Yuengling

Active beers Yuengling Lager Lager Light Lager Lager Yuengling Premium Beer Pilsener Yuengling Premium Light Pilsener Original Black & Tan Pilsener/Porter Blend Dark Brewed Porter Porter Lord Chesterfield Ale Ale Template:Brewbox end D.G. Yuengling & Son, commonly called Yuengling, of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, is the oldest family-owned brewing company in the United States, having been established in 1829, and is one of the largest breweries by volume in the country. It is also the United States' oldest continuously operating brewery, as the Boston Brewing Company (now known for its Samuel Adams brand) was founded first, but was closed for several years during the 1970s and 1980s. Yuengling's trademarked phrase "America's Oldest Brewery" refers to the U.S. only, as the Canadian brand Molson, founded in 1786, is the oldest in North America. Yuengling produces 1.2 million barrels (1.4 million hectoliters) annually, making it either the fifth or sixth largest brewer in the United States. Besides its two Pennsylvania facilities, Yuengling also operates a brewery in Tampa, Florida. Yuengling is pronounced , which may give a false impression of a Chinese instead of German origin.

History

The German brewer David G. Jüngling (whose surname means "youth" in the German language) immigrated to the United States in 1823 from Aldingen in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He anglicized his surname from Jüngling to Yuengling and began the "Eagle Brewery" in Pottsville in 1829. His eldest son, David, Jr., left the Eagle Brewery to establish the James River Steam Brewery along the James River in Richmond, Virginia. The Eagle Brewery changed its name to "D.G. Yuengling and Son" in 1873 after Frederick Yuengling joined his father David in running the company. Although the company's name changed, the bald eagle remained the company's emblem.

During the Prohibition era, Yuengling survived by producing "near beer" (.5% alcohol) and by opening a dairy, producing ice cream. After the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, Yuengling sent a truckload of "Winner Beer" to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in appreciation, which arrived the day the amendment was repealed —particularly notable since Yuengling beer takes almost three weeks to brew and age. The dairy remained in business until 1981.

Yuengling bought the rights to use the Mount Carbon (Bavarian Premium Beer) name and label when Mount Carbon Brewery went out of business in 1977. Yuengling initially brewed beer at Mount Carbon but eventually abandoned it.

In 1985, the Yuengling brewery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest brewery in the United States. It was also so listed in the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historic Places at some unspecified date. (The company's website mentions only a vague national and state registration in 1976).

Richard L. Yuengling took over as company president in 1985. In 1987 the brewery reintroduced a lager they had not made in decades to take advantage of a spike in lighter-style beers. Since this time, Yuengling Lager has become its flagship brand, accounting for 80% of production and much of its rapid growth. In the early 1990s, demand throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware outstripped the existing brewery's abilities. In 1999, they increased their manufacturing capacity by purchasing a Stroh's plant in Tampa, Florida. In 2000, the company built a third brewery in Pennsylvania, in Port Carbon in Schuylkill County near Pottsville. With production at the Port Carbon, Tampa, and original Pottsville plants, the company has been able to expand throughout the East Coast.

As of 2006, Yuengling is a moderately priced beer popular northward through New York, westward until Ohio, and southward through South Carolina, as well as in a growing market in Fort Myers, Tampa and northern Florida from Gainesville to Jacksonville. It is also distributed in Alabama. The brewery uses corn from Minnesota and hops from Washington as ingredients in its products.

Yuengling Varieties

• Traditional Lager This is the company's flagship beer, and what is received if a "lager" is ordered throughout many parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, especially around Philadelphia. This is also true throughout the central part of Pennsylvania, from below York to above State College. It is usually sold in green bottles prominently featuring the word "LAGER" on the label, although it is also available in cans. Brown quart bottles as well as 22 ounce bottles (colloquially known as "bombers") are also sold.
• Light Lager

This is a lower-calorie version of the Traditional Lager.

• Yuengling Premium Beer

This is a standard American pilsener.

• Yuengling Premium Light Beer

This is a lower-calorie version of the Premium Beer.

• Original Black & Tan

This black and tan is a mixture of Yuengling Premium Beer (40%) and Dark-Brewed Porter (60%).

• Dark-Brewed Porter

This porter has a very dark cola color, appearing almost black in the glass with a pale tan head, and has a strong malt flavor. Rather than using the traditional top-fermenting ale yeasts used in most porters, Yuengling's porter is bottom-fermented; few mainstream breweries produce this style. Originally known as "Pottsville Porter," this beer is notable for being one of the few porters commercially available from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.

• Lord Chesterfield Ale

This is Yuengling's hoppiest beer and only true ale. Like the Traditional Lager, it is usually sold in green bottles (but also in cans) and has an element of corn in its profile. It is very carbonated and tends to sprout a large but short-lived head when poured.

• Old German (no longer produced)

This was Yuengling's discount brand. Sold in stylistically unique, short brown bottles that resembled barrels, Old German was a flavorful, slightly sweet lager. Its inexpensive retail price ($1.15 for a six-pack in 1986) made it a favorite of college students and others of lesser means. Old German was discontinued in 1994. The brand was subsequently sold to Pittsburgh Brewing Company, which revived the Old German name as its own discount line.

• Half & Half (no longer produced)

This was a 50/50 blend of Dark-Brewed Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale. It was replaced by Original Black & Tan in 1986 and was discontinued.

Trivia

• Yuengling beers are sometimes nicknamed "Vitamin Y" by fans.

References

• Bryson, Lew. Pennsylvania Breweries. 3rd Edition. Stackpoles Books. Mechanicsburg. 2005. ISBN 0811732223
• D.G. Yuengling & Son official website
• Yuengling of Pottsville: America's Oldest Brewery
• RateBeer