Courtesy photo
Beer drinkers in the Natural State will notice Yuengling on tap and on shelves starting in 2018.
Pennsylvania’s D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. today announced an expansion of distribution to Arkansas, which will become the 21st state in the brewery’s footprint. The company added distribution in Indiana, its 20th state, earlier this year.
The rollout will include Yuengling’s flagship beer, Yuengling Traditional Lager, as well as Light Lager and Black & Tan brands.
“Our consumers in Arkansas have been asking for our beer for many years,” said Dick Yuengling, owner and president. “We’re pleased and eager about this expansion into the great state of Arkansas. This is a celebratory moment for America’s Oldest Brewery.”
Yuengling, operating since 1829, is the largest craft brewery in the country, according to the Brewer’s Association’s most recent assessment. The company has sat atop the list since 2014 when the association changed its definition of what can be considered a craft brewery.
Yuengling’s use of corn as a brewing adjunct had previously kept the company off the list, and sitting alongside powerhouse breweries like Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors and Pabst. The change in definition to allow adjuncts like corn, rice and syrups pulled Yeungling into the craft brewer column, and catapulted the company ahead of Boston Beer Co., which makes Samuel Adams beers.
The third and fourth largest craft breweries are Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and New Belgium Brewing Co., respectively, both of which also offer distribution in Arkansas.
Distribution of Yuengling in Arkansas will be handled by Glazer’s Beer & Beverage, Premium Brands of NWA, Arkansas Distributing Company, O’Connor Distributing and Burford Distributing, Inc.
