One of the newest spots in the area is the New York Beer Project Beer Lodge in Orchard Park, located off the Milestrip Road East/West exits of Route 219, seen behind it. Route 219 stretches 535 miles from West Seneca to Rich Creek, Va., running through parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.
The local expanse of the highway, which spans just over 67 miles, has become the connective tissue for a number of breweries that have dotted the map throughout the Southtowns. There are nearly a dozen breweries you can visit on a drive along Route 219 from West Seneca to Ellicottville. From West Seneca to Ellicottville, craft beer has migrated south of Buffalo, and there is some great liquid being created all along the way.
There are nearly a dozen purveyors of craft strategically positioned near exits of Route 219, making for an easily planned brewery crawl or just places to stop along the way to the nearby Quaker Crossing shopping plaza, on a longer ride out to Ellicottville or on a drive to view the fall foliage. Here’s a rundown of seven exits that will take you to 10 breweries plus suggestions of what to drink while you are there. At The Ridge in West Seneca, enjoy a brew inside, on the outdoor patio or at the firepit.
Exit: Ridge Road East West Seneca Go here: The Ridge West Seneca (555 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca), Rusty Nickel Brewing (4350 Seneca St., West Seneca). Drink this: Hop Belgique IPA at The Ridge West Seneca , Czech Pils at Rusty Nic.
