PITTSBURGH -- Damaged and flooded by record rainfall is not the way
Iron City Brewing wanted to go out in Pittsburgh, but that's what the company is facing at its soon-to-be-former brewery.
Iron City's last beer at its Lawrenceville facility was going to be bottled this week, as the company gets ready to move production to Westmoreland County after more than 100 years. But company president Timothy Hickman said the recent severe storms in Pittsburgh took a heavy toll.
Watch Bob Mayo's Report"The hillside gave way and we had damage," Hickman said Monday. "A main water line broke inside the plant and flooded out the basement also, so we've got lots of issues."
The final round of bottling this week is on hold. It could resume by Wednesday, but Hickman acknowledged that it might not happen if the damage is too bad.
"We had the hillside give way that went into our pasteurization room, and the cleanup crews, as we speak, are in the plant now, cleaning up now to determine the extent of the damage," Hickman said.
The final brewing was done last Tuesday, Hickman said. It's fermenting now and will be ready to keg in 21 days.
"It's very heartbreaking, you know? My family has been here for three generations. It's a hard, hard time," said Doug Glenn, a 30-year employee.
Hickman said he isn't worried about losing customer loyalty when beer production leaves Pittsburgh city limits and relocates to leased space at City Brewing in Latrobe.
"We're still a western Pennsylvania product. We're still brewed with the Pittsburgh tradition," Hickman said. "For someone to say, 'I'm not going to drink your beer because it's not made in Pittsburgh' -- OK, that's your right."
Related Story: Goodbye, Iron City: Latrobe's Gain Is Pittsburgh's LossIron City is seeing potential for out-of-state growth in markets such as New York City, Boston and North Carolina, which could offset the possible loss of local business, Hickman said.
"There's a loyal Iron drinker who, I guess, now wants to support St. Louis, maybe Columbus (Ohio) or Newark (N.J.). That's their right," Hickman said. "We're still here in western Pennsylvania. We're a western Pennsylvania product."
Iron City started its first brew in Latrobe last week, and it's fermenting now.
None of the Lawrenceville workers that talked to WTAE Channel 4 Action News on Monday were optimistic about being able to land a job in Latrobe.
"It's a hard, hard time. It doesn't make it easier that we have to shovel mud our last days here," Glenn said.
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