Pooch Back at Penn Brewery

In a move that shows they know what they are doing, the new owners of Penn Brewery have brought back Pooch to the operations. Don't ask me his real name as I don;t think anyone ever hear it. But, if your a long-time regular to the brewery then you know who I mean. He will be dealing with back room operations such as material handling and other what nots. Nick, Any and Steve are still the brewing end of the business.

Penn Brewery

This is going to be short and to the point. Tom Pastorius is no longer with the Penn Brewery. Apparently he and the other three partners has a difference of opinion as to the direction the operations and Tom lost. Please remember one thing all you boys and girls who have an MBA; when you sell your business you no longer have a business. Everything that could be said about the opening and closing and then the new opening has been said. I can’t add too much more. What I would like to say is: Thank you Tom.

At some time in our history we would have gotten a brewpub in Pittsburgh. But we did when we did because of Tom. Tom will go down in history as being the driving force is opening the first brewpub in Pittsburgh as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Tank you Tom for doing this. Thank you Tom for giving me the pleasure of drinking some of the finest beers in the world: Kaiser Pils. Thank you Tom for bringing together in one place many people that have become dear friends of mine. Thank you Tom for being so kind to me.

The Penn will always be Tom’s. I have never met the other owners nor do I think they care to meet me. They are in business to be in business. Tom was in business too, but he was foremost a beer man. He wanted to see his customers enjoy what he worked so hard to make. He came out and drank with us. He was not just the owner, he was one of us. The Penn Brewery has given me an untold trove of memories. Have I ever said thank you, Tom?

Penn Brewery Reborn

I went to the Penn Brewery yesterday. They are not opened full time but they do a Friday happy hour from 4 to 7. I was happy to see Tom. He built this brewery from the ground up and it has always been, and always will be, his brewery. He was working hanging new flags, cleaning and sweeping and just running around greeting people. I haven't seen him this happy since his first day in 1989. I was happy too. The Kaiser was back on tap and it has to me my all time favorite beer. Sorry to all you English ale brewers, but Kaiser is just that good. The brewery's American Pale Ale is as good. I wasn't sure what to expect from it but my first pint at Fat Heads last week made my eyes pop. It was equal to Kaiser in crispness and character. I for one can't wait until the brewery is open full time. This should be in late April, ut keep an eye out in the Pittsburgh Post in Bob Batz's column on Thursdays. More good news from the brewery is the return of the Penn Fest this June 5th. Only two sessions but two is better than none. For all you newbies in the beer drinking community, Tom and Mary Beth worked to allow brew-pubs to exist in Pennsylvania. Without them we may never have been allowed to have them. That in itself is another commentary. The Penn opened in 1989 as the Allegheny Brewery & Pub, Pennsylvania's first brewery-pub. Thanks Tom and Mary Beth.

Penn Brewery

When Tom Pastorius came back to the states from working in Germany he found crap for beer. So he founded the Pennsylvanian Brewing Co. I can’t remember if this was in 1986 or if that’s the year he took over a building on Pittsburgh’s North Side. That building once belonged to another German brewing concern, Eberhardt & Ober. Tom wanted to brew but he also wanted to open a nice restaurant and that’s when the law said no. At the time brewers were not permitted to sell direct to the public. Tom was determined to change this and in short order he did. Without doing into details, Tom openned Pennsylvania’s first tied house since prohibition, the Allegheny Brewery & Pub. That date was September 12, 1989, as miss-written as 1986 by so many other publications. Since then other brewpubs have opened across the state and Tom made this possible. The Eberhardt & Ober Brewery was located here since 1848 and once more the building is under threat as the new owners are looking to close the brewery, but more on that in a latter post. This post is being written to say thanks to a gentleman who made my favorite beer, Kaiser Pils, and allowed me to drink it in a wonderful old building. Simply stated, thanks Mr. Pastorius for what you have done for brewing, Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth. For more see Tm’s site at http://tompastorius.com/