REPUBLICANherald.com

12/15/2006
Food Network: Yuengling part of history
BY JENNA SPINELLE

“Hi, George, and welcome to America’s Oldest Brewery.”

Dick Yuengling, president of D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., gave that welcome to George Duran, host of Food Network’s “The Secret Life Of” Thursday, December 14 when the show’s crew

stopped to film part of an upcoming episode that will tell the history of beer. Duran, also the host of Food Network’s “Ham on the Street,” interviewed Yuengling about the brewery’s history, took a tour and stopped by its bar for a few samples during his time in Pottsville.

“I’m not the biggest beer drinker,” Duran said in an interview before the filming. “But I’ve become more interested in it as we started filming. The places I’m visiting are showing me how to drink beer and how to appreciate it.”

“The Secret Life Of” producer Stanley Brown said America’s Oldest Brewery was an obvious choice for the show.

“What better place is there to include in a show about the history of beer?” he said. “We also wanted to include a variety of breweries, ranging from large commercial operations to smaller microbreweries.”

Brown said the beer episode’s air date has not yet been set, but he expects it will premiere in the first three months of 2007. The show airs 10 p.m. Mondays on Food Network.

The episode will also feature an authentic German Hofbräuhaus in Las Vegas and microbreweries in Oregon and Washington, Brown said.

Brown and David Case, the show’s director, had to deal with the brewery environment — and the noises that come with it — during Thursday’s taping.

They were initially unsure whether they would be able to film Yuengling’s interview with the brewing equipment operating in the background, but decided to work around it in order to give the show a more authentic feeling.

“This is a brewery, there’s going to be noise, so let’s just go with it and make it part of the show,” Case said during the taping.

Duran said he was impressed with how the brewery operated on a large scale while still maintaining a small-town atmosphere.

“When I think of a bar and a brewery, this is exactly what I picture in my mind,” he said. “It’s interesting to see how they’ve combined a family tradition with modern brewing processes.”

The brewery is no stranger to TV crews. Yuengling said The History Channel has been there several times over the past few years and that a few smaller, local shows have also come through.

He said he tries to accommodate all of the requests it receives from TV producers. “I usually have a conversation or two with whoever is producing the show to find out the gist of the show and how much of my time they will need,” he said. “We’re always happy to show off what we do here.”

For more information about “The Secret Life Of,” visit www.foodnetwork.com.

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