Unless you live in West Virginia, don't expect Yuengling to come to a bar in your state. Brewery owner Dick Yuengling told the Inquirer that he is halting expansion for now. The company grew in sales volume and territory in the nineites, selling nearly 2 million barrells a year today — up from less than 100,000 in the mid-eighties. Yuengling bought a brewery in Tampa and its reach grew from the mid-Atlantic all the way down to Florida. (The owner also credits the creation of the black and tan with the rise in Yuengling's popularity.)
Sad Yuengling-less states like Ohio, Massachusetts, and Kentucky are eager to have the beer, but Yuengling sounds sure of his decision, explaining, "I'm 66, and I am not going through that again. I appreciate all the growth, but I don't want to open another brewery in my lifetime." There's always the possibility that one of his four daughters will bring Yuengling to other states, but for the time being, Yuengling will remain strictly regional. A succession plan for the family-owned company isn't in place yet. Drinkers in states without Lager just have to hope that the next generation of Yuenglings takes pity on them and widens distribution.
Yuengling hops near head of sales among US brewers [Inquirer]
[Photo: via Sonnett/Flickr]
