Yuengling

Active beers Yuengling lager Light Lager lager Yuengling Premium Beer pilsener Original Black & Tan Dark Brewed Porter Porter Lord Chesterfield Ale Ale Template:Brewbox end Yuengling is a brand of beer sold by the Yuengling Brewing Company of Pottsville, Pennsylvania in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania It is the oldest brewer of beer in the United States, having been established in 1829. Besides its Pottsville facility, Yuengling also maintains additional operations in Tampa, Florida. The name Yuengling is commonly pronounced as "Yingling."

History

The German brewer David G. Jüngling (whose surname means "young man" in German) 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. 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 eagle remained the company's emblem.

During the Prohibition era, Yuengling survived by producing "near beer" (.5% alcohol). After the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, Yuengling sent a truckload of "Winner Beer" to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in appreciation, which arrived the day the amendment was repealed. Yuengling also opened a dairy during Prohibition, which remained in business until 1981. During the American Bicentennial in 1976, Yuengling was officially registered as the oldest brewery of the United States.

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 for a short time but eventually abandoned it.

When the current company president Richard L. Yuengling took over in 1985, the brewery reintroduced a lager the brewery 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 opened a second brewery in Pennsylvnia in Port Carbon in Schuylkill County. With production at the Port Carbon, Tampa, and original Pottsville plants, the brewery has been able to expand throughout the East Coast.

As of 2005, Yuengling is a moderately-priced beer very popular from New York to North Carolina, as well as in a growing market in Tampa. Throughout eastern Pennsylvania, ordering a "lager" at a bar or restaurant is usually understood to mean Yuengling Lager. In some areas, Yuengling (usually Traditional Lager or Black and Tan) is affectionately known as "Vitamin Y."

Yuengling Varieties

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The Yuengling Coaster

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The Yuengling service tray, date unknown

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The Yuengling service tray, 1960's

• Traditional Lager

This amber lager is Yuengling's flagship beer, and is what you will get in Philadelphia if you order a "lager." It has a distinctive amber color and is definitely more flavorful than stereotypical American lagers, but it also has a noticeable corn element to its aroma that some may find unfavorable. It is usually sold in green bottles prominently featuring the word "LAGER" on the label, although it is also available in cans, and brown quart bottles are also popular.

• Light Lager

This light lager is a lower food energy version of the Traditional Lager.

• Yuengling Premium Beer

This is more or less a standard American lager. It is darker than a pilsner but lighter than a porter. The color is akin to Samuel Adams.

• Yuengling Premium Light Beer

A version of the Yuengling Premium Beer with less food energy.

• Original Black & Tan

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

• Dark-Brewed Porter

Some purists may take issue with this "porter" since it is bottom-fermented rather than using the traditional top-fermenting ale yeasts used in most porters, however it is one of the best selling and most affordable porters sold in America, since few mainstream breweries produce this style. Yuengling Porter has a very dark cola color, appearing almost black in the glass, with a pale tan head, and has by far the strongest malt flavor of Yuengling's line.

• Lord Chesterfield Ale

Yuengling's hoppiest beer and only true ale. Like their Traditional lager, it is usually sold in green bottles 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 unique looking short brown bottles (that resembled barrels), Old German was a flavorful, slightly-sweet lager. Its inexpensive retail price ($1.15 for a 6-pack in 1986) made it a favorite of college students and others of lesser means. Despite being a discount beer, it was comparable in taste and quality to beers several times its cost. Old German beer was discontinued in 1994.

• 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.

External link

• Yuengling Brewing Company official website
• Yuengling of Pottsville America's Oldest Brewery
• History of Yuengling