Rivertowne Brewing’s sale receives tentative OK

The sale of bankrupt Rivertowne Brewing’s brewery in Export and two of its four brewpubs in the region was tentatively approved Thursday afternoon in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Pittsburgh.

Bankruptcy Court Judge Gregory L. Taddonio said he would sign the motion approving the sale Friday morning, pending lastminute objections.

The buyer — Helltown Brewing Co. of Mount Pleasant — agreed to pay $2.09 million for the brewery plus the liquor licenses and other assets of the Rivertowne Brewing brewpub in Verona and the Rivertowne Pour House in Monroeville.

An attorney for Helltown, John Steiner of Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl in Pittsburgh, told the court that his client would be ready to close on the sale of the Export property on Friday. The deadline for the sale of the other two assets was Nov. 30, he said.

Mr. Steiner said the sales agreement calls for Helltown to remove equipment from the Monroeville location, but that his client was in discussions with Rivertowne about potentially continuing to operate there.

Helltown, which was founded by brewer Shawn Gentry in 2011 in a garage, was the winning bidder for the three properties during an auction Oct. 12.

An undisclosed buyer has signed a letter of intent to purchase the Rivertowne Pub & Grille in North Huntingdon, Rivertowne attorney Daniel Schimizzi of Downtown-based Whiteford, Taylor & Preston told the court Thursday.

No offers emerged for Rivertowne’s North Shore restaurant, Mr. Schimizzi said. The restaurant is now closed.

The owners of Rivertowne Brewing, led by Christian Fyke, filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in May.

The company employed about 150 people.

Mr. Fyke has attributed the business’s decline to a dramatic increase in competition in the craft brewing industry.