Right along the historic D & M train tracks near the center of Honesdale, RUNAWAY TRAIN BREWERY opened its spickets August 11, 2023. Described quite accurately as a ‘brewhouse saloon,’ an olden rail house welcomes patrons to the converted grey warehouse.
Runaway Train’s elongated yellow wood top bar spreads across the family-friendly pub, serving slate top tables and plastic-chaired tables along the concrete floored main space. A hearth-warmed lounge area and left side tanks fill out the light Industrialized, pipe-exposed, chandelier-ceilinged interior. A wood-floored billiards room is available upstairs.
My wife and I journeyed to Runaway Train early December ’25 on a frigid Friday eve. Dominated by lager-related fodder, we tried eleven of the fifteen homemade beers available (missing out on three IPA’s and a schwarzbier).
For starters, traditional Czech pils, Ticket To Ride, a smoothly sessionable barley-roasted light body, stayed subtle with spicy floral herbage and limey soapstone residue.
Crisply dry pilsner-malted lager, Declaration, caressed its lemony orange spritz with peppery Saaz hop herbage – an easygoing flagship.
Equally sessionable helles lager, Golden Spike, slid musty lemon souring and subtle herbal spicing across biscuity barley malts.
As for off-dry Railside Lager, its sour lemon musk countered mineralized pilsner-malted barley.
Scotch-licked barley, dried maize and lemondrop herbage fronted Honesdale Hauler, a soft-toned festbier with sedate vanilla creaming.
Brisk lemon fizz tickled Coach Car Kolsch, a Noble-hopped moderation with musky floral herbage topping buttery biscuit base.
‘Simple pub ale,’ Wet Your Whistle, retained light bodied appeal as mossy spelt graining drifted thru mild floral hop bouquet.
Another pillowy moderation, Honesdale Rail Cream Ale, hustled creamed corn sugaring for nutty rye breading and grassy herbal hops.
Tobacco roast crisping embraced dewy peat for lightly caramelized Irish red ale, Irish Conductor, benefiting from kilned barley toasting.
Nitrogenated traditional English dark mild, Last Train Home, relegated caramel toffee sweetness for Bakers chocolate tartness and nut-skinned dried fruiting.
Dry Irish stout, Lucky Ticket, placed dewy truffle earthiness inside charred dark-roast hops, picking up bittersweet dried fruiting at its cocoa nibs base.
