Beer fans: Yuengling and Hershey create rich, chocolatey porter

Here’s a sweet collaboration sure to set beer and chocolate lovers’ mouths watering: Yuengling and Hershey’s have concocted a new chocolate porter.

The team-up is one of historical importance: the Pottsville, Pa.-based Yuengling is the oldest brewery in the U.S., while Hershey’s is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected brands.

Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter will be available on tap in bars and restaurants beginning mid-month across some of the 22 states Yuengling distributes including Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., Delaware, Indiana and Kentucky, while supplies last. A limited release, the chocolate porter is expected to be available into February, the brewery says.

While brewers nationwide regularly collaborate with chocolatiers and coffee producers on special brews, this is Yuengling’s first collaborative beer in its 190-year history. The chocolate porter is also Hershey’s first licensed beer partnership.

“As we continue to innovate and evolve, we are particularly excited for our first beer collaboration to be with an iconic, Pennsylvania-based brand that shares the same values as we do,” said Jen Yuengling, the brewery’s vice president of operations, said in an email interview to USA TODAY.

She is a sixth generation brewer – and one of four daughters of owner Dick Yuengling Jr., working at the brewery. Her great-great-great-grandfather David Yuengling founded The Eagle Brewery, established in 1829, and renamed it D.G. Yuengling & Son in 1873.

Yuengling and Hershey’s spent about a year developing the beer, which uses as its base the traditional Dark Brewed Porter made at the brewery since its opening. That beer, which already has hints of caramel and chocolate, is enriched with Hershey’s cocoa, syrup and nibs added during the brewing.

The resulting beer has a savory semisweet aroma, rich consistency and dark chocolate-flavored finish. Not overpoweringly strong at 4.7% alcohol by volume, the porter is meant to pair well with desserts and cheeses – but early tastings of the beer found it tasty to drink on its own.

Four years ago, Yuengling surpassed Boston Beer (maker of Samuel Adams beers) to gain the top spot as the top U.S. craft brewery and remains the top selling independent brewery. As part of its 190th anniversary celebration, Yuengling still has special anniversary cans and packaging in the marketplace.

Established in southeast-central Pennsylvania in 1894, The Hershey Co., is only about 50 miles from the Yuengling brewery.

Maybe that proximity will yield more beer-candy mashups.

What could the two companies do as an encore? Might we suggest a Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Porter.

Read more at usatoday.com.