Iron City Brewing and Lawrenceville have been together since the Industrial Revolution. As the Civil War raged, followed by two world wars, Iron City beer became synonymous with Pittsburgh. Consequently, generations of workers invested their hearts in making Iron City a brand known throughout the world.

Brewery President Timothy Hickman insists he wants to keep the brand alive but that it requires moving production 40 miles down the road to Latrobe. It might as well be 400 miles as far as the workers of union Local 144B are concerned. They'll be losing their jobs, despite taking a 15 percent pay cut in 2007 to help the company emerge from bankruptcy.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority also forgave a chunk of the brewery's delinquent $2.7 million water bill on the condition that it pay $1.5 million and replace its boiler and keg line. Iron City repaid $460,000. The agency forgave $400,000 because of some upgrades, but the boiler and keg line were not replaced completely.

On Friday, the authority said it would seek payment of $600,000 from Iron City because it has not complied with the original agreement. If the brewery was hoping for a smooth, back-door exit to Latrobe, it isn't going to happen.

It's always sad when an iconic business pulls up stakes in a place that's been home for many years. The Iron City brand has been an ambassador for Pittsburgh around the world. Who doesn't think of Pittsburgh when throwing back an Iron or an IC Light?

It's an open question whether the local crowd will continue to consume Iron City once it is brewed somewhere else. There's a lot of pride involved in drinking beer around here.

A very small number of employees will keep their jobs at the Lawrenceville plant, but it won't be the same. There's talk that a new brewery might take over the site, but there are no deals on the table. After the Iron City mess, a brewer's word has as much staying power as the suds that roll down a long, tall glass.