Storied Pittsburgh Brewery Up For Sheriff's Sale

PITTSBURGH, PA — One of the city's most celebrated and oldest craft breweries appears to be on the verge of extinction.

According to the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, Penn Brewery on Vinial Street in Troy Hill is on the list of properties up for a June 1 sheriff's sale.

Its property was listed for sale by creditor First National Bank. with an opening bid of $2,720.

The move comes a month after brewery owner Stefan Nitsch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure the business.

"We want to address this directly and transparently before any speculation begins,"Nitsch stated in a social media post at the time. "Penn Brewery is not closing."

Days later, the Penn Brewery location at Pittsburgh International Airport was permanently shuttered.

As of Thursday afternoon, there was no mention of the upcoming sheriff's sale mentioned on the brewery's Facebook page. The most recent post on Wednesday was promoting the brewery's Halfway To Oktoberfest event scheduled for the weekend.

Penn Brewery began brewing craft beer back in 1986, making its one of the earliest pioneers in the American craft movement.

It began brewing classic lagers and German beer styles, adhering to the strict quality standards of the 16th-century Bavarian Reinheitsgebot purity laws.

The brewery has expanded its lineup in recent years to include IPAs and other contemporary styles like chocolate and pumpkin beers.

Penn beers have won 20 Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup medals.