September 28, 2015
Ask for a lager anywhere in Pennsylvania and the server knows you mean Yuengling. But in Boston, apparently, distributors had to work a little harder to get bars to stock the brew.
Yuengling has denied having any knowledge that one of its distributors bribed some Boston bars tens of thousands of dollars to stock the beer, the Boston Globe reported.
Craft Brewers Guild admitted to Massachusetts regulators earlier this month that it paid five restaurant groups in Boston to carry some beers, including Lagunitas and Magic Hat, and exclude competitors.
This included paying $22,500 to two chains to carry Yuengling in around 20 bars.
"We had no knowledge of what was going to happen,” said Yuengling CEO Dave Casinelli to the Globe. “What happens between retailers and wholesalers — we’re not always privy to that. I don’t know what motivated it.”
He added: "We can go to bed at night knowing we play the game well and that our people are open and honest."
Massachusetts regulators are continuing their investigation but have not implicated Yuengling in any charges.
Yuengling exited the New England market in the 1990's but returned to Massachusetts in 2014 with an aggressive marketing campaign.
