As someone whose father and grandfather worked at Iron City, and who worked there for a short time myself, I had hoped that this day wouldn't come. That maybe finally someone other than a crook, who cared about keeping the brewery and Iron City Beer and keeping it in Pittsburgh, would emerge against all odds. Unfortunately, it never happened, and this breaks my heart.
Iron City has been hurting because a lot of the people who were loyal to the brand were turned off by the way the various yahoos who owned the place stuck it to them. Union members faced impossible choices. Over time, many finally were forced out, even after giving up more concessions than were fair. Not rich guys; not corporate fat cats -- mostly guys trying to support families and guys who had never done anything else. It was a bitter pill to swallow for people who'd worked there their whole lives, especially those who followed their dads and their dad's dads into the place.
And the demise of the Pittsburgh Brewing Company wasn't because the beer isn't good, wasn't because the people who worked there didn't care. It was poor ownership, and everything went downhill from there. This whole saga has been a never-ending series of punches to the gut for the employees, their families and friends, and to anyone who likes the beer. At what point do you just say, I'm not going to support a place like that anymore?
The real shame is that those who don't know about what has gone on at the brewery make assumptions that lead to so many misconceptions about PBC and ICB. People say "I guess the beer isn't any good and nobody wants to drink it. If they did, they'd make more money and not be in this situation." Not true and not fair. There still are plenty of people who like Iron City, even if it's not the college kids at a trendy Shady Side bar. The people at PBC had the bats taken out of their hands. Quite frankly, it's amazing the place hung around this long -- even in the sad state it's in now, if you can call that hanging around.
Iron City Beer isn't for everyone; what beer is? These days, it's safe to say there are a few more choices out there. There are entire generations of young people who know nothing but designer beers and microbrews. And that's fine. But it's not like one day Pittsburgh woke up and nobody liked Iron City Beer and the place stopped making money. Don't believe that for a second.
I'll admit it: part of enjoying Iron City is supporting your hometown. Part of it, at least for the workers and their families and friends, was pride in the product. Like it or not, it's Pittsburgh's beer. Unfortunately, the people who owned the place made it harder and harder on Pittsburghers to drink it, to support what they were doing. It's tough to blame someone who says they'll never pay a dime for another Iron. Just like it's hard to blame someone who says they're done buying tickets to Pirates games.
It's sad because PBC is a part of Pittsburgh, it's history. Sure, being brewed in Latrobe is better than not being brewed at all. As for the operation leaving Lawrenceville, there finally were too many holes to plug in the dam that couldn't be plugged.
Obviously, this hits a little closer to home for me than the average Pittsburgher. I just hope people know the real story. To just say "Oh, it's not even on tap at (fill in the blank) on the South Side" is like saying the Rolling Stones must not have been that good because they're not on the radio as much these days.
Do people like Iron City Beer more than Budweiser or Miller or Coors or Sam Adams or Yuengling? I don't know. Probably not these days. But there are plenty of people in Pittsburgh who still like Iron. Some will stick with it because they always have. For others, this may be the last straw. And for every last straw comes closer the day when Iron City Beer no longer is worth brewing. That would be sad. I hope that day never comes. But then again, if you'd told me 25 years ago that one day they wouldn't make Iron in Lawrenceville, I would've said you were nuts.