No more bootleggin' needed as Yuengling is now served in Missouri bars, restaurants

"America's Oldest Brewery" now has its lager in Missouri bars and restaurants.

Previously available in 23 states, Yuengling announced its expansion to Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma in October 2022. Founded in 1829 by German immigrant David Yuengling, the family business has been passed down five generations and was known across the East Coast.

That's where Eric Pauly, of Springfield, first tasted the lager nearly three decades ago.

"The first time I tried it, I was in Philadelphia," Pauly said in a phone interview. "It was actually the name that caught my attention in a bar, and I decided, OK, let's give that one a try."

Pauly was pleasantly surprised.

"It was a really good beer," Pauly said, who then began researching it. "I was surprised to find out they are the oldest continuously operating beer producer in America."

Despite that pedigree, the brew has not been available through distributors in Missouri, prompting some fans to stockpile a supply when visiting other states.

Pauly's son-in-law took to bringing back a pack from Arkansas, where it was available, on birthdays as a special gift. Since that first sip, any time Pauly is in the eastern part of the United States, he has a pint of Yuengling.

"I tended to try to search that out or anything else that was local to whatever area I was in that I found to be the most interesting," Pauly said.

The Yuengling Traditional Lager was from a recipe resurrected in 1987 and is described as having a medium-bodied flavor with roasted caramel malt.

"Try it for yourself," Pauly encouraged. "You may find that it's the most amazing thing you've ever had, and if you find that you don't like it, then don't worry because (Anheuser-Busch) will still be making Bud Light."

Several area bars and restaurants are already sharing on social media that they're selling Yuengling from the tap, including Springfield's Civil Kitchen along with Branson's Waxy O'Shea's Irish Pub and Stain City Bar and Grill.

Nixa resident Nick Wright said he fondly remembers the days of "bootlegging" Yuengling into Missouri from nearby states, like Arkansas, after he first tried the lager in Tennessee several years ago.

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"I don't know if it's my favorite just because we've got some great breweries around here that make some really good beer, but if we're talking about commercially available beer, I would pick it every time," Wright said.

Wright was sitting with friends hailing from Indianapolis at The Rendezvous in Memphis when he had his first taste.

"They didn't think anything of it because they have it in Indiana," Wright said. "I was just like, 'This is so much different than most of the normal beers you would get from Budweiser or Miller.'"

Yuengling became Wright's go-to beverage on that trip and following excursions, like when he traveled to New York.

Once back home in the Ozarks, Wright said he would stock up on a case of Yuengling when he had the hankering and found himself near liquor stores that carried it in Arkansas.

Now that the lager is offered in the Show-Me State, Wright wonders if the shine will fade.

"I think part of the reason that I liked it so much was just so we couldn't get it and having it so rarely is what made it so good," he added. "Once we have it here forever, I think it's just going to be like any other, whether it's Bud Light or any of that stuff where you'll get it every once in a while but it will lose its luster."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: No more bootleggin' needed as Yuengling is now served in Missouri