A few of the old barrels found in the 100+ year old lagering cave underneath Pittsburgh's Penn Brewery (photo courtesy of Penn Brewing Co.)

On Monday during a demolition of a basement wall, members of the Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh, PA discovered something pretty amazing: a 19th century lagering cave from the long defunct E&O Brewery (built in 1848) that once resided there. The cave entrance is annexed to Penn Brewery’s current brewhouse and had been walled off for over a century. Until Monday…

Here are statements from the brewery’s Facebook page:

Hidden behind a block wall that we just opened up today. You’re seeing it for the first time today just like we are!

These are the original lagering caves from the E&O brewery est. 1848. These caves are from the 1880′s expansion phase. They connect directly to the brewhouse, although those entrances are long walled off. We opened one of the walls enough to get in for the first time, today.

Rest assured we will be very conscious historically as we clean up. And the benefit of being sealed as it was is no sign of critters. ANY critters. Or any life (at least non-ethereal) we could detect.

Rumor has it the Ober sister’s ghost still haunts the place, though. We don’t need an exterminator, but we may need TAPS. -lol (just kidding)

Would you think we’re exaggerating if we said it goes back over 30 ft. Then it turns left. Then it gets BIG. And goes left, right, and straight? (And UP and DOWN – think split-level cave.) Well, we’re not. (exaggerating) This isn’t a beer cave, it’s a BEER MINE!

Use it for? TBD. We had a major cold-storage expansion planned this year anyway. Thinking it just may be worth the effort to go green. (Or back to tradition.) 84 degrees outside today, warmest last month ever, and in the caves we could still occasionally see our breath through the respirator like a winter day. At least we hope that was what that was. #kingtutscurse

I read this article and immediately told myself that this was once of the coolest (pardon the pun) stories to come out of the craft beer industry this year being a casual history buff and having a somewhat playful appreciation for ghost stories. I’m surprised that it took so long for this cave to be discovered but it was probably for the better considering how intact and ‘critter’ free the cellar was.

I want to go there now.