Mike Maher

Whether you live in Pennsylvania or the neighboring areas, are planning to visit, or are simply a beer or brewery enthusiast, the Pennsylvania area has a lot to offer in terms of beer tours. Home to many successful breweries and microbreweries, including Yuengling, America’s oldest brewery, and Straub, the smallest one, Pennsylvania boasts some of America’s must-see brewery touring stops. Below are five breweries and microbreweries in Pennsylvania for passersby and enthusiasts alike to check out:

Yuengling and Son Brewing: Located in Pottsville, PA, Yuengling is America’s oldest brewery and has been around since 1829. It boasts what it considers the best brewery tours in America, and offers a unique history of how the brewery survived during the Prohibition era. Go all the way back to when beer was distributed in horse-drawn wagons and be brought right back up through the current process.

Barley Creek Brewing Company: Located in Tannersville, PA, Barley Creek Brewing Company opened in 1995 and offer seven of their own microbrews. From Antler Brown Ale to their Rescue IPA (India Pale Ale), they have a wide variety to sample for different beer tasters. Their brewery operates within their Restaurant and Pub, so food, draught beer and packs/cases are available on site at the best price around.

The Lion Brewery: Built in 1905 and located in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the Lion Brewery merges what they refer to as state-of-the-art brewing technology with rustic architecture. Their beers have been featured at The Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Championships in past years, and they too have their own history about surviving Prohibition, producing what are referred to as “cereal beers.” Despite being a Pennsylvania microbrewery, their products can be found as far away as Oklahoma and Virginia.

Yards Brewing Company: Located in Philadelphia, PA, since 1994, the Yards Brewing Company produces six beers year-round and two beers seasonally. Their beer can be found as far north as Connecticut and as far south as Virginia, and their Philadelphia Pale Ale was rated by the New York Times as one of the best Pale Ales in the country. Since 2003, they have featured what are called “Ales of the Revolution,” which are based on the original recipes of Ben Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.

Straub Brewery: Located in Saint Marys, PA, and founded in the late 1800s, the Straub Brewery may not wow you in the way a Yuengling or Coors Light Tour would, but is still a must see because it is America’s smallest brewery. Their Straub Beer and Straub Light Beer have been made the same way for over 125 years now, and feature fresh mountain water from the Laurel Run Resevoir.