The Oldest Brewery In The US Has Been Wetting Whistles Since 1829

Beer is one of the oldest beverages in human history, with the ancient Sumerians loving it so much that they even had a goddess of brewing, Ninkasi. In America, while there are no millennia-old brews being slurped down today, the beer tradition goes back centuries. In fact, the oldest American brewery, Yuengling, is older than the light bulb, with a founding that predates both the Civil War and California becoming a state. Since 1829, Americans have been able to enjoy a refreshing brew from Yuengling, and you likely still see it in your neighborhood stores today. 

Founder and German immigrant David G. Yuengling first established the company as the Eagle Brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The Eagle Brewery changed its name to D.G. Yuengling and Son after one of Yuengling's sons joined the business in the 1870s. The name would later change simply to Yuengling, but the original bald eagle logo from the Eagle Brewery remains the Yuengling emblem to this day. Moreover, Yuengling is still based in Pottsville, albeit in a different building than the one from 1829, which was destroyed in a fire.

Yuengling has seen its fair share of changes in its nearly two centuries of brewing. During Prohibition, when people needed doctors' prescriptions to buy liquor, the company shifted to producing "near beer," a low-alcohol drink that stayed within the newly established legal boundaries on the sale of alcohol. The Yuengling company would also go on to operate a dairy and sell ice cream, although the company was so delighted when Prohibition was repealed that Yuengling sent a celebratory truck full of beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

While Yuengling is America's oldest brewery, it's also still growing. In the 2020s, Yuengling, which had previously limited its distribution largely to Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States, began widening its approach. You can now find Yuengling as far south as Texas and into the Midwest and Great Plains states. 

In addition to the classic lager, Yuengling also brews pilsner and porter. After a decades-long hiatus, you can even buy Yuengling ice cream in Hy-vee stores again as of 2014, although the dairy is run independently of the brewery. While there's no lager-flavored ice cream on the menu, you can get a scoop of black and tan ice cream (chocolate and vanilla, not the beer), or use two Yuengling products to make a beer ice cream float. You can even add it to food, provided you know some of the basics of cooking with beer.