Who's the country's biggest brewer?


A Pennsylvania company has surpassed Boston Beer to become No. 1, though it still has only 1.2% of the US market.

By Kim Peterson on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 12:06 PM


A new beer maker has surged ahead to become the largest in America -- and it probably isn't the one you think.

Anheuser-Busch, the maker of the No. 1 beer Bud Light? Nope. That's a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD +1.88%), which is based in Belgium.

How about MillerCoors, which makes No. 2 beer Coors Light? Nope. MillerCoors is a joint venture of London's SABMiller (SBMRY -0.88%) and Molson Coors (TAP -0.73%), which operates out of Montreal and Denver.

The biggest U.S. brewer is now D.G. Yuengling and Son, based in Pottsville, Pa., the Allentown Morning Call reports. Yuengling saw shipments soar 16.9% last year to 2.5 million barrels. As a result, it barely squeaked into first place, surpassing Sam Adams maker Boston Beer (SAM -1.00%), which rose 8% to 2.4 million barrels.

"It just floors me that so much of our beer industry is owned by foreign concerns," Dick Yuengling, the brewery's fifth-generation owner, told the Morning Call. "We were not in any race to be the largest domestically owned brewer, but it's a tremendous honor for us."

And Yuengling's sales will likely increase for 2012 because it just started selling beer in its 14th state, Ohio, the Morning Call reported.

Yuengling's growth is even more remarkable because the industry has been in a prolonged slide. Total beer shipments fell by 1.4% last year, Advertising Age reported.

The beer industry saw another shakeup last year: Coors Light surpassed Budweiser to become the No. 2 beer. It was the first time in decades that Anheuser-Busch hasn't controlled the top two beers in the country.

v

Well Bill, I ain't Craig, but I peeked anyhow.

Yep, it ain't only the beer industry, around here, our water company's major stockholder is in Germany!

Pottsville is just a hop, skip and a jump from here, but never had a taste for Yuengling, I do drink Coors Light though, when I'm not drinkin' Bacardi and Cola. And if I'm not drinkin those, you'll find me behind a mug of tea.

Posted By Gerry_D on 01-17-2012 08:53 PM

Well Bill, I ain't Craig, but I peeked anyhow.

Yep, it ain't only the beer industry, around here, our water company's major stockholder is in Germany!

Pottsville is just a hop, skip and a jump from here, but never had a taste for Yuengling, I do drink Coors Light though, when I'm not drinkin' Bacardi and Cola. And if I'm not drinkin those, you'll find me behind a mug of tea.

BBM & UBM:    Gerry,  you do know this can be viewed by the public, right? 

Don't think I have ever had a lite.......................Don't think I would.

Obviously, Dewey, you read something into this that I didn't.

What's up in your evil little mind friend? 

LOL

Posted By Gerry_D on 01-17-2012 11:59 PM

Obviously, Dewey, you read something into this that I didn't.

What's up in your evil little mind friend? 

LOL

LOL!  I was just surprised you'd admit to being a tea toadler (sp?) in public. 

LOL

OH!

Well I admit it, at home I drink a lot of tea, out I drink coffee.

Ya' got me there friend!

I agree that Yuengling is going big guns around WNY. Lots of bars are taking out the Coors Lite taps and replacing them with Yueng. I am one of those people that has helped the Yueng Co. soar in sales (and of course craig has helped). I haven't made it to the brewery yet but that is on my bucket list! When ever we travel, I always look for a local brewery to stop at and sample their wares.

Why yes!  I have seen it!

It's my beer of choice!

Great taste and pretty filling!

As a matter of fact, when I retired from the Navy in August 2007, Yuengling's eagle was the backdrop of a knot board that one of my buddies made for me as well as being projected against the Navy Blue curtains on the stage.

Anytime I walk into the Chief's Club...the barmaid/nurse asks "draft or bottle?"