Yuengling
America's oldest operating brewery, known for its amber lager.
D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. is a brewery headquartered in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1829, it holds the title of the oldest continuously operating brewery in the United States. By sales volume in 2018, it ranked as the largest craft brewery, the sixth-largest brewery overall, and the largest brewery that is entirely American-owned. In 2015, the company produced roughly 2.9 million barrels of beer across two facilities in Pennsylvania and one in Tampa, Florida.
The company’s name is an Anglicized version of the founder’s German surname, Jüngling, which means “youngling.” The brewery has remained family-owned, typically passing to the children of the previous owner. Its signature product is Yuengling Traditional Lager, an amber lager so popular in Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area that patrons in some bars simply order a “lager” to get one. Between 1920 and 1985, Yuengling also made ice cream, and it brought that product back to market in 2014.
The brewery was started by German immigrant David Gottlieb Jüngling, who arrived from Aldingen in the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1828. He changed his surname to Yuengling and opened the Eagle Brewery on Centre Street in Pottsville in 1829. His eldest son, David Jr., later left to start the James River Steam Brewery in Richmond, Virginia. The original brewery burned down in 1831, prompting a move to the current location at W. Mahantongo and 5th Streets. In 1873, after Frederick Yuengling joined his father in running the business, the name changed to D. G. Yuengling and Son, though the bald eagle remained the company’s emblem. During the late 1800s, additional breweries opened in Saratoga Springs, New York City, and Trail, British Columbia, but they were eventually consolidated into the Pottsville plant.
Frank D. Yuengling took over the company in 1899 after his father Frederick died. To survive Prohibition, Yuengling produced near beers with 0.5% alcohol content, including “Yuengling Special,” “Yuengling Por-Tor,” and “Yuengling Juvo.” The company also ran a dairy that made ice cream and operated dance halls in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York City. When Prohibition ended in 1933, Yuengling introduced Winner Beer to celebrate the repeal and sent a truckload of its brew to the White House as a thank-you to President Roosevelt. After Frank Yuengling died in 1963, Richard L. Yuengling Sr. and F.
Quick Facts
- Former Name
- Eagle Brewery
- Founder
- David Yuengling
- Hq Location City
- Pottsville, Pennsylvania
- Hq Location Country
- United States
- Area Served
- East Coast, Southern, and Midwestern United States
- Industry
- Brewing
- Production
- 2.9 e6USbeerbbl in 2015
- Owner
- Richard Yuengling Jr.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
German brewer David Gottlieb Jüngling immigrated to the United States in 1828 from Aldingen, near Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He anglicized his surname to Yuengling and began the Eagle Brewery on Centre Street in Pottsville in 1829. The first brewery burned down in an 1831 fire, and the company relocated to its current location on W. Mahantongo Street at 5th Street. The name changed to D. G. Yuengling and Son in 1873 after Frederick Yuengling joined his father. During Prohibition, Yuengling survived by producing near beers and running a dairy that produced ice cream, as well as opening dance halls. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Yuengling introduced Winner Beer and shipped a truckload to the White House to show appreciation to President Roosevelt. The flagship product, Yuengling Traditional Lager, was reintroduced in 1987 and became the company's flagship brand, accounting for 80% of production. In 1999, the company purchased a Stroh Brewery Company plant in Tampa, Florida, and built a third brewery in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, in 2000. Yuengling expanded distribution throughout the East Coast and into states including Georgia, West Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Louisiana, Indiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky. In 2021, Yuengling announced expansion into Texas through a partnership with Molson Coors. The company has traditionally changed ownership through purchase by the children of the previous owner.
Reader's Guide
Yuengling's significance lies in its status as the oldest operating brewery in the United States, a family-owned business since 1829. Its flagship Yuengling Traditional Lager, an amber lager in the pre-Prohibition style, became so popular in Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia metropolitan area that it is often ordered simply as 'a lager.' The brewery survived Prohibition by diversifying into near beers and ice cream, and later capitalized on renewed interest in history during the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. Yuengling's growth from 138,000 barrels in 1990 to being the largest craft brewery and sixth largest overall brewery in the U.S. by 2018 demonstrates its broad appeal. The company has navigated challenges including a Teamsters boycott, a fire at its Tampa brewery in 2013, and Clean Water Act violations settled in 2016. Yuengling's legacy includes its iconic eagle emblem, its role in reviving the porter style as the largest U.S. porter brewer, and its continued expansion into new markets. The company's future leadership is expected to pass to one of Dick Yuengling's daughters, continuing the family tradition.
Did You Know?
- From 1920 until 1985, Yuengling also produced ice cream; it returned to the market in 2014.
- Yuengling is an Anglicized version of Jüngling, the founder's surname and the German word for youngling.
- In 2019, Yuengling partnered with Hershey's to produce Yuengling Hershey's Chocolate Porter, its first collaborative beer in 190 years.
- Yuengling's Pottsville brewery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as the oldest brewery in the United States.
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