A piece of history stolen Sunday from Penn Brewery has been found.
An ellipse-shaped piece of copper from a boil kettle — a roughly 4-square-foot section was recovered safely — unmelted at the bottom of a scrap pile, according to a brewery post to social media.
“Huge thanks to City of Pittsburgh Police and the detective involved for his quick work,” the brewery posted Saturday to social media.
The post went on to say “this part of Pittsburgh brewing history is again on track to become a memorial honoring our late former Head Brewer Andy Rich.”
The copper had been removed during repairs in July 2023.
“We would like to say how incredibly grateful to all yinz and really all of Pittsburgh who shared the story and helped spread the word,” the post said.
Details of the recovery and information about the suspects has not yet been released by Pittsburgh police.
The brewery posted last week, saying that while “some may see scrap metal, this piece represented decades of Penn Brewery history and craftsmanship.”
Penn Brew Instagram
“Amid everything else happening around us, it is disappointing that anyone would choose to take something with such deep historical and sentimental value to the brewery and to those who worked here through the years,” the brewery wrote.
The brewhouse uses copper kettles that former owner Tom Pastorius imported 40 years ago from Germany. The copper kettles are used in contrast to most mass-produced beers, which use stainless steel.
Known as Pittsburgh’s oldest brewery, the Penn Brewery site has been used for brewing since 1848, when it was operated by two German immigrant families.
