Macik Custom Woodworking & Contracting, LLC is proud to announce that we are the official woodworking company of Penn Brewery! One of the big projects for Macik CWC this summer was crafting and building a new bar for Penn Brewery, located in Pittsburgh’s Deutschtown neighborhood in the North Side. When Orrin Macik was approached to take on this project, the crew was ecstatic to get to work on preserving such an important part of Pittsburgh’s history!
In 1986, Penn Brewery began producing their German style beers which makes it the oldest brewery in the ‘burgh. During the summertime, Penn serves its craft beer out of two bars: one indoors and one outdoors in the courtyard. Arched over the entryway to the courtyard, the Penn Brewery sign is a classic icon in Pittsburgh. The brewery also offers a wide range of authentic “Old World” Pittsburgh food! My personal favorite feature on the menu is the “Cheese and Brews” which is, as you might guess from the name, a sampling of delicious cheeses carefully paired with different beers from the brewery.
As for Macik CWC’s role in the remodel, the crew was asked to give the indoor bar a complete renovation! The bar was beginning to show its age after its many years of service, and the Macik CWC crew was ready for the challenge. The crew’s job was to craft a beautiful new bar while maintaining the architectural integrity of the historic brewery. Before the renovation, the bar stretched straight across the back left wall of the brewery.
Working with designer Melanie Schooley, the bar was re-envisioned! This new vision gave the bar a U-shape to allow for extra seating at the bar itself. There would be an additional side area that includes two large wooden pillars. The counter top of the bar would be the responsibility of another company; it would be fashioned of brushed copper and bolted with copper tacks. After the plan for the bar was made, the crew got to work on preparing the wood itself.
Before installation, the crew had to select the perfect lumber to match the existing wood inside the building. Red oak was picked to do the job! The wood was left in long planks while it was sanded and then later carefully hand-treated with a custom mixed stain matching the existing wood by our Coatings and Applications Specialist, Christian. The bar required a large amount of wooden planks to cover all of the new surfaces as it would cover the entire span of the outward facing bar; these pieces would be cut on-site to fit the exact sizing needs as the bar was assembled.
When finally on-site to install the bar, after much hard work of planning and preparing the wood pieces, the crew set up a mobile work site in the brewery’s courtyard. This is where the crew would go to cut each piece after measuring the size and angles needed to fit into the bar itself.
For the week during this process, Penn Brewery remained open and serving customers from the outdoor bar!
The assembly/installation of the two large wooden pillars was a sight to see! The pillars reach all the way to the 
ceiling and were meticulously measured to fit perfectly with no gaps. Orrin and Christian carefully lifted and tilted the pillar to enable them to slide it into place. A perfect fit! After placing both pillars into their spots, Christian proceeded to fasten the wooden planks along the wall in between. This area is perfect for breaking up a once empty space and creating a beautiful side piece for the bar! The Macik CWC crew loved being given this additional project 
with the red oak because the grain just looks so stunning when placed vertically.
The beautiful red oak knots and grain lines draw your eye to them and give the illusion of even more space in an already large bar area.
Piece by piece, the crew set to work on installing the rest of the U-shaped bar. The process was long and meticulous, but the results are absolutely stunning!
Orrin, Christian, and Nick all got involved in measuring and fastening the red oak along the bar. In the pictures here, you can see the difference between before and after the paneling was fastened. The transformation was almost unbelievable! Once the copper counter top was added, the brand new and shiny beer taps started pouring that delicious Penn Brewery craft beer. Featured below, you can see the before and after pictures of the bar itself; the Macik CWC crew and the Penn Brewery staff and patrons absolutely love the new additions!
Before
After: The Big Reveal!
