POTTSVILLE, Pa., May 4, 2021 —The Yuengling Company LLC, a joint venture between D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., America’s Oldest Brewery® and Molson Coors Beverage Company, today announced its new wholesaler partners selected to sell Yuengling’s iconic portfolio of beer brands in Texas. This announcement marks the next step in the brewery’s westward expansion as it brings its iconic brands to Texas for the first time. The Yuengling Company will widen the reach of D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc.’s sought after brands beyond its current 22-state East Coast footprint, providing access to the brewery’s portfolio to millions of beer fans in the Lone Star state. Consumers in Texas can expect The Yuengling Company to begin rolling out its great beers to bars, restaurants and retail locations in early fall 2021. The distributors selected to represent The Yuengling Company’s portfolio in Texas include: Andrews Distributing Capitol Wright Faust Distributing Company Fisher 59 Frio Distributing GG Distributing Company Giglio Distributing Glazers Beer and Beverage Great Plains Houston Distributing Company Keg 1 O’Neal LLC Kristen Distributing Company Reed Beverage Southern Laredo “We are thrilled to be bringing Yuengling beer to Texas as part of our new venture and could not be more grateful to partner with such an amazing group of passionate distributors,” said Wendy Yuengling, Chief Administrative Officer and 6th generation family member, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. and Chair of The Yuengling Company’s board of managers. “We’re working through the details of our launch plans and anticipate that our beer will be available in select stores across the state by early fall.” “This team of Texas distributors will play a crucial role as the Yuengling legacy continues on into Texas,” said Pat Pikunas, General Manager, The Yuengling Company. “Through their hard work, beer drinkers in Texas will soon be able to enjoy Yuengling beers in their favorite bars, restaurants, and stores across the entire state.” Yuengling’s beers will be brewed locally by Texans at the Molson Coors Ft. Worth brewery. The Yuengling family and its team of brewers are working hand-in-hand with the skilled team at Molson Coors to ensure the iconic Yuengling recipes are artfully maintained, and that they deliver the rich tradition and quality that is expected from America’s Oldest Brewery. The Yuengling Company will oversee expansion into Texas and any other western markets, outside of Yuengling’s existing 22-state footprint plus any future New England Expansion. ###
That's kinda weird... I supposed it makes sense that the JV picked only Molson Coors' distributors for Texas, since the beer is also brewed in Fort Worth but why also New England? Yuengling's own two PA breweries are closer to the "missing" NE states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine than any MC brewery - what's the advantage, other than the probable usage of MC's own distribution network in those states? But that is also true of a lot (but not all) of the Yuengling network in many other states, as it is for BBC, SN and many other US larger breweries, given AB's history of "discouraging" their independent distributors from carrying non-AB US brewers' beers.
I wonder when the Golden brewery will brew it so I can get some in Casper. Maybe they are in the process of doing it?
Yuengling did a little promo gimmick (as noted by @steveh ) - driving their "192-year-old secret family recipe and proprietary yeast" down to MC's Ft. Worth brewery in an armored truck, though the TX TV station's video doesn't say or show much. And, of course, Yuengling's current flagship, Yuengling Traditional Lager dates from the late 1980s, so whatever is in that recipe book it does not likely contain ingredients like Cascade hop pellets or corn syrup or even the use of their "proprietary" lager yeast. And, as noted previously, some of Yuengling's beers were distributed to the "western states" back in the 1970s when importer Merchant du Vin acted as their master distributor for the area of the US outside Yuengling then-small distro region. According to the TTB COLA's, Yuengling's portfolio that will be brewed in TX is so far the Trad. Lager, Light Lager, Golden Pilsner and Flight. So, all brands from the past 50 or so years inc. two light beers. In the past few decades as Yuengling expanded their marketing area, it was usually done one (or two?) state at a time, typically contiguous to their then-current marketing area - but that changed slightly when they bought the old Schlitz Tampa FL brewery from Stroh and filled in the eastern seaboard states from both directions IIRC. But, with this new "Joint Venture" of Yuengling with Molson Coors called The Yuengling Co., that could change - probably also dependent on Golden's production/capacity, what happens in TX, etc. Sales are down at MC but they did just have to move the barrelage of the closed Irwindale brewery to Golden and Ft Worth. And then, in a few years, they'll lose the Pabst contract.
