Penn Brewery has been listed for sheriff’s sale.
The brewery, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, was listed by creditor First Commonwealth Bank on the Allegheny County Sheriff Office’s website updated May 8. Three tracts at the brewery’s Vinial Street location are scheduled for auction June 1 with an opening bid of $2,720.09.
Last month, Penn Brewery owner Stefan Nitsch insisted the historic brewery was not closing. In an April 2 social media post, Nitsch wrote the brewery was using the bankruptcy filing “as a strategic tool to restructure and secure a stronger future.”
The brewery permanently closed its satellite location at Pittsburgh International Airport within days of the bankruptcy announcement.
Nitsch at the time stressed “operations will continue as normal” and expressed excitement about Penn Brewery’s recent expansion and upcoming Halfway to Oktoberfest celebration, taking place Saturday.
Known as Pittsburgh’s oldest brewery, Penn Brewery is located on a historic site used for brewing since 1848, when it was operated by the Eberhardt and Ober families. Tom and Mary Beth Pastorius established the modern brewery, one of the first craft breweries in the United States, in 1986, adding a restaurant in 1989.
Nitsch, who runs property management company Arkham Realty, was introduced as the new owner of the Penn Brewery brand in 2022. Allegheny County property records show a sale of property at 800 Vinial St. in March 2024 to an entity of Nitsch’s property management company, Arkham Asylum LLC. The same entity is listed as a defendant on the sheriff’s sale information.
Penn Brewery and Arkham Realty could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.
