Updated Sept. 30, 2022: A Penn State spokesperson said on Friday that Yuengling also will be available among beer offerings during Saturday’s Penn State-Northwestern game.
Penn State will begin selling beer throughout Beaver Stadium when the Nittany Lions face Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the athletic department announced on Wednesday morning.
Beer will be available for purchase at 32 locations on the field, concourse and club levels stadium-wide, except near the student section at the south end. Each beer location will have multiple points of sale, with a total of 90. Beer service areas will mostly be separate from other concession stands.
Fans 21 and older will need to show and scan an ID to receive a wristband that qualifies them for alcohol sales. They can purchase up to two 16-ounce cans at any one time before the end of the third quarter. Alcohol is not permitted to leave the stadium, Penn State said.
Domestic beers will be $10, while specialty selections will fetch $12 each. On Oct. 1, stands will offer Miller Lite, Coors Lite, Michelob Ultra, Blue Moon and Yuengling, though offerings may change throughout the season, an Athletic Department spokesperson said. All alcohol sales will come through cashless transactions, although LionCash+ and student meal points will not be accepted.
Beaver Stadium’s alcohol selections feature only beer. Previous plans to sell hard seltzers and 24-ounce cans in the stadium were quietly scrapped before university trustees approved in-stadium alcohol sales at their Sept. 23 meeting.
Alcohol vendors will be required to complete RAMP (Responsible Alcohol Management Program) training and certification, which covers alcohol absorption rate factors and intervention techniques for fans who need assistance. The university’s athletics department also plans to form a task force that will monitor the impact of alcohol sales with input from campus officials, community leaders and local health care representatives.
“We will institute a variety of measures to ensure the expansion of alcohol sales will be done safely while also continuing to promote the family environment and Happy Valley hospitality we are all known for,” Athletic Director Patrick Kraft told Penn State trustees on Sept. 23.
In plans presented to the Board of Trustees, Kraft said more than 300 staff members would be added for “oversight, rule enforcement and operation of the sale of alcohol” at Beaver Stadium. Working with Oak View Group Hospitality, which manages concessions for more than 400 venues and helped the athletic department prepare for Beaver Stadium alcohol sales, plans also called for the recruitment of at least eight managers to support the operation, as well as the implementation of a “secret shopper” program to test compliance.
Beaver Stadium’s expanded beer sales will start a little over a week after university trustees approved the plan, joining eight other Big Ten schools. For more than five years, club and suite areas at Beaver Stadium and Pegula Ice Arena have sold alcohol to fans, while the Bryce Jordan Center has sold alcohol at some non-athletic events. Penn State also holds licenses to serve alcohol at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and the Penn State Golf Courses.
In a statement, Penn State said it plans to use its alcohol sales revenue to fund deferred maintenance projects at Beaver Stadium.
A study at the University of Texas found an 87% reduction in alcohol-related incidents at games since the stadium started selling alcohol, while Maryland report a 71% decrease of its own following its first year of alcohol sales. Penn State said experiences at other universities and enhancing “fan experience and gameday atmosphere” influenced its plans for alcohol sales at Beaver Stadium.
