BY T Dieterick

What’s one hundred and eighty years old and lives on a hill in Pottsville? Okay, wait a minute. Name one thing that lives in Pottsville that isn’t on a hill? Never mind.

The “Real Men, Rednecks and More” Road Team got all dressed up in our new, red hot, matching t-shirts and graced Yuengling Brewery with a visit. Piling into the company truckster, we threw caution to the wind and let “Head Red” drive. OOPS. Thankfully, there are OMG handles at all four corners to hold on to. Ninety degree turns at warp speed can be very hard on the stomach.

We arrived shaken (thankfully not stirred) at a very unassuming brick building, nowhere near the top of a never-ending hill, parked and followed the arrows (up hill) to our waiting tour. If you go, take time either before or after the tour to look around the gift shop. There are some pretty amazing pieces of history there. Ledger books, letters and every type of Yuengling beer collectible known to man. There are also multitudes of cool things to buy.

Our tour guide, “Little Debbie,” greeted us with a big smile and was quite excited that we brought t-shirts and copies of RMR&M to share with the staff. We got to see the underground rooms (dug by coal miners) that stay nice and cool where the beer was originally racked and stored. There is a beautiful stained glass ceiling above the brewing tanks built to eliminate the sun glare and solar heat reflected from the original copper tanks that now just serves as reminder of beers gone by.

As you walk through the buildings, a sense of history surrounds you. You can almost hear the coopers making barrels and smell the freshly kegged beer. It was a bottling day when we were there and we got to see the bottling operation. I’ve never seen so many bottles in one place. Conveyor belts from floor to ceiling carry bottles full, empty or somewhere in between throughout the bottling area, finally ending up in the familiar case bearing the Yuengling name. Very cool.

No tour would be complete without a stop in the sampling room. Redneck Heaven. Five beers on tap, all Yuengling (duh!) and all good. For the youngsters, there is root beer from nearby Kutztown to sample. This room is another amazing step back in time. Resembling a corner bar in most small upstate towns, it is full of dark wood and shiny brass. A black forest clock hangs on the wall along with a wonderfully carved eagle made in the days of true craftsmanship. Notes and mementos from both the famous and unknown hang on the walls marking Yuengling’s true place in history as America’s oldest brewery.