About a 10-minute drive from Wyndridge is William Kain Park, where you can fish in two lakes, and hike on 12 miles of trails.

📍 885 S. Pleasant Ave., Dallastown, ↔️ 104 miles from Center City, 📞 717-244-9900, ✉️ [email protected]. 🌐 wyndridge.com, 📷 @wyndridgefarm, @windingpathbrewingco, 🕑 Wed.-Thu. 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Located inside the Al’s of Hampden restaurant, Pizza Boy has a staggering variety of six-packs, crowlers, bottles, and cases of brews — plus a menu that has a whole lot more than just pies.

Pro tip: High-speed indoor go-karting sounds good (before you drink, of course)? Autobahn Indoor Speedway & Events’ nearby location, located about 15 minutes away, is now open for walk-ins and private reservations.

📍2240 Millennium Way, Enola, ↔️ 115 miles from Center City, 📞 717-728-3840, ✉️ [email protected], 🌐 pizzaboybrewing.com, 📷 @alsofhampden, 🕑 Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

This massive Union County brewery is touted as Pennsylvania’s largest brewpub, and they are open for both indoor and outdoor dining, as well as takeout (and yes, you can order ahead online for curbside pickup or, if you’re close, delivery). New England-style IPAs, hefeweizens, imperial stouts, lagers — they’ve got it all.

Pro tip: The Buffalo Valley Rail Trail offers 9.5 miles of finished, scenic trail for walking, running, and bicycling, and runs right behind the brewery.

📍5 N. 8th St. Ste. #1, Mifflinburg, ↔️ 161 miles from Center City, 📞 570-966-7878, ✉️[email protected], 🌐 rustyrailbrewing.com, 📷 @rustyrailbrewing, 🕑 daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

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