Enjoy the taste of Penn Brewery's quality craft beers

As American Craft Beer Week — May 16-22 — celebrations unfold around the nation, Eric Heinauer of Pennsylvania Brewing Co. — Penn Brewery, for short — has special reasons to celebrate.

After a soap-opera litany of business twists and turns, including a temporary closing in 2009, Penn Brewery has regained its footing as one of Pittsburgh's leading craft brewers. Heinauer, who spent most of the past 15 years in various professional roles at the North Side-based brewery, has returned as director of sales.

"With a small brewery, I wear lots of hats," Heinauer says.

Penn Brewery's location at 800 Vinial Street in the old Eberhardt and Ober Brewery speaks to its identity as part of Pittsburgh's deeply rooted German beer tradition. According to Heinauer, nine German breweries once operated in the neighborhood still known as Deutschtown.

Today, the National Register of Historic Places recognizes the Penn Brewery buildings' significance. The location first came back to life beginning in 1986 when Penn Brewery founder Tom Pastorius installed German copper kettles, started brewing and reopened the doors.

"The location gives authenticity to who we are as a brewery," Heinauer says. "Our goal is to make fantastic, authentic craft beers."

The latest incarnation, however, did not come easily.

"Last year about this time, we were sitting without a bottling line, and we only had three products available in kegs," Heinauer says. "We had no packaging. We were really a start-up business."

Building on ready brand recognition and a reputation for producing quality craft beers propelled Penn Brewery's recent turnaround.

To entice customers to return to the brewery, the on-site restaurant has reopened with an updated menu. Old German favorites such as wurst, schnitzel and potato pancakes share time with steaks and new vegetarian items.

Private parties can book the traditional Ratskeller room or the larger, newly renovated Eisenhalle room with soaring ceilings. Live entertainment occurs on Wednesday and Friday nights throughout the year.

Most importantly for Heinauer, Penn Brewery's bottled beers have appeared again in the wider market at bottle shops, pubs and distributors.

"For our classic German beers, we still use Old World techniques and ingredients -- only water, barley malt, yeast and hops," Heinauer says. "But we're also developing in new creative directions."

Without forgetting the delicious flagship Penn Brewery Penn Pilsner -- a malty, amber Vienna-style lager, try:

Long a favorite on tap at the brewery, Penn Brewery Kaiser Pils in 12-ounce bottles can be found around the region. The beer's light-golden color features forward hop aromas recalling classic German Pilsner lagers.

Kaiser Pils clocks in at 45 IBU, that is, International Bitterness Units, for a crisp, pleasantly bitter, yet clean flavor with just a touch of round malt. In fact, the brewers themselves favor Kaiser Pils as a refreshing summertime favorite, according to Heinauer.

The 5-percent alcohol content -- relatively modest by craft brewing standards -- makes for easy, leisurely drinking while watching a ball game or enjoying a picnic. Try it with grilled chicken with tangy cilantro lime salsa.

Moving in a malty direction, the Penn Brewery Penndemonium presents a classic German Maibock lager. The deep-amber color offers sweet, almost honeyed aromas.

Rich malts flavors greet the palate, along with a substantial 8.5-percent alcohol content. Even so, the beer drinks remarkably smoothly.

The label notes, perhaps only half jokingly, "You've been warned." Try it with barbecued ribs or classic German sauerbraten pot roast.

For summer, the Penn Brewery Summer Berry Weisse offers a refreshing twist on wheat beer. Beginning with a traditional wheat's spicy clove and coriander aromas, the brewers added black-cherry and raspberry purees to create irresistible, forward fruity aromas.

The light-red color has slight haziness from bottle "conditioning," where yeast added in the bottle creates super effervescence. The fantastic fruity aromas lead to a dry, refreshing finish that invites one sip after another on a warm day.