February 20, 2011

POTTSVILLE, PA — The 2011 Carl Spackler Open will be played at Mountain Valley Golf Course. Just 20 minutes south is Pottsville, PA and the Yuengling Brewery. The Captains Club formally announced its plans to revisit the oldest brewery in America on June 10.

"We are very excited about our itinerary," says Greg Garrett, who visited the brewery in June 2010. "These are the unique group activities that make this week the best thing going. It is non-stop entertainment around the clock. It is hard to believe some people stay home each year."

The optional brewery tour is scheduled for 9:00AM on June 10. The transportation is included by coach bus (departing at 8:00AM) with room for 47 participants. The cost is $1.00 per golfer and will be collected as part of the participant option process in March. This is not just a tour, but comes with a taste test. The bar in the brewery, commonly known as the Rathskeller, was built in 1936.

D.G. Yuengling & Son, commonly called Yuengling is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States, having been established in 1829, and is one of the largest breweries by volume in the country. Yuengling produces 3.6 million barrels annually, which as of 2005, placed it sixth among American commercial breweries. Besides its two Pennsylvania facilities, Yuengling also operates a brewery in Tampa, FL.

As of 2009, Yuengling is a moderately priced beer popular northward through New York, westward until Ohio, and southward through South Carolina. The Tampa brewery supplies the Florida Gulf Coast, the Florida Keys, Central Florida, North Florida, the Florida Panhandle as well as Alabama and Tennessee. The brewery uses corn from Minnesota and hops from Washington as ingredients in its products.

Yuengling finally began distribution inside the state of Georgia in 2008 and West Virginia in 2009.

President Barack Obama has stated that Yuengling is his favorite beer. In March 2010, President Obama sent a case of Yuengling to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper along with a case of Molson Canadian to cover a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2010 Winter Olympics hockey final.

The optional activity will be offered inside the participant options next month (March 2011). The option will be closed after 47 participants have selected the tour. The second coach bus will travel directly to Mountain Valley well after the first coach bus departs for the brewery.

"Signing up for the bus early is important," says brewery leader Kevin Long, Jr.. "We are cutting off the option after 47 guys have signed up. We are cancelling the tour if there are not 45 guys signed up."

The Yeungling Brewery Tour is one of several optional activities scheduled for the 11th Carl Spackler Open. The Skills Challenge Contest, two Mountain Valley deck parties, and 4-man Scramble are also planned.