Yuengling ousts Boston Beer as top U.S. craft brewery

[gwcr]

Yuengling

Wish I could get some here...

[teutonic terror]

Now that all my homebrew is gone, Yeungling is what the wife and myself drink on a regular basis.

Reasonably priced and a fairly tasty beer.

[D_Rabbit]

Love Yuengling. If I am out or need something that isn't my beer that is my typical go to. Believe it or not it was the first craft beer I ever drank, while underage, at a bowling tournament for college when we went to Allentown, PA. Those were some great times!!

[myhorselikesbeer]

Way to go Yuengling Their main brewery is a half an hour from us. Good stuff!! My Yuengling Lager clone last year was pretty close.

[Kealia]

Being a left coaster, I can't say that I've ever had a Yuengling. Do they make really good beer, or are they the Boston Beer Company, just bigger?
That's not disparaging, per se. I think BBC makes good beers, just not GREAT beers.

[D_Rabbit]

No, I don't think they are BBC. I actually think they may be much smaller. Made in PA but I think they just opened another facility somewhere else to help ramp up production and distribution. They were still considered a Micro Brewery up until a few years back I think, they may still be. They don't do a whole different variety of styles either. I know they have yuengling lager or light and they also have a black and tan in my area that is quite tasty. Other than that I don't see much of a branch off for styles in this area. They tried to keep it small and local but I think over the past several years people have realized how good it is, on the east coast at least, and they have been forced to ramp up production and distribution. CT and MA just started getting it about a year ago I think.

[RickBeer]

According the article, they are bigger than BBC. They weren't considered prior because they brew using corn. But corn, rice and syrups are now "ok" to use, so they pop up on the list and beat BBC in volume.

[myhorselikesbeer]

Having seen both I think BBC is physically bigger both in terms of equipment/plant space and employees. Yuenling is a small plant carved into the mountain/hillside here in Pottsville, PA. A good portion of the facility is in the caves. It has been in the same family since inception. They may have produced more which put them above BBC, but I don't think they are bigger.
Being that this is coal region and subsequent economy of scale, corn was added during the war era due to shortages of barley and it helped keep the costs down for the masses. Since this is also a farming area the corn would have been a logical choice. They produce Yuengling Lager, Premium Beer, Premium Lite, Black and Tan, Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale. As D Rabbit said they were considered a micro up until a few years ago. Before that they were just Yuengling and mainly local until the craft beer movement started to take hold, then they changed their marketing and were America's oldest craft brewer.
They just opened or are opening a production/ distribution plant in Florida.

[docpd]

Interesting. Their flagship lager is much better than BMC but I just don't think their lineup compares to BBC. Sam Adams brews so many styles. Their Belgian Tetravis is to die for. They have an excellent IPL as well as well. They have several excellent stouts. Yeungling may sell more beer than BBC, but BBC really seems to be committed to brewing excellence overall.

[John Sand]

I like Yuengling. I also think they fill an important niche: inexpensive beer with more flavor than BMC. Their ad slogan could be "When you want good beer for less than $10 a six pack!". I also like that is a family owned business.

[Crazy Climber]

Interesting. Their flagship lager is much better than BMC but I just don't think their lineup compares to BBC. Sam Adams brews so many styles. Their Belgian Tetravis is to die for. They have an excellent IPL as well as well. They have several excellent stouts. Yeungling may sell more beer than BBC, but BBC really seems to be committed to brewing excellence overall.

I agree w/ the Doc. To me, Yuengling's lineup is closer to a a mini-macro one than a craft one. Y Light is a step above the non-light versions of BMC, which I guess is good praise for a light beer, but it's not something I'd seek out in a bottle shop loaded with other craft choices.

Don't get me wrong, I like Yuengling, but nothing of theirs that I've tried engages my taste buds as much as any beer from Boston Beer Co.

[Dawg LB Steve]

They do put out seasonal beers too, ones that come to mind are Oktoberfest, Bock and Summer Wheat.