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Tag: beer

Production, promotion of Pa. beers and wines gets nearly $2 million boost from PLCB grants

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has approved grants totaling $1,78 million for 21 projects to increase the production of Pennsylvania-made malt and brewed beverages and wines, Governor Tom Wolf announced. 

The grants are aimed at enhancing Pennsylvania’s beer industry via promotion, marketing, and research-based programs and projects, as well as increasing the production of state-made wines. 

“Since 2017, we have awarded more than $12 million to projects that support Pennsylvania’s growing wine and beer industries as they explore research, improve products and raise awareness,” Wolf said. “This is an investment that helps growers meet increasingly complex challenges, provides higher-quality and better-tasting products, and connects consumers with Pennsylvania wines and craft beverages that are among the finest in the nation.” 

Ranked second in the U.S. for volume of craft beer production, Pennsylvania produced 3.2 million barrels in 2021 for a $5.5 million economic impact. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the country for wine production and annually welcomes more than two million visitors to state wineries generating tourism revenue of more than $476.5 million. The economic impact of wine in Pennsylvania is more than $1.4 billion. 

Act 39 of 2016 created the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverages Industry Promotion Board within the department of Agriculture and authorized the PLCB to approve up to $1 million annually for the development and marketing of the Pennsylvania beer industry. The Pennsylvania Fiscal Code also allows for unallocated beer grant funds to be made available in subsequent years. 

Act 39 also expanded the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board and authorized the PLCB to approve up to $1 million annually for wine research and promotion. 

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates 600 wine and spirit stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB partners with schools, community groups, and licensees to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking. Taxes and store profits totaling nearly $19.5 billion since the agency’s inception are returned to the state’s General Fund to finance Pennsylvania schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, public safety initiatives, and other key public services. 

The Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and other state agencies and local municipalities across the state also receive financial support from the PLCB. 

Additional information regarding the PLCB can be found at lcb.pa.gov.  

Yuengling continues to support diversity in brewing

Pottsville-based D.G. Yuengling & Sons Inc. Is continuing its efforts to encourage women, minorities and veterans to engage in careers in the brewing industry. 

The company has announced plans to continue its partnership with the University of South Florida St. Petersburg’s Brewing Arts Program. 

The brewer is providing a $10,000 donation dedicated to funding its Diversity in Brewing Scholarship and the Yuengling Veteran Scholarship. 

Yuengling’s $5,000 Diversity in Brewing Scholarship is presented annually to an individual from a traditionally underrepresented population and covers the cost of tuition to USFSP’s Brewing Arts Certificate program for the upcoming spring semester.  

Yuengling’s second scholarship opportunity, the $5,000 Yuengling Veteran Scholarship, provides one veteran with full funding to attend USFSP’s Brewing Arts program. Recipients of the Yuengling Veteran Scholarship will be announced ahead of the program’s August 2022 session. 

“As four women helping to lead America’s Oldest Brewery, my sisters and I understand the importance of shaping opportunities for anyone interested in pursuing their passion in brewing,” said Jennifer Yuengling, vice president of operations and sixth generation family member of D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. “We’re raising our glasses to bettering the brewing industry and are proud to help support the development of the next generation of brewers through these scholarships.”  

The Brewing Arts program is a collaboration between USF’s College of Arts and Sciences and several local and national breweries. Launched in 2015, the online program is designed for brewers ranging from hobbyists to enthusiasts looking to make a career in the industry by working in or opening a brewery one day.  

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Yuengling again this year and to continue building on the success we’ve seen in our program thanks to these scholarships,” said Jennifer Sedillo, program director of the Brewing Arts program. “Diversity is an ongoing area of concern in both our program and the industry at large, and we hope to continue progress on this issue by creating opportunities for underrepresented groups with these scholarships and Yuengling’s support.” 

 

 

 

Shangy’s opens second location in Macungie

After more than 40 years with just a single location along Lehigh Street in Emmaus, Shangy’s the Beer Authority now has two stores. 

With the largest selection of beer in the country, with more than 4,000 beers available, the store has long been popular as a destination for beer lovers, but with all of the development that has been going on in nearby Macungie, owner Nima Hadian said he saw a perfect opportunity to expand. 

The Macungie Shangy’s is located at 6480 Alburtis Road in Macungie. 

“We are literally right across the street from Mack Truck,” Hadian said. He also noted the store is within a stone’s throw of a number of housing and apartment developments. 

At 14,000 square feet, the new store is about the same size as the original Emmaus Shangy’s but offers a great deal of amenities for beer fans to get excited about. 

The store’s large selection of beer can be bought by the case, in a “mix-a-six” selection of individual bottles or even by tapping your own. 

Hadian noted that the new store has a system known as a a Gruber-brand growler/crowler station where customers can fill bottles, growlers or even cans with fresh tapped beer that will then remain fresh for up to 90 days. 

“We’ll be pouring some of the most sought-after beers in the world,” Hadian said. 

Customers will be able to choose beers from a rotating selection of around 20 different varieties. 

Hadian noted that the system is one of only 15 like it in the country. 

Other highlights include a slushee parlor where customers can choose from a rotating selection of 30 flavors of malt-based slushees to go. 

Hadian said the slushee parlor is so popular the Macungie Shangy’s sold 4,000 slushies in its first two days of operations alone. 

“It was five of us on those machines for like 10 hours straight both days,” he said. 

Another popular addition to the new store is a full-service two-lane drive-through where customers can order from a menu, or from memory if they already know what they want and buy beer right from their car. 

The store also features a gift shop selling wearables, beer glasses from around the world and 15 varieties of roasted nuts. There is also a small cigar shop in the store. 

So far, Hadian said he’s been getting good feedback from customers who tell him they like the variety and the ease of shopping the categorized aisles of beer. 

The Macungie store was constructed in an old Rite Aid building by Jerdon Construction of Allentown.   

Is Yuengling launching a line of hair products?

Yuengling’s ‘new line of hair care products’ PHOTO/SUBMITTED –

D.G. Yuengling & Sons Inc., America’s Oldest Brewery, issued a press release today announcing the launch of an exclusive line of shower products, Lagér by Yuengling.  

The Pottsville-based brewer said the lineup, which features sensorial, delighting products: Lagér by Yuengling shampoo, conditioner and bodywash, are a proprietary three-step, total-body regimen proven to cleanse, tone, and moisturize hair and skin. A historic advancement that utilizes Yuengling’s very own Fountain of Youth as its main ingredient, Natural Spring water from the historic Yuengling Spring in Pottsville, PA, the line brings new meaning to shower beers.   

 Before rushing out to the store, however, one might remember the date – April First. 

In its April Fool’s Day prank, the company said it was inspired by Yuengling’s discovery of a Reddit conversation which deemed Yuengling Traditional Lager “the perfect ‘shower beer’” and that consumers can now round-out the perfect shower experience with Lagér by Yuengling.  

It went on to say the line also reflects an unprecedented move with making its main ingredient natural spring water—sourced from the historic Pottsville, PA Spring, originally tapped in Yuengling’s hand-dug caves dating to 1831 by David G. Yuengling.   

“We are always looking for new ways to delight our passionate fans,” and Bob Seaman, director of innovation & product development. “We saw that Yuengling Lager fans love the beer so much, they take it into the shower, so it was a great opportunity for us to create an innovative way for Yuengling lovers to experience our iconic beer.” 

He went on to say “Lagér by Yuengling will be available online while supplies last, wink, wink.”   

Of course, it’s already “sold out.” 

 

 

Universities, associations, tourist information centers receive grant funding to promote state beers, wines

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) approved nearly $2 million in grants for 15 projects meant to promote, market and research Pennsylvania-made beers and wines.

The seven beer projects to receive grants in the announcement were funded by the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverages Industry Promotion Board, which is authorized by the PLCB to approve up to $1 million annually for development and marketing of the state’s beer industry.

Eight wine research and promotion projects also received funds from a $1 million grant pool through the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board.

“Pennsylvania industries have to adopt new ways of doing business in the COVID-19 world, and these grants will provide substantial funding to help two vital parts of our agricultural community not only explore ways of improving production methods, but also boost marketing efforts that reach beyond our borders,” said Governor Tom Wolf.

Harrisburg-based boutique cinema production house, GK Visual, was awarded $498,000 in grant funding to produce 12 episodes of its award-winning web series as well as produce 1-to-2-minute promotional videos for up to 400 Pennsylvania breweries.

The Pennsylvania Winery Association, also based in Harrisburg, was awarded $531,220 to engage the public and provide valuable support to the wine industry. It plans to partner with PA Media Group and Momentum Digital on the project to attract new visitors to wineries and tasting rooms and raise the visibility and reach of Pennsylvania’s wines.

Other organizations and their beer and wine related projects include:

Visit Pennsylvania, $150,000, to support promotion of the greater Philadelphia region’s craft breweries.

Penn State University, $94,341, to explore effective ways to preserve beer quality after packaging and during storage.

Penn State University, $78,603, to study hop pelletization in a Pennsylvania hop yard.

Temple University, $45,000, to work with the PLCB to identify and implement strategies to allow the state’s beer and malt beverage industry to emerge from the pandemic.

Visit Luzerne County, $40,500, to promote Luzerne County’s ten local breweries through a beer trail guide.

PA Cider Guild, $37,750, to increase awareness of local cider and craft beverages through a PA Cider Trail guide.

Penn State University, $108,161, to study spotted lanternfly economic thresholds and impacts on cabernet franc.

Penn State University, $88,747, to apply a novel oxygenation technique that would allow wineries to improve wine color and quality as an alternative to barrel aging.

Penn State University, $79,310, to study herbicide use, drift and damage on grapevines.

Penn State University, $74,003, to better understand how winter and spring temperatures effect grape production.

Penn State University, $57,192, to determine the economic and longevity impact of grapevine leaf roll disease.

Penn State University, $42,492, to explore a novel vertical and lateral shoot positioning apparatus to improve fruit composition and decrease the bunch rot of wine grapes.

Retriever Brewing Co. to debut beer hall in Orefield

Matt Andersen and family at the RBC Beer Hall in Orefield. PHOTO/SLOBBERY DOG PHOTOGRAPHY –

A brewing company that launched during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is now — at last — opening its doors to the public.

Matt Andersen, an attorney specializing in the alcohol industry, announced in October that he was starting Retriever Brewing Co., despite the challenges of starting a new business in the midst of a pandemic.

His company took over the Willow Tree Grove in Orefield, at 2844 Township Line Rd. in April.

The space had served for many years as a wedding and event venue.

A grand opening for The RBC Beer Hall is now set for July 30 at noon.

The beer hall will have seating capacity for nearly 200 people inside and another 50 seats on outside patios.

There will also be an RBC Beer Garden, which will consist of picnic tables and Adirondack Chairs with fire pits, which will add more outdoor seating capacity.

Andersen said RBC will operate on a bar-service model, where customers will go to the bar to order their drinks and either return to their seat for a server to bring the drink their table or receive their drink from the bar.

Besides Retriever Beer, RBC will offer a full bar of Pennsylvania-made wine and spirits, including the increasingly popular canned cocktails being made by Pennsylvania distilleries.

Initially RBC will be scheduling food trucks to come to the property to serve different dining options to guests, or people can bring their own food.

And, because the brewing company was named after Andersen’s love of dogs, particularly his retriever, he notes good dogs are always welcome on the property.

Lehighton getting a different kind of tasting room

Wine & More on 1st offers samples and sales of local wine, beer and spirits. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

Lehighton is getting a tasting room, but will be a bit different than what you’re used to.

Most tasting rooms are opened by winemakers, distillers or brewers to promote and sell their own product. This will offer samples and sales of products made by other local producers.  But, Wine & More on 1st owner, Tina Henniger, said it’s an idea that has worked.

Henninger, said when she opened her first tasting room in Palmerton she didn’t even think she had an unusual idea. “I thought it was a niche that needed to be filled,” she said.

She had been working at a winery’s tasting room. She enjoyed her job and saw that people really enjoyed coming to tasting rooms. So when the winery decided to close the tasting room, she decided she’d open one of her own.

She didn’t make wine herself, so she spoke to a number of wineries in the region to find out if they would be interested in a deal where she would operate a tasting room for them. She quickly found out that her idea was not the way it was generally done, but that didn’t mean the wineries weren’t receptive to the idea.

She ended up opening a tasting room in a small back room of another business. Even though it was small it did well. She routinely sold $2,000 to $3,000 worth of product a month.

She had to close the shop during the pandemic, but now that it’s receding, she’s opening a new shop in Lehighton she says will be bigger and better.

Wine & More on 1st plans a May 20 grand opening in a building Henninger and her husband bought on First Street in the borough. It will feature the wine of Stone Mountain Wine Cellars of Pine Grove. Henninger will also carry beer made by Cave Brewing of Bethlehem and spirits from Insurrection Distillery of Lehighton.

Because wine and cheese go well together, she will also sell cheeses from Jubilee Heritage Farms of Middleburg.

She’s also putting a spin on another concept. While many small eateries are BYOB – bring your own booze, her tasting room will be BYOF – bring your own food. She hopes customers will support some of the eateries nearby, bring in lunch or dinner and enjoy a flight of wine or beer or some spirits.

Her business model is simple. The makers of the products she offers front her the stock and then she gets a percentage of the sales.

She isn’t limiting Wine & More to her primary brands. She also plans to have special events where wineries, brewers or distillers can hire her to have one or two day “expos” featuring their products.

Mostly, she said she wants to create a fun comfortable place that her neighbors in Lehighton will enjoy.

“I think the locals will be my bread and butter,” she said. “There will be tables, chairs and sofas. People can buy drinks by the flight or buy a bottle to go.”

She notes that the products she carried are all priced to the Leighton market and aren’t overly expensive.

She plans on having events, like a trivia night and sip-and paint-parties to make the tasting room a fun place to hang out and enjoy a beverage. She also hopes to offer activities like.

But the draw of the tourist trade is not lost on her. Tourists going to events in Jim Thorpe will drive right by her building and she thinks that will make her business an ideal stop for those coming to or from events like the borough’s autumn festivals. She will likely expand her operation to meet any growing business she might get from the tourist trade.

One thing she thinks will help draw in visitors coming to the region for outdoor activity is that her tasting room is pet friendly. People can take their dog for a walk among the fall leaves and then come in and enjoy a drink.

Yuengling announces first step of westward expansion

D.G. Yuengling & Sons said it is now ready to begin the westward expansion that it announced last year – first stop Texas.

The Pottsville-based brewer said it will begin selling its beer in the Lone Star State by the fall of this year.

The expansion is part of a joint venture with the Molson Coors Beverage Company to increase Yuengling’s reach outside of its current 22-state East Coast footprint.

Yuengling’s beers will be brewed locally in Texas at the Molson Coors Forth Worth brewery, with staff there working with the Yuengling family and its brewers.

“We have heard from consumers all over the country who are excited to enjoy our beer, which is why we’re proud to announce that Texas will be the first western state we’ll be expanding to,” said Wendy  Yuengling, chief administrative officer and sixth generation family member of Yuengling. “We are working hard to ensure our recipes and brewing traditions will be followed to our high-quality standards. We have passionate Yuengling fans in Texas, so we are excited to finally bring them the goods.”

Yuengling’s lineup of beers includes Traditional Lager, Light Lager, Black & Tan, Golden Pilsner, Premium, Light, Dark Brewed Porter, Lord Chesterfield Ale, Oktoberfest, Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter and new Flight.

Up until this expansion effort the majority of the beer was brewed in Pottsville and a brewing facility in Florida.

The company was founded in 1829 and is the country’s oldest continually operating brewery.

‘We’re going to disrupt the craft beer industry,’ says CEO of Mexican beer distributor Cerveza Rrëy

Rrey Mexican IPA Beer
One of the first beers Cerveza Rrëy USA will begin distributing in the region will be its Mexican IPA. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

 

Rogelio Castillo, owner and CEO of Cerveza Rrëy USA, said Lehigh Valley beer drinkers should expect something completely different when his company begins operations later this year.

The company is bringing Mexican craft beer from Monterrey, Mexico, to the United States starting with a new U.S. headquarters in the Lehigh Valley. The beer is brewed by his close friends, Federico Seyffert and Patricio Ferrara, and is currently distributed throughout Mexico.

“Bringing a Mexican craft beer of this level is quite different,” he said. “We’re going to disrupt the craft beer industry.”

The big question since he announced the company would start its U.S. distribution with a Lehigh Valley headquarters is “Where is it going to be?” But that’s an answer Castillo isn’t ready to answer.

“This has been in the works for a while,” he said. “We’re taking steps forward now. We selected the market we’re going to be in and now we’re looking for a location to build our distribution center.”

He said Cerveza Rrëy USA is looking at a few locations for a distribution center that will be climate controlled and have an emphasis on green technology. Castillo lives in the Saucon Valley area and is looking for a site that is not only close to him, but would provide easy access for employees and the beer distributors they will serve.

The company had been considering a number of U.S. markets, including upstate New York, where it currently runs its import operations.

Depending on how quickly the company is able to expand, Cerveza Rrëy USA plans to hire 25 to 75 people in 2021. The first hires will be in administration and business development, followed by distribution center workers when the facility opens towards the end of the year. It will serve as headquarters and the distribution center for the Northeast.

Castillo noted there will be no brewing jobs as the beer will all be brewed in Mexico and imported.

However, the company plans to boost jobs and the local economy by adding such things as micro tasting taprooms throughout the region at food markets and other collective food service destinations.

The company will release three types of beer in 2021: white, Mexican IPA and Kölsch.

And while all of the beers are brewed in true Mexican tradition, they do have a bit of an international influence, Castillo said. The Kölsch beer, for example, is heavily German influenced and the Mexican IPA is influenced by American-style beers.

Initially, the beer will come in bottles sold in six packs and will be available at retailers such as grocery stores and delis as well as wholesale centers across Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

“Right now the consumer behavior is to stay home, buy you can still enjoy a bottle of beer at home,” he said.

As the company gains a foothold in the market, Castillo plans to add beer sold in cans, hopefully in time for the summer barbecue season. He will eventually make the beer available in kegs to sell in taverns and restaurants.

“We’re not a party beer,” he noted. “We’re a beer to enjoy, to pair with food. We’re gastro cool.”

He said it’s his hope that the beer will change people’s perceptions of Mexican beer. Cerveza Rrëy beers are not mass-produced beer the way Mexican beers most Americans have experienced are. It is a large and growing family-owned craft brewer.

The Lehigh Valley will be one of the first markets the beer will be sold in and it should be available soon. In the initial launch he is targeting markets in Pennsylvania, New York and Georgia. Next he plans to expand into the New Jersey and Tennessee, with the ultimate goal of going national.

Attorney isn’t letting COVID-19 stop him from launching his beer brand

Matt Andersen hopes to be selling the first of his Retriever Brewing Co. beer by the end of November. PHOTO/SUBMITTED –

 

Starting a new micro-brewery in the current competitive market would be a challenge for anyone, but throw in a global pandemic and there’s a whole host of obstacles to overcome. Those challenges aren’t dissuading Matt Andersen from his longtime dream of launching his own beer.

Andersen, a lawyer with Norris McLaughlin in Allentown specializing in the alcohol industry, said he isn’t waiting for COVID-19 to clear before he starts making Retriever Brewing Co. a reality. He sees the challenges, but notes that the beer industry is already a competitive space.

“I don’t want to wait until it’s all gone to get started,” he said. “I think it’s more preparing for the future.”

Having worked in alcohol law for many years, he thinks he knows enough about what works and what doesn’t to make a go of his brand.

Right now, with bars and restaurants being extra careful about what they buy, small brewers in Pennsylvania are relying on social media and direct sales to keep their business afloat. So, Andersen is going to start out selling cans of beer directly to the consumer, and concentrating his marketing efforts on word of mouth and social media.  That way, he said, he can build up the brand by the time COVID-19 has gone away and open his own taproom.

He noted that it’s only been since March that beer shipping has been allowed within Pennsylvania, so most of the state’s brewers – and there are hundreds of them – don’t. He said only about 25 or 30 breweries currently ship, so that gives Retriever a competitive advantage.

But, that’s still a way off.

Andersen hasn’t started commercially brewing the beer. He’s launching the brand first and then working on bringing a beer to market that people will want to drink. He’s not doing the brewing himself. He’ll have a brew master for that. He said his experience, talent and passion are more in the marketing and distribution of the product.

He is already selling merchandise like T-shirts and logo beer glasses on the retrieverbrewco.com website, to get the word out on the company. Other local breweries started in similar ways, such as Seven Sirens Brewing Co. in Bethlehem, which sold merchandise prior to launching to raise money and awareness for their beer, he said.

Andersen named the brewing company after his two dogs, and hopes to be shipping beer to consumers by the end of November.

As he builds that market he will begin plans to open a retail sales location and has an ultimate goal of opening a taproom somewhere in the northwestern area of the Lehigh Valley by spring or summer of next year.

There is a demand for craft brews in the state. According to the Pennsylvania Brewers Association, Pennsylvania produces the second highest amount of craft beer in the country.

That’s what has brought the competition, Andersen said.

But, he said the Lehigh Valley is also a prime spot to enter the market. Some parts of the state — suburban Philadelphia for example – have a very high density of craft-brew taprooms. The Lehigh Valley, while boasting a good number of brewers, doesn’t have quite as crowded of a field of brewers, Andersen said.

He’s hoping that by offering something with good taste and style, the customers will come.

Westward ho! Yuengling, once Pa.’s best-kept secret, is expanding its market and Pottsville couldn’t be happier.

The sixth-generation management team at D.G. Yuengling & Sons, from left Debbie, Wendy, Sheryl, Jennifer and their father, Dick Yuengling, in their original Pottsville brewhaus. PHOTO/PROVIDED

 

For many of its 191 years, D.G. Yuengling & Sons Inc. of Pottsville was known as a Schuylkill County beer.

Brewed locally as “the cheap local beer,” Yuengling was a coal country favorite.

Now as the company prepares to expand from its current 22-state East Coast footprint and become a national brand, Yuengling is ready to become a national favorite and residents of Pottsville are excited to share their hometown beer.

Yuengling recently signed a deal with the Molson Coors Beverage Co. to create a new business partnership, separate from DG. Yuengling & Sons, to make and distribute Yuengling’s line of beers in many of the 26 mostly western states where Yuengling isn’t currently available.

They haven’t picked out which states or how many they will be launching in – and won’t until after a market study is conducted – but Jennifer Yuengling, director of operations, said she knows there is a demand.

And it’s not just through market research they’ve already conducted, but from the requests of Yuengling fans in other parts of the country who currently struggle to get the beer.

“We call them our smugglers,” said Yuengling. She said there are many people who take Yuengling with them to share with friends and family where it isn’t available, or pick some up while they’re in the area.

Now it’s going to be easier for people all around the country to pick up a six-pack of Yuengling. And the town where it all began couldn’t be happier.

“There really is home town pride in Yuengling,” said Bob Seaman, director of innovation and production development for the brewer. “You walk into a restaurant in town and there’s three or four of our beers on tap and you look around and most of the people are drinking Yuengling. Everyone is always more than willing to talk to me when I have on that Yuengling shirt.”

Savas Logothetides, executive director of the Pottsville Area Development Corp., said news of the expansion has everyone in the area excited for the new attention that will be brought to their home town.

“We’ll be in 47 or 48 states maybe.  It’s super exciting not only for the Yuengling family but for Pottsville. We’re synonymous,” Logothetides said. “I think it’s because of the pride that we have of the brewery here in Schuylkill County.

Logothetides is a restaurant owner and carries a wide variety of Yuengling beers in his restaurants. He said the tourists come looking for it when they come to town for the tour of Yuengling’s brewery, which is the oldest continually operating brewery in the nation.

“After they experience the tour, they want to sit down and try it with a meal,” he said.

With the beer now available in more areas, he expects the tourism draw to Pottsville will be even greater, which will help all small businesses in the area.

While this new partnership is a big jump, Pottsville residents are used to sharing their beer with the outside world. Yuengling has become a top-selling craft beer since expanding to its current 22-states starting in the late 80s when President and CEO Dick Yuengling introduced Yuengling Lager as its flagship beer and began marketing regionally.

The beer took off in the early 90s when craft beer first began growing in popularity.

“We really hit that first wave of craft brewing,” said Jennifer Yuengling. “Consumers were wanting more flavor than the mass produced beers were offering.”

Organic growth

The Yuengling brand started growing through word of mouth, thanks to a cult following and loyal fans that drew in new drinkers. The great increase in demand led Yuengling to add a second brewery in Pottsville and then a third in Florida, helping it to reach the capacity it has today.

When Jennifer Yuengling and her sisters, Wendy, Sheryl and Debbie – the sixth generation of Yuenglings — began taking on management roles within the company, they increased the marketing efforts their father had started, adding new seasonal beers and creating partnerships, sponsorship and marketing campaigns to reach a bigger audience.

Yuengling partnered with Hershey’s to develop Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter. PHOTO/PROVIDED

Their most recent effort was creating Flight, a new, more upscale light beer aimed at the next generation of beer drinkers who are still taste conscious, but want a lighter, lower calorie and carb beer. They also partnered with another well-known Pennsylvania company, Hershey, to produce Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter that was a huge hit and will return later this year.

To be sure, however, this new expansion is the largest endeavor the company has undertaken. But like everything the company does, Jennifer Yuengling assures the growth will be slow and sustained.

“We like to joke around here that it took us 191 years to get to 22 states,” she said. They have no intention of rushing into the next 26. “We don’t have a vision of being a national brewery in our generation. We’re setting the stage for the next generation, just like our father did for us,” she said.

That’s exactly what Seaman, who has been with the company for 13 years, said he expects from his employers.

“One thing that Mr. Yuengling always insisted on was purposefulness and effectiveness to keep things simple, or as simple as possible,” Seaman said. “They’re not abandoning those principles. They’re slow to change, but always in a good way.”

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