Kentucky and West Virginia

 

Question #1: What do Bavarian Selects three pennants represent?

 

Question #2: First Sta Tab can - Who and When?

West Virginia - four cans on left, top row. All cans from Huntington.

 

Toward the end of Prohibition, the Fesenmeier family upgraded and restarted their brewery in 1934. They produced West Virginia Beer in cones and flats. In 1963 they canned

Fesenmeier Centennial Beer in pull tabs to commemorate the 100th anniversary of West Virginia's Statehood. The West Virginia can also made the switch to self opening cans. In 1968 the Fesenmeier family sold their brewery to The Little Switzerland Brewing Company who then produced The Charge Beer cans. The end came with bankruptcy in 1970.

 

 

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              "TAKE CHARGE"                                                        This little guy's name is "Wes"

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Did you know all 50 states now have Micro Breweries that "Can" their beers? West Virginia was the last state to do so.

 Kentucky

The Bavarian Brewery in Covington (just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati) joined with IBI (International Breweries Inc. with its home base in Detroit, Michigan) in 1959.  IBI closed their Tampa, Florida plant in 1963 and brought their Tropical Ale label to Covington where it was brewed for a very short time. A very Tuff can!   The Bavarian Brewery closed in 1966.

   The Kentucky Malt Liquor, Oertels and Thorobred Malt Liquors were brewed by Oertels in Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby. The brewery closed in 1967. Oertels - "Same Brew Since 92"

   The four Falls City cans were also from Louisville. This brewery stayed open until 1978 and before closing had some success with brands like Drummond Brothers. Heileman bought the brand name.

   Fehr's was another Louisville brewery. Although the brewery lasted until 1964, no self opening cans were produced by them. Schoenling of Cincinnati, Ohio picked up their labels and produced them in self opening cans.

   Wiedemann Brewing was from Newport. This was a very large and impressive operation. They sold to Heileman in 1967. Heileman continued to operate the plant until closing it in 1983 - the last of Kentucky's localized breweries to close.

             

 When you are in a hobby long enough, you make some good friends. Mr. Edward Hicks (Texas) purchased the Wiedemann's can on the bottom row third from the right with me in mind. Looking closely at that can, the Spigot just below the round emblem is white. This is a very rare variation. I was thrilled to get it. Thank you Mr. Hicks!

 

 

Heekin Can Company out of Cincinnati, Ohio was the smallest of the 5 Can Manufacturing companies (American Can, Continental Can, “Crown, Cork and Seal”, and National Can that made self-opening cans. They had some difficulty with the cans they produced causing the locals to coin the phrase “if its Leakin – It’s a Heekin”

 

Closure: Fehrs 1964, Oertels 1967, Falls City 1978. 

 

Answer #1:

1. Blue Pennant "Time" Hourglass

2. Red Pennant "Tradition" Crown

3. Green Pennant "Skill" Hand holding Grain

 

Answer #2:

Falls City, Louisville 1975

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