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Yuengling introduces its first new year-round beer in nearly two decades

The Pottsville-based brewery recently announced the Yuengling Golden Pilsner, its first new year-round beer since 2001.

Exterior of the D.G. Yuengling & Son in Pottsville, Pa. The brewery recently announced a new pilsner.
Exterior of the D.G. Yuengling & Son in Pottsville, Pa. The brewery recently announced a new pilsner.Read moreiStock

For the first time in 17 years, D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. is adding a beer to its year-round lineup.

The Pottsville, Pa.-based brewery, known as America's oldest, recently announced Yuengling Golden Pilsner. The beer will show up in some parts of the country as early as April. Philly, however, will have to wait a few more months before getting a taste.

The pilsner, which has 4.7 percent ABV and combines pale and specialty malts as well as Hallertau and Saaz hops, will be added to the brewery's other core brands, including Traditional Lager, Light Lager, and Black & Tan.

With Golden Pilsner, the company was looking to offer something a bit more refreshing, said Jennifer Yuengling, the family-owned company's vice president of operations. It took about 18 months to develop.

"Consumers are looking for and gravitating toward beers in refreshment category," she said.

So why now? Yuengling simply noted that the "timing was right" to finally mix up its core group. It's also not the first time in the recent past that the nearly 190-year-old company has switched up tradition — the design labels for its Lager, Light Lager and Black & Tan brands got a facelift for the first time in 30 years just last March. The Light Lager was the last brew added to Yuengling's full-year line-up, in 2001.

The Golden Pilsner will roll out in cans and bottles in parts of Central Pennsylvania starting April 1 and will become available to Philadelphians come July.

Yuengling's latest brew comes about a month after the company revealed that it filed a trademark application to possibly use "Philly Special" for an existing or new beer. While the company didn't follow through with the idea, it said that a "Philly Special Pilsner" wasn't necessarily what it had up its sleeves.

"Yes, Yuengling had filed a trademark application for the term 'Philly Special,' specifically for beer, but we withdrew that application when we learned that the Philadelphia Eagles were looking to own exclusive access to the term," a Yuengling spokesperson said in a statement. "Also, we hadn't made a decision about what to do with the trademark had we been successful."