Penn Brewery Historical Timeline

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January 1, 2012

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The History

The Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh, Pa. was founded by Tom & Mary Beth Pastorius. One small note: some publications spell Mary Beth’s name incorrectly as Marybeth.

Tom is a direct descendent of Franz Daniel Pastorius (1651 – 1720), who was a founder of Germantown, Pa. Germantown was founded on June 20, 1683 by 13 families from Crefeld, Germany under the leadership of Pastorius.

 

1848: Eberhardt & Ober Brewery opens in the Deutschtown area of what was then Allegheny City until 1907. Deutschtown is the land at the foot of Troy Hill and Spring Hill. The complex has caves dug into the hillside to keep the beer cool.

 

1907: A Greater Pittsburgh Bill was passed by the State on February 24, 1903 to allow the city to annex territory surrounding the city.  The courts upheld this act on November 18, 1907. On December 7, 1907 the City of Allegheny was annexed.

 

1952: Eberhardt & Ober Brewery closes. They were one of 21 regional breweries that merged to form Pittsburgh Brewing Company.

 

March 1986: Pennsylvania Brewing Co. incorporates in Philadelphia, Pa. (assumed city). The brand, Pennsylvania Pilsner, was contracted out to Pittsburgh Brewing. Production was moved to Jones Brewery, Smithton, Pa. after a dispute with Pittsburgh Brewing. I do not have a clear date when the beer became Penn Pilsner.

 

From Penn’s website: The Beginning of Penn Pilsner and The Beginning of Craft Brewing in Pennsylvania. Tom Pastorius introduces Pennsylvania Pilsner to Philadelphia in June 1986. (A number of websites incorrectly date the Penn Brewery as 1987. This is false and misleading. It also shows a lack in research on their part.)

 

Pennsylvania's First Craft-Brewed Beer since prohibition. Tom Pastorius starts the Craft Brewing Renaissance in Pennsylvania by introducing Penn Pilsner at City Tavern, Philadelphia, in June 1986. (This supports the Philadelphia incorporation) Actually, in as much as the term craft-brewery is used today, the word microbrewery was the common distinction back then.

 

1986: Production (of Pennsylvania Pilsner) begins at Pittsburgh Brewing prior to the Allegheny Brewery opening.

 

April 1989: Brewing began in Pittsburgh at the Allegheny Brewery. Pa. (Liquor License application lists April 10. 1989). The copper kettles were made in Germany and assembled in Pittsburgh by German craftsmen brought over for the job. The beers made at this brewery are of the northern German style. Alex Demel was the start-up brewer. The brewery’s name is taken from the City of Allegheny, the former city prior to being annexed by Pittsburgh.

 

When the state first permitted brewery – restaurant (brewpubs) it was the first time a brewery could sell beer in an attached restaurant. The license permitted beer only. It would be a while before the state permitted the sale of wines and spirits. 

 

September 12, 1989 (Tuesday): Restaurant opened for business as the Allegheny Brewery & Pub; Pennsylvania’s first brewpub since prohibition.

 

Penn-Stoudts Connection:

Pennsylvania Brewing formed in Philadelphia in 1986 as a microbrewery but without any brewing equipment. Stoudts opened in 1987 as a microbrewery only. Carol & Ed had to divorce so that no connection between brewery and restaurant could be established. The Pittsburgh brewing operations of Penn began September 12, 1989 and included the restaurant. Stoudts pub room did not open until the fall of 1996. Note: dates came from Penn and Stoudts published literature. (I had published material from Stoudts supporting this, now lost)

 

The Sam Adams brewpub in Philadelphia opened on November 29, 1989 to become Pa.’s second brewpub. It has since closed.

 

Late 1988: Production ceases at Pittsburgh Brewing. Brewing and bottling (of Penn Pilsner) moved to Jones Brewery in Smithton, Pa. about 1989. (Stoney’s beer, Shirley Jones, actress family)

Rich Wagner (http://pabreweryhistorians.tripod.com/whatsbrw.htm) has this date as 1988. Both dates were prior to the installation of a bottling line in Pittsburgh. I can’t re-verify my 199 date but Rich is probably correct on his. Any Stoney’s guys know?

 

May 31, 1990 (Thursday): Michael Jackson (the Beer Hunter) visits the Allegheny Brewery & Pub as well as the Jones Brewery in Smithton, Pa. This was Mr. Jackson’s first of two visits to Pittsburgh, the other being August 12, 2003 (Tuesday) to visit the Church Brew Works. Mr. Jackson died on August 30, 2007 (Thursday). Mr. Jackson also visited the Jones Brewery in the 1990 visit, as Penn Pilsner was being produced and bottled there at the time. (Greg Walz, president of TRASH was Mr. Jackson’s escort for the 1990 visit, as he needed transportation. Mr. Jackson’s secretary contacted Greg directly for this. Brewer Bryan Pearson of the Church Brew Works brought Mr. Jackson in doe the 2003 visit)

 

1990: Penn takes their first gold medal at the GABF for the Münchener Helles 4.0%ABV.

 

August 1991: Beer was $1.75, per a Pittsburgh History & Landmarks bewsletter.

 

1992: Name changed to Penn Brewery. (Unknown day or month)

 

June 30, 1992 (Tuesday): Ratskeller opens after new stairs are installed. The stairs from the main floor to the basement were not in place when the restaurant first opened. A second aging cellar was opened having nine new lagering tanks.

 

1995: First Pennsylvania Microbrewers Fest at the brewery.

 

Church Brew Works was first brewpub in the state to receive a liquor license on December 6, 1996. I have a letter sent to me by Sean Casey confirming that.  It is unknown to me when Penn received one.

 

1997: Penn Weizen (Wheat) beer won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival out of 83 entries.

 

July 1998: Tom came back from a trip to Germany and brought back a different hop for use in his Kaiser Pils. He also brought German Wine bearing his name.

 

2001: Production ceases at Jones Brewery. Unknown date when they stopped brewing for Penn, but they went bankrupt in 2001. Bottle production moves to Fredrick, Md.

 

2003: Tom sold all but a minority holding to Birchmere Capital. He is scheduled to stay with the brewery for 5 years.

 

2006: Some beers are contracted out to Frederick Brewing Co., Md. because demand was too great for the capacity of the brewery.

 

2006 June or July: They were the first brewpub in Pittsburgh to go non-smoking within the building.

 

September 12, 2008 (Friday): Tom leaves the building after a farewell speech during the anniversary party at the brewery.

 

November 28, 2008 (Friday): the brewery is scheduled to close and move to lesser quarters. Brewing is to cease and move to the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre where the beers are currently brewed and bottled.

 

December 2008: Last batch of beer brewed in early December. Fermentation and packaging continue until January 2, 2009.

 

January 2, 2009 (Friday): Birchmere ceases on-site brewing operations and lays-off the brewing staff.

 

February 2009: The restaurant was scheduled to close but a new lease kept it open.

 

March 2009: The brewery brings in re-designed bottle labels from Smith Brothers Agency.

 

August 18, 2009 (Tuesday): the restaurant closes after 20 years. Jack Isherwood confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post that the restaurant could close indefinitely.

(This date is the publication date on a Post article, by Bob Batz, in which Jack Isherwood confirmed that the restaurant "is closed indefinitely while future options are being evaluated". Wikipedia has this date as the 19th, which would have come from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. They published the 18th in another article.)

 

November 23, 2009 (Monday)

Tom returns with three investors, which seemed to have expanded:

Gary Cindrich, partner and CEO

Sandy Cindrich, partner and acting CEO

Corey Little, partner and Technical Director

Linda Nyman, partner and Marketing Director

Stuart Nyman, partner unknown capacity

Tom was president and CEO

The titles came from third party sources and may be inaccurate.

 

December 8, 2009 (Tuesday): brewing resumed at 10:20 AM. A first for the brewery they brew an American style pale ale. Up until now the beers have been traditional German beers.

 

December 30, 2009 (Wednesday): at 4:00 PM, the first beer tasting.

 

December 30, 2009 (Wednesday): preview opening of the restaurant opened for a "sneak peak" Hundreds of people showed up for the 4 PM sample give-a-way.

 

February 2010: new keg line is installed.

 

February 17, 2010 (Wednesday): first kegs released to wholesalers.

 

March 2010: growler hours begin every Friday for walk-ins.

 

May 5, 2010 (Wednesday): Restaurant reopens

 

November 16, 2010 (Tuesday): It was first reported that Tom is no longer with the brewery: http://pghpubs.blogspot.com/2010/11/penn-brewery.html. It is later reveled in local newspapers that Tom & Mary Beth filed a lawsuit against the other owners.    

 

April 2011: The brewery announced in a press release and in their newsletter that it (the Penn) is celebrating 25 years. The business was incorporated in 1986, making it 25 years old and the brewing opened in 1989 making it 22 years old.

 

Unknown Dates

Penn receives liquor license to sell wine and spirits. Although Pa.’s first brewpub they are not the first to get a liquor license for wines and spirits. That went to the Church Brew Works on December 6, 1996 per letter to me from Sean Casey.

Original brick grain silos in upper lot torn down due to safety.

New grain silos installed in rear of building on hillside.

New grain silos on hillside collapse due to heavy rains.

 

The Brewers

Alex Demel, from Germany, was founding brewer.

He returned to Europe to start other breweries.

Ivan (1990-August 2001) but quit in 1997 after Peter came on board

Peter Boettcher started in 1997.  He is a Bavarian State Certified Technical brewmaster who studied at the Weinhenstephan Institute and Doemens Technical College.  Both are located in Munich.  He has worked for several European breweries since his graduation in 1992.  He is the Master Brewer.

Peter worked at the Winona Brewery (December 2008) along with Mark Zimmerman from Bub’s Brewery.

Paul Shanta is the Brewer as of 1997. Departure date and status are unknown.

Matt Cole worked here before going to Great Lakes, Rocky River, and Fat Heads – Cleveland. He left here for Baltimore before going to Ohio. He only worked in sales at Penn. Matt also worked in England and I believe Dusseldorf.

 

Brewers at end of 2009 brewing operations:

Nick Rosich until December 2008 (Nick went to the Rust Belt Brewery, Youngstown)

Returned on reopening

Andy Rich, unknown start – present

Sean until December 2008 (Sean went to the Hofbrauhaus, South Side)

Andy and Rick returned when the brewery reopened.

 

The Property & The Brewery

E & O Partners bought the building  (Allegheny Co. Lot & Block 24-K-369) on August 12, 1987 for $257,000.

DLB Management Inc., (David J. Malone, president) became a general partner of E&O Partners during the 2009 buy-back.

 

The North Side Leadership Conference Inc., (Mark Fatla, executive director) bought the building on July 7, 2010 for $1,179,000, an increase of $922,000.

 

Birchmere Capital never owned the property and only bought the Pennsylvania Brewing Co. as a company alone with the equipment. At no time did the Pensylvania Brewery own property at this location.

 

End

I have been coming to Penn Brewery since the day they opened and I met Tom before the opening. The above is a collection taken from my personal notes and my writings as editor of the Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Home Brewers’ newsletter for over 11 years. Allow me to thank Tim Russell and Ralph Colaizzi for input into this document.

Update and corrected will follow.

© 2011 – 2012, Ed Vidunas, all rights reserved