Iron City to move brew site
PITTSBURGH — After nearly 150 years, Iron City beer will no longer be brewed in the Steel City.
Iron City Brewing Co. will brew its last batch in Pittsburgh the week of June 22, President Tim Hickman said Thursday. Afterward, production will move to City Brewing Co.'s Latrobe facility.
The company must move to survive, said Hickman, who has been president since the brewery emerged from its latest bankruptcy two years ago.
The Pittsburgh location needed a new canning line, estimated at $2 million, but when the company began looking at upgrades to modernize the aging brewery, costs increased another $12 million to $15 million, Hickman said. Headquarters will remain in Pittsburgh, as will some warehousing operations, he said. The company also makes IC Light and Augustiner.
Iron City will continue to maintain a strong regional presence, Hickman said, noting Latrobe is just 40 miles east of Pittsburgh and where the Steelers hold training camp.
Ken Ream of the International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America, which has two locals at the brewery employing about 50 workers, called the move a tragedy. The unions approved major concessions two years ago to keep the brewery afloat, he said.
While Hickman said City Brewing has the same locals and he hoped Iron City workers would get jobs there, it's not clear how many current employees will be needed. The companies have different labor agreements and seniority lists, Ream said.
Iron City will become City Brewing Co.'s anchor tenant, Hickman said. City Brewing Co., of La Crosse, Wis., bought the facility three years ago after its former owner sold off the Rolling Rock brand.
Hickman declined to say what Iron City will pay under the deal.
