Sept. 17 - Yuengling Brewery

“I only go out to get a fresh appetite for being alone.” -Lord Byron

On our way home from Lancaster county we decided to visit the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville. Yuengling was founded in 1829 by German immigrant David G. Yuengling making it the oldest operating brewing company in the United States. It's been run by the same family for six generations. Originally known as the Eagle Brewery it was renamed in 1873 to D.G. Yuengling & Son. 

We waited for the tour start in the gift shop...of course and it ended in the tap room where we were treated to samples of their beer. During the tour we learned how the brewery has operated since the beginning.

Yuengling has endured because its owners were willing to change the business without discarding its identity. During Prohibition they switched to producing “near beer” containing no more than 0.5% alcohol and constructed a dairy across from the brewery where they sold milk and ice cream. It was a practical response to an existential problem. Yuengling already understood production, refrigeration, packaging and distribution. The dairy gave the family another source of revenue while alcoholic beer production was prohibited. When Prohibition ended Yuengling celebrated by brewing Winner Beer and sending a truckload to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Yuengling now operates its historic brewery and Mill Creek facility in the Pottsville area, along with a brewery in Tampa, Florida. Traditional Lager remains the flagship, while the current lineup also includes Light Lager, FLIGHT, Black & Tan, Golden Pilsner, Lord Chesterfield Ale, Dark Brewed Porter, Premium, Premium Light and Bongo Fizz.

A fire destroyed the original 1829 building; the current brewery was rebuilt on Mahantongo Street in 1831.

This is the store and tap room now. When the building was built it was the dairy and creamery.

Our tour began in the rack room. It was where "rackers" would transfer beer from the conditioning or fermentation tanks into kegs or barrels. The process was all done by hand. At Yuengling, a well-known perk of being a racker was that any kegs that failed to seal perfectly during the filling process were left aside for the workers to enjoy themselves.

The beer caves were hand-dug between 1831 and 1841. Carved out by local coal miners using basic hand tools rather than explosives. It was used for cold storage, aging and fermenting beer at a steady, natural temperature before mechanical refrigeration existed.

Murals and a stained glass ceiling in the brew house. The ceiling was installed in the 1930s to cut down the sunlight that would heat up the copper kettles. The kettles are now made out of stainless steel. The murals show the cooperage shop, a bottle washing crew and a man holding a bottle of "Winner" beer, the first label to leave the brewery after Prohibition.

The historic workers' lunch room at the brewery is known as The Rathskeller. In the years before modern workplace safety regulations, Yuengling workers used this basement bar during their lunch breaks to eat and enjoy free brewery beer. It was built in 1936 shortly after the repeal of Prohibition was repealed. 

This is part of the modern production line.

The Yuengling tasting room (tap room). I tried the Golden Pilsner and Bongo Fizz and Stan had the Lord Chesterfield Ale and Dark Brewed Porter. 

Golden Pilsner was created in 2018. This modern pilsner is pale gold in color and clean in flavor, with a snappy hop bite.  

 

Bongo Fizz was introduced in 2022. It's light, refreshing and crisp. This premium-style beer embodies tropical relaxation, finishing with a juicy burst of natural mango.

 

Lord Chesterfield Ale has been brewed since 1829. It's crafted in a unique two-stage brewing style that utilizes both conventional kettle hopping and dry hopping after fermentation. The result is a dry, sharp finish and a distinct, robust flavor derived from a combination of sweet maltiness and lingering herbal bitterness.

 

Dark Brewed Porter has also been brewed since 1829. Using generous helpings of caramel and dark roasted malts to create a rich, creamy taste with hints of dark chocolate. It offers a smooth character, balanced body and refreshing finish that makes it a truly distinctive Yuengling brew.