Beer drinkers in the 'burgh collectively shed a tear
today. Following the exuberance &
celebration of yesterday’s Steel City Big Pour, it was announced in an obituary
that Tom Pastorius died peacefully three days ago. The founder & long-time president of CEO
of Penn Brewery, Pastorius was an icon in Pittsburgh beer culture &
introduced so many in the area to interesting, flavorful craft brew. Though Pastorius’ influence in the company
began to dwindle in the past several years, he was still recognized as the face
of the company & a progenitor of good beer in Pittsburgh, with an emphasis
on authentic, quality German lagers & ales like those he’d experienced in
the halls & biergartens of their country of origin. Though he may be gone, the spirit of his
labor can still be tasted in the crisp snap of a Kaiser Pils or the rich, malty
warmth of a St. Nikolas Bock. There was
a feeling of joy that so many felt on hearing the news that, after a short period
of outsourcing, the brewery returned home to the old E&O building on Vinial
St. For more history on Penn Brewery
& Pastorius’ work, visit www.pennbrew.com
. Farewell to Tom, we now drink to his
legacy.
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