Beloved Pittsburgh beer focus of auction

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Devoted fans of Iron City beer say the brewery's auction offered them a chance to get a memory of the suds often associated with Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Sunday the sale at the Pittsburgh brewery where Iron City beer had been brewed since the Civil War offered 320 lots of beer and sports memorabilia ranging from various beer cans to novelty beer taps.

Pittsburgh resident George Prilla said he learned how synonymous Iron City beer is with the city during a fishing trip to North Carolina more than 30 years ago.

"We had people -- adults, not kids -- following us all over the place, onto fishing piers, begging for the Iron City beer cans," Prilla said.

Gary McClimans of Franklin, Pa., said the Iron City cans are not only great memorabilia, but also valuable.

"An original Iron City can from 1935 in mint condition would now be worth about $5,000," McClimans told the Tribune-Review.

The Iron City Brewing Co. did not specify how much was made from the auction Friday and Saturday that also included most of the brewery's equipment. The auction was held after the beer company relocated its brewery operations to Latrobe, Pa.