Celebrated Pittsburgh Brewery Declares Bankruptcy

PITTSBURGH, PA — Last week, one of the first craft breweries to open in the city celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Now it has declared bankruptcy.

Penn Brewery filed for Chapter 11 reorganization protection on Tuesday, according to PacerMontitor.Com. The move does not mean the brewery is in immediate danger of closure, but it's not a good sign.

Just last week, Penn Brewery announced it was marking its momentous anniversary by opening every day of the week.

The brewery began with classing lagers and German beer styles, adhering to the strict quality standards of the 16th-century Bavarian Reinheitsgebot purity laws.

The brewery lineup has expanded to IPAs and other contemporary styles like chocolate and pumpkin beers.

The beer brand was the fourth-largest producer in the Pittsburgh region in 2025, with about 3,500 barrels of beer or 108,500 gallons of brew, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times.

The bankruptcy filing continues a dark week for local breweries. On Tuesday, Fat Head's in the city's South Side announced that it will close next month after a 34-year run.