Yuengling (spelled YING-Ling) is billed as America’s Oldest Brewery, founded in 1929 by David G. Yuengling in Pottsville Pennsylvania. They were the first Brewery to use the eagle logo under the name Eagle Brewing Co. When David’s son Frederick joined Him in 1873 the Brewery was renamed to D.G. Yuengling & Son. The Brewery has been handed down from father to son since. The presiding president and owner Dick Yuengling Jr. has a dilemma of His predecessor, He has 5 daughters, 2 of which are active in the Brewery operations. Will there be a name change?
The Brewery in Pottsville is landlocked in and sales started out numbering the capacity of the plant. Tampa became a Great opportunity to quench that thirst and also expand a market into Florida. A planned newer plant was slated to go into operation in the spring of 2001, staying in Pottsville (has since been operating).
After Stroh’s mopped up and closed its operation in January of 1999, it only took 3 months for talks of reopening the Brewery for more Brewing. Yuengling was reported by the St. Petersburg Times on April 6 1999 as negotiating a price for the plant from Stroh’s. All went well, a price was set and met and D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. became a Florida Beer. Yuengling invested 4 million dollars on upgrades such as a 12-pack packager, adding a draft and bottling machines and a larger Masher unit among other upgrades.
Brewery operations began in July of 1999 with Otto Wiesneth as Head Brewmaster (formerly Brewmaster at Stroh’s). 90+% of their beer was initially being shipped up to their Northern Market. Their northern market consists of these states primarily---Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, New York and the District of Columbia. Tampa didn’t get a taste of Yuengling until September of 1999. Yuengling’s first distributor/wholesaler was Sutton Distributing, which was able to get Yuengling into all the major supermarkets and liquor chains such as ABC Liquors of the Tampa area. They also were able to get their beer into many Bars and Restaurants and even into the Ice Palace and Raymond James Stadium.
Some time in 2000, John Houseman became Head Brewmaster of the Yuengling Tampa Plant.
In October of 2001 the Tampa Tribune reported that Yuengling got a strong foothold in the Orlando market through Walt Disney World with 200+ outlets.
Yuengling now, 2003 has expanded down to Key West and is doing very well down there.
Well I should have given them more time. There gift shop now (10-03) is loaded with Yuengling and Tampa items. Lotsa different shirts and hats, bottle coolies, cooler bags, and even a rain poncho with Tampa on it. The Bottles and Cans still don’t have “Brewed in Tampa” but you can tell if its from Tampa by looking at the numbers. The first #’s show which year it was made, the second set shows on which day it was made, The third set of #’s will tell you which brewery it came from. (Pottsville = 1, Tampa = 2), The fourth set of #’s represent------?
