Where to? 420 Mahatongo St., Pottsville, PA, USA.
Let’s take I-81 North and US 209 North. Turn right on North 4th Street, then take the third right on to Mahatongo St. Destination is on your right.
Arrived. America’s Oldest Brewery.
A leisurely and scenic hour-long drive. An engaging, educational and entertaining 50-minute tour of history. Not one, but two complimentary, brewed-to-perfection malt beverages to top it all off.
Man, one would be hard-pressed to identify a finer day trip from Harrisburg than to the Yuengling Brewery tour.
A way to get away, without going too far away.
“I think my favorite part is when people walk into the caves and go, ‘Wow!’” said tour guide JoAnne Justus. “We’re losing our history, but it’s still here. I want people to stop, take a breath, go back in time, and see how they did things in yesteryear. Just take it all in.”
She paused then added, “Oh, and the beer is pretty darn good, too.”
From a marketing standpoint, Yuengling possesses no greater tool for advertising its family of 10 beers than the daily tours of its working brewery. For the fifth-generation, family-owned business, the tours are a way to stay connected with its roots, promote goodwill and give back to the community.
Yuengling offers free, guided tours of its nearly 200-year-old operation multiple times, Monday through Saturday, except on major holidays. With the smells of brewed, malted beverages from days gone by filling the surrounding air, visitors are guided on a personal tour of fermentation buildings, shipping docks, the bottle shop, the canning department, and, of course, Yuengling’s famous storage caves, dug by local coal miners from the rock of the mountains that helped establish Pottsville as a town.
But what the Yuengling Brewery does best is celebrate America’s love affair with beer. There’s a lot to take in and consider, but there is no question who or what the real star is.
“We (tour guides) are an extended family of the Yuenglings, and the tourists are extended family, as well,” Justus said. “The purpose of the tour is to show people some history and show people what we’re about—just to share America’s oldest brewery with everybody. This is Mr. (Dick) Yuengling’s advertisement, but it’s also a way to give back.”
People come from far and wide to tour the Yuengling Brewery. An acquired taste for Yuengling’s smooth, consistent product isn’t a prerequisite, but it certainly helps.
Yuengling Brewery hosts nearly 70,000 guests each year—locals, regional aficionados and curious world travelers. Tours are limited to 45 visitors, and guests are afforded rare glimpses into the inner workings of an active brewery.
“Brewery tours enable our fans to experience our history firsthand,” said Debbie Yuengling, employee engagement and culture manager. “Our tour allows fans to walk through the brewery and see how our brands have evolved and changed over time. They also get to see how their favorite beers are currently brewed and packaged. It’s informative and unique.”
David G. Yuengling established the brewery in 1831, and, although the tour isn’t quite that old, it’s been offered for close to 40 years. At one point, in the early days of the tour, the Yuengling family acted as tour guides themselves.
“It’s not about quantity,” Justus said. “What we do, we do well. It’s a good beer. It’s a simple beer. Everyone loves it. Their father drank it. Their grandfather drank it. Their uncle drank it.”
Yuengling is a testament to the power of a capitalist marketplace where a quality product can stand the test of time.
With connections to old-world Germany, the original Yuengling established the brewery in Pottsville partly because of the area’s clean spring water. Yuengling survived Prohibition and operated for nearly a century—some refer to it as the “original microbrewery”—before embarking on the current growth spurt that it is experiencing.
Not only do current owner Dick’s four daughters—Wendy, Debbie, Cheryl and Jennifer— signal a fresh, future direction for the brand, they also represent the company’s commitment to family values, as well as an unwavering refusal to yield to the allure of bigger companies’ proposals.
“They tried,” said Justus, of past corporate attempts to absorb Yuengling. “That bazillion dollars is not important to the family. They don’t care about the quantity; they care about the quality. You’ve got to do it well. When you get bigger, people’s names start to become numbers.”
Now a rather quiet place, once-thriving Pottsville is typical of the towns that comprise what outsiders affectionately refer to as “coal country.” Surprisingly, there’s a lot to see and do in and around Pottsville—a vibrant welcome center, numerous architecturally significant buildings and mansions and Kowalenek’s Kielbasy Shop—but few attractions define the area the way that the Yuengling Brewery does.
“We are constantly seeking opportunities to provide premium drinking experiences for our fans, engage with our customers, and take on any challenges as an opportunity to grow and to push forward,” said Debbie Yuengling. “We have maintained the high standard of brewing excellence that Yuengling is known for because of our ability to listen to our fans and innovate.”
Yuengling Brewery is located at 420 Mahatongo St., Pottsville. For more information, visit www.yuengling.com.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
