Yuengling, America's Oldest Brewery, Makes It To Merichka's: Photos

CREST HILL — When one of the top Facebook pages for Joliet area restaurants made an announcement on Monday letting its faithful followers know that "I Ling, you Ling, we all Ling for Yuengling ... we now have Yuengling on tap," at least 328 people responded by liking or loving the post from Merichka's Restaurant.

The addition of Yuengling, from the country's oldest brewery, drew 34 comments and 45 shares for Merichka's Restaurant, which is one of the most successful and oldest restaurants in the Midwest. Merichka's is now in its 92nd year of operation. The anniversary is in April.

Hopefully, the Yuengling draft beer will give customers another reason to visit this winter, according to the Merichka's co-managers Ryan George and Joe Zdralevich III.

At Merichka's, Yuengling is $4 for an 11-ounce glass, a pint is $4.75, a 21-ounce mug is $5.50 and a 34-ounce frosty mug is $7.25.

"Right now, it's only in kegs," Zdralevich informed Joliet Patch.

"I think Kozol Brothers (the Joliet beer distributor) is really excited about," George noted. "This is something new. It's pretty popular out East. I'll probably just keep on tap for a while."

In addition to Merichka's, other Joliet area bars and restaurants made announcements on Monday letting customers know that they can purchase Yuengling at their respective locations, including Roc City Bar & Grill in Rockdale.

"We're not the only ones with it," Zdralevich acknowledged. "It's a good beer. I've had it before, and if you travel east of here you can get it anywhere."

For the first time ever, Yuengling is being distributed in Illinois. According to its website, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc., the oldest brewery in America, is family-owned and operated since 1829. Production is supplied by two breweries in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and one in Tampa, Florida.

In addition to Yuengling, the co-managers of Merichka's are trying to promote their daily lunchtime specials in hopes of keeping their restaurant busy during the dead of winter. All the lunch specials come with soup or salad and are served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This week, the Merichka's lunch specials are:

• Monday: 1/2 Yodel burger with French fries for $12.85.
• Tuesday: Fried chicken sandwich with French fries for $12.85
• Wednesday: Stuffed green pepper with mashed potatoes for $13.95.
• Thursday: 9-to-10-ounce strip steak with single baked potato for $15.95.
• Friday: Icelandic cod basket with French fries for $12.85.

Merichka's is open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Related Patch coverage:

• Yuengling Now Available In IL: 'America's Oldest Brewery' Expands
• Merichka's 90th Anniversary: 'It's Hard To Find Places Like This'