A SITE TO SEE (Part 3)

Spring is upon us here in Pennsylvania! If you are looking for a nice way to enjoy the weather, take a ride to scenic Schuylkill County and come visit America's Oldest Brewery. You can check out the January blog archives to read the first two posts in this series.

If you need one more reason to visit the brewery, besides the decorative brew house and a front row view of the bottling process, we’ve got something else for you. The Pottsville brewery is built on the side of a mountain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The brewery literally extends into the mountain! In 1831 the brewery capitalized on the location by digging storage caves into the side of the mountain. These caves still exist today and visitors have the opportunity to walk through them at the end of the tour. The caves remain at a constant temperature of 42 degrees Fahrenheit year round. They were created for the purpose of cold storage. The caves were hand dug, because the use of explosives may have disrupted the brewery above. The caves are U shaped and roughly 150 yards in total length. They sit 50’ below the surface and extend into the mountain roughly 75’. During prohibition times this area was closed up by the government in the form of permanent brick walls. In honor of our 175th Anniversary, in 2004 we opened up this area for the public, and it is still included on our tours to this day. After you view the caves we invite you to end your tour with a sample in our brewery Rathskellar, built in 1936.
Now that you have the basics, along with a couple of photos that let you know what to expect, we really do hope you come and visit America’s Oldest Brewery in person. Pottsville tour times are 10am and 1:30pm Monday thru Friday. Saturday hours begin in April and run through December. Saturday tour times are 11am, 12pm, and 1pm. All visitors are required to wear completely closed footwear, no exceptions. Please visit Yuengling.com for complete tour information before you plan your visit.