The Oldest US Brewery Survived Prohibition But Its Beer Still Isn't Available Nationwide

There aren't many truly old breweries in the United States, and you might be shocked to learn that some of the oldest aren't even that widely available. The big three of American beer — Anheuser-Busch (and its many offshoots), Miller, and Coors — are all 19th-century breweries that managed to survive the impact of Prohibition. They are also some of the oldest in the country, having been founded in 1852, 1855, and 1873, respectively. But look beyond the big brands, and the names start to get more obscure. You've almost certainly heard of Pabst, but how many people can name Minhas, America's fourth oldest brewery, or Schaefer, its second? America's oldest brewery isn't that obscure, and unlike some of those older brands, it is actually growing again. However, you still can't get it nationwide or even west of Texas. If you want a swig of Yuengling, you may have to do some traveling.

Yuengling was founded in 1829 by David G. Yuengling in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where the main brewery is still located today. The brand is still family-owned today, with current CEO Dick Yuengling being a fifth-generation brewer. The company predates the next oldest beer in the United States by over a decade. However, being a smaller, family-owned brewery has limited the beer's reach, and for years, it was only available in parts of the Northeast and Midwest, primarily around its Pennsylvania home. In 1999, it began expanding into the South by opening a third brewery in Florida, and in recent years, that expansion has gotten more rapid.

Like many surviving breweries from the 19th century, Yuengling has endured by adapting to the times. The brewery got through Prohibition by producing the non-alcoholic beer simulacrum "near beer" and also opening a dairy business. When Prohibition ended, the company celebrated by sending a case of beer to President Franklin Roosevelt. The brewery's two oldest styles — Lord Chesterfield Ale and the Dark Brewed Porter — are still made today, but it has introduced many new styles over the years. In fact, its signature Yuengling Traditional Lager, while based on an old recipe, was only introduced in 1987. Since the current generation of owners took over, the brewery has modernized its operations and taken advantage of its reputation as America's oldest brewery to gradually expand.

And while Yuengling isn't available in many states right now, that may change soon. In 2020, the brewery signed a distribution deal with Molson Coors to gradually expand nationwide. From the 22 states it was available in at the time, Yuengling has since added five more — Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois — for a total of 27. Most of the states where Yuengling is unavailable are west of the Rockies, but there are also some on the fringes of its current distribution range (like Minnesota and Maine) that will also have to wait. Based on the current speed of the Yuengling expansion, those states might not have to wait long.