Fesenmeier Brewing Company

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The Fesenmeier Brewing Company was an American brewery in Huntington . The company was founded as the West Virginia Brewing Company in 1899 , sold in 1968 , and demolished in the 1970s.

history

Michael Fesenmeier was a German brewer who emigrated to the USA in the mid-19th century and ran a farm in Huntington . In addition to the farm, he and his sons Michael, John, Andrew and George also ran the Cumberland Brewing Company in Cumberland , Maryland .

In 1899 the brothers Michael, John and Andrew, along with the investor and their brother-in-law John Kearney, bought the American Brewing Company in Central City near Huntington and founded the West Virginia Brewing Company . John Fesenmeier became its first master brewer, and John Kearney its first president. The brothers Michael, Andrew and George stayed in Maryland.

In order to reach the Huntington market, the beer had to be transported from Central City to Huntington via dirt trails. In bad weather these were impassable at some times of the year. For a while they managed to have a warehouse halfway down the road, in which beer and ice could be temporarily stored, but this was only a temporary solution due to the increasing production volume. The problem was only solved by the construction of a road between Huntington and Central City, even if a small part of the route was still unpaved because it was outside the administrative districts of both cities. This part was called the "Neutral Strip" or, more popularly, the "Noodle Strip". This was only closed later with the incorporation of Central City by Huntington.

In 1905 a fire destroyed the West Virginia Brewing Company. After a year of renovation work, it was able to resume operations. Eight years later, it was hit again by a natural disaster: a flood damaged most of the facilities.

With the beginning of Prohibition , the brewery operations of the West Virginia Brewing Company ceased - shortly before their facilities had been relocated to the brewery in Cumberland. The brewery complex was then converted into a packaging company for meat products in 1916 and operated as the Fesenmeier Packing Company . In addition, industrially manufactured ice cream continued to be produced and sold. John J. Fesenmeier died in 1920. Michael L. Fesenmeier, one of the brothers who remained in Maryland, took over the running of the company. With the end of Prohibition he returned to Cumberland and became President of the Cumberland Brewing Company on March 25, 1933.

When it was foreseeable that prohibition would end, the brewery's facilities could be converted back to brewery operations. Since they were now out of date, they had to be renewed for $ 300,000. J. Franklin Fesenmeier, son of John Fesenmeier, became the new President of the West Virginia Brewing Company. In order to prepare for the day of the end of Prohibition, beer was started to be produced in stock in order to be able to re-enter the beer business and be able to meet demand. On May 5, 1934, around 250,000 gallons of beer were stored. The West Virginia Brewing Company was ceremoniously renamed the Fesenmeier Brewing Company .

In the period that followed, the brewery experienced successful times, which were characterized by sales and production growth. The West Virginia Special Sparkling Ale brand was introduced in 1939, and the West Virginia Pilsner Beer brand in 1941. During the Second World War, the brewery had to accept war-related restrictions in the purchase of raw materials, but communicated this as a necessary measure in its advertising. Once again, the facilities were completely refurbished in order to be prepared for post-war needs. In 1949 the Fesenmeier Brewing Company achieved annual sales of 60,000 barrels of beer.

The Fesenmeiers continued to struggle with local and state laws on alcohol consumption, which differed in neighboring states. Kentucky and Ohio allowed beer to be sold with full alcohol content, while West Virginia only allowed low-alcohol beer. In addition, some counties in Kentucky decided to stop the sale of alcoholic beverages despite the end of Prohibition ("dry counties"). Residents of these counties had to cross the state line into Ohio to buy Fesenmeier beer.

Despite its good market position, the brewery was unable to assert itself against larger, nationwide breweries such as Anheuser-Busch. The Fesenmeier Brewing Company was sold in 1968 to businessman Robert Holley, who renamed it Little Switzerland Brewing Company . His plan was to market the brewery as a tourist attraction. For this he had the facade of the brewery renovated in the "Swiss style". However, the plan failed and Holley had to file for bankruptcy in 1971. The brewery was sold in a public auction to a Columbus brewer who closed the brewery. It was then torn down to make way for a shopping center.

The Fesenmeiers' Cumberland Brewing Company could not hold their own in the market either. It operated as an independent brewery until 1958 when it was acquired by the Queen City Brewing Company , also a brewery based in Cumberland. In April 1969, however, it was also closed. Their brands were added to the portfolio of Queen City Brewing Company and most of the brewery complex was demolished.

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