As much as I love my martinis, I also love a good beer. Several years ago, Dale and I had the good fortune of being introduced to Yuengling beer. It’s the oldest brewery in America, you know.
It was June of 2001 and we were staying at the Cashtown Inn, just outside of Gettysburg, PA. And Dale ordered a Sam Adams. The waitress asked him if he had tried a Yuengling yet and when he said no, she insisted that he give it a try. It’s better than Sam Adams, she said. Dale loved it and has been hooked on Yuengling ever since.
In fact, I have a funny story about this beer. We were in Gettysburg for our first Remembrance Day visit. We met up with friends at a bar/restaurant after the parade and everyone was drinking pitchers of Yuengling. We joined in and had a great time laughing and reminiscing and drinking this wonderful beer. Later in the evening, other friends of ours joined us and we headed upstairs in this same restaurant to have dinner. The waitress came over to take our drink order and we asked for, of course, a pitcher of Yuengling. She came back a minute later and sadly reported that, “there was a really big party downstairs and they drank us dry. We have no more Yuengling.” The look on Dale’s face was priceless. He was disappointed that he couldn’t get anymore of his favorite beer. But he was also hugely proud of having been part of the group that drunk them dry!
Unfortunately, we cannot buy this beer in Massachusetts. If we have reason to be in New York (like for Rhinebeck!) we always bring some home. And, our trip to Gettysburg for Remembrance Day every year always involves a stop at the “beer store” to stock up on Yuengling. Usually 5 cases make their way home with us. We try to ration it and make it last but, well, you can imagine how that goes.
What a great beer story! I guess rationing that stuff is like trying to ration a really good chocolate or qiviut or something.
Good story. Dale was right to be proud and then sad.
And I didn’t have one in NY!?! Smith would love it, I’m sure.
Mmmmm – my sis-in-law is from Reading PA, so I have had the great pleasure of tasting this beer on several occasions. Very good stuff indeed. She always brings some back after a visit.
Good stuff! Kinda like the beer runs into Wyoming around here. 😉
As Sandy said when we saw the sign at an inn in Rhinebeck that said, “Oldest Inn in America,” THAT’S AN AWFULLY BIG CLAIM (to call itself the oldest brewery). We’d like them to PROVE IT. Heeheeheehee……
WoooT! Suds represent!
I grew up in PA.
My dad tells me he can find it in parts of SC.
I’ve even seen it here in VT a few times.
Sounds yummy-I’ll have to try it sometime. Soon.
Hahaha! So far this is my favorite “Y”….LOL!
Hey yo Philly! We love our Yuengling around here and we are glad youze guys have seen the light.
It’s especially good with cheese steaks!
Yuengling….ahhhh yes! My latest favorite, that of course I can’t get in VA, is Smithwicks! I like to consider myself an amateur beer & wine enthusiast! Jack and I try the ‘house’ or microbrew of each pub, bar or restaurant we go to…had good ones and bad ones…but mostly GOOD!
Judy is coming out here for Christmas. See if you can work something out with her to bring you back a couple cases. I particularly like Yuengling’s black and tan.
Yummmm……..
Yay for Lager, which is what it is called at home (northeast PA).. NO ONE calls it Yuengling. In fact that is how you weed out the locals and the out of towners, by how its ordered 😉
I’m grateful to be back on the east coast in NY where I can get some anytime, but when we lived in Wisconsin, every trip home to visit family, I would make sure I had room in the back of the van for 6 cases to take back! Or if my mom was coming out to visit, my request would be to fit as many cases as she could squeeze in!
So anyway.. if ever visiting eastern PA, and your in a bar and ask whats on tap, and they simply say “lager”… you’ll know what they mean.
I am laughing out loud Carole! I guess those of us in the MD/PA area take Yuengling for granted! I had completely forgotton that it wasn’t available in the rest of the US!
Yum! That is my brother’s favorite beer. He started drinking it when he was stationed in N. Carolina. He always told me we couldn’t buy it here in MA but I never believed him… huh. 🙂
It must be Y Day!! Yours is YUM!! I’m looking forward to trying Yuengling at my next opportunity. ; )
Nice, really nice Carole! You get us all worked up over this wonderful beer and then tell us we can’t get it in Massachusetts? 🙁 Wah!
What a great post! I would have been proud too… Dale would make a great Clamper if he lived out here.
Excellent Y!
Loved this post. So this is the beer you all were waxing poetically about at Rhinebeck. One question though. Why can’t it be bought in Massachusetts?
excellent Y post.
funny thing is, i went to college in pennsylvania, and drank a lot of beer. i do not remember this beer of which you speak. and yes, i was very often drunk, which could explain why i don’t remember, but i did start out sober at some point.
When Mike took me to Maryland for my 30th birthday I had Yuengling for the first time, and whenever I am in NY or the mid-Atlantic, I always look for it on tap. Such a great beer!
Look what cool things one can learn about from a knitting blog.
😉
I am amazed at the stuff I learn from you. I’ve never heard of this beer and I’m sure you can’t buy it in Wyoming. I’ll have to ask my sister (the bartender) if she’s ever tried it.
Yuengling is yummy. (I love their porter.) I can get it in NJ. I usually bring cases of Ipswich Ale down for my dad, let me know if you want me to bring some Yuengling up.
And “Y” is also for Yummmmmm! That is some good beer.
I never realized that it wasn’t available all over the East coast. I drink it. But I llike the Sam Adams wheat best.
My boyfriend loves that stuff. Of course it’s pretty easy to get since we live so close to Philly. Me? Sorry to say I can’t stand beer. I’ll have a martini with you any day though. 😉
I’ve never heard of that stuff! I wonder if we can get it here. I’m not a beer drinker myself, but the husband digs it.
I really enjoyed your story. 🙂
I waitressed at a bar through college (Penn State) and Yuengling is such a popular beer it’s simply referred to as “lager”, as in “I’ll have a draft lager.” Everyone knew you meant a Yuengling.
Eric and I were in Gettysburg over Thanksgiving and I was thinking of you – I meant to post about it, but I didn’t take any pictures…
That is a tasty one (we can get it on tap around here – if you can believe it)!
I’m just tickled that the “oldest” brewery in America is called Yuengling. (Get it? Yuengling/Youngling?) Silly….
I just love a good local brew. there are some cool breweries in the Seattle area. I’m still stuck somewhere in my mind, trying to figure out how to pronounce it tho’ :-)Jung? Young? Yoon? tee hee
Currently Sam Adams is my favorite beer (Dale must have good taste like me),but now that you taunt me with Yuengling, I may have to catch a plane to see my sister in Pennsylvania! I don’t think I’ll pack any clothes though, I may need the room in my luggage for the beer!!
You know, I’ve never had Yuengling and as a child I always figured it must be swill because it was local. (Even as a kid I didn’t think much of my home state).
Yeah — but in PA you don’t order a Yuengling . . .you just order a lager!
Great story, and excellent (unique!) Y.
I’ll have to check it out next year.
One of the great things about being from PA is that everyone from PA knows what a lager is!
I’ll have to try it next year.
I’m curious; out of the 5 cases brought back on 11/11… are those all that remain? 😉
If you ever run dry just say the word, my friend ;o)