Yuengling and Hershey are collaborating on a chocolate-infused beer

Two of Pennsylvania’s oldest companies are targeting beer lovers who have a sweet tooth for their first-ever collaboration.

Yuengling and Hershey’s announced Tuesday that they have teamed up for a chocolate porter that will be available on tap in mid-October in more than a dozen states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. It is, however, a limited release, so the brewery expects it to last only until around the middle of February.

Dubbed Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter, the beer was created using the Pottsville brewery’s classic Dark Brewed Porter as a base. Brewed since Yuengling’s inception, the Dark Brew Porter has existing chocolate notes, thanks to the dark roasted and caramel malts used in its brewing process.

Yuengling’s porter was then infused with Hershey’s chocolate bars, syrup, and nibs to create a new, 4.7% ABV brew with a rich, chocolaty finish. The brewery recommends pairing the beer, which took about a year to develop, with barbecued and smoked meats, or cheeses and desserts.

This is Yuengling’s first collaborative beer since the company was launched 190 years ago, as well as Hershey’s first beer collaboration in its 125-year history. The two companies are headquartered about 45 miles apart in Pennsylvania.

While this may be first for the storied companies, the beer-chocolate combo is not uncommon in the craft beer world. Locally, for example, Evil Genius Beer Co. offers Purple Monkey Dishwasher, a year-round chocolate peanut butter porter, while Croydon’s Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. has a Maximum Mocha Porter, infused with chocolate and coffee, available occasionally.

The brew marks another expansion for Yuengling, which currently is planning a possible hotel as an addition to its Tampa, Fla., production facility. The company is currently America’s largest craft brewery — a designation awarded by the Brewers Association since 2014. It is also the oldest operating brewery in America.

In recent years, Yuengling has become somewhat controversial, primarily due to owner Dick Yuengling’s support for President Trump, which he first expressed in 2016 when Eric Trump toured the company’s Pennsylvania brewery.

Some drinkers mounted a boycott following the news. However, as Yuengling told Billy Penn in 2017, the boycott had produced “nothing noticeable” in terms of its effect on the company’s sales.

For those who can’t wait a couple of weeks to try the new Hershey’s collab, the brewery will hold a first-taste event for consumers at 5 p.m. Friday in Pottsville, a spokesperson said.