Barry Wagner of Brackenridge was hoping to score a case of fresh-brewed beer when he visited the newly opened Pittsburgh Brewing Co. gift shop.

“I’ve been drinking Iron City since 1972,” Wagner said while perusing the T-shirts and tin signs at the site off Freeport Road in East Deer. “I took a tour of the old brewery in Latrobe one time and, oh my God, the fresh beer was delicious.”

Wagner was among the first customers at the gift shop, which is at the entrance of the state-of-the-art brewery.

Store manager Anna Angotti said people are excited to get their foot in the door of the new site.

Shoppers were scooping up sunglasses, coozies and cases of the seasonal Block House Double Chocolate Bock. Others liked the T-shirts with comical sayings and old-fashioned IC Light logos. There are rows of coffee cups, hats, magnets and more.

The gift shop is currently the only portion of the facility open to the public.

“We’ll have tours, hopefully, early next year,” Angotti said. “We just wanted to get the store open for the holidays and let people get their hands on the merchandise.”

For now, Angotti is the sole employee working at the gift shop.

A restaurant and pub is scheduled to open in 2023, Angotti said, but no date has been set.

• Pittsburgh Brewing Co. settles into its state-of-the-art new home of Iron City Beer in East Deer • Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in East Deer making progress as it aims for summer production • East Deer, surrounding communities excited for new Iron City Beer building • Pittsburgh Brewing Co. puts its name on brewery being developed in East Deer

Previously, beer-lovers were limited to purchasing items online or in a limited capacity at area stores.

Angotti said she is overwhelmed by the number of people who have flocked to the store to show their support.

“Sales are great,” Angotti said. “The top sellers are clothing and pint glasses. People are very excited about the store and the brands.”

A lot of locals who watched the renovation of the former PPG glass factory have come to see the building up close, she said.

Manufacturing began in late April at the 42-acre property along the Allegheny River.

Until then, beer was brewed in Latrobe and, before that, in Lawrenceville.

Inside the production plant, 400 cans of beer roll off the line each minute. Iron City is the top seller. Other brands brewed on-site include IC Light, Old German, Block House and American.

Mark Carney of Plum picked up some Old German for his dad and a 30-pack of lager for his son.

“My kid lives in Austin, Texas, and he’ll be quite excited when he sees this,” Carney said.

He was hoping to buy some of the limited-edition Cowher cans, the Iron City Bill Cowher lager that features a black-and-gold image of the former Steelers head coach.

“They have a little story on the can of how Cowher left one for Tomlin in the locker room,” Carney said. “I already got two cases of it at home. It just tastes better with Bill’s face on them.”

Staff writer Joyce Hanz contributed to this report.

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