Did the brewery actually fill the cans upside-down? YES! All Little Switzerland cans were bottomless when they arrived at the plant from the Heekin Can Company of Cincinnati and were therefore, filled upside-down. Some have speculated that the top lids with the tab were probably more expensive than plain bottoms, so if the brewery made a mistake they'd rather do it with the less-expensive bottom. Another theory is that the bottom lids were easier to apply on their canning line, which was originally designed for flat-tops. Tab tops were indeed still in the experimental stage during the time Little Switzerland was in operation. Perhaps it had something to do with the tabs coming off and jamming up the machinery used to apply them? Or maybe the machinery somehow compromised the integrity of the lids, leaving them vulnerable to leaks? Yep. This answer leaves us with yet more questions. Back to top
	Where are all the unfilled bottomless and "air-filled" Charge and West Virginia Pilsner cans coming from? It's pretty well-known in Huntington breweriana circles that several collectors rescued the brewery's contents before it was senselessly demolished in 1972. Many of the items were literally in the burn-pile, waiting to be ignited with a sulfur preparation. (or was it a Zippo?) These wonderful collectors carted truckloads of items out of there, including hundreds of cases of unfilled bottomless cans, along with a large quantity of air-filled cans. They've been in circulation ever since and I am thankful for that, because it's enabled me to have whole rows of them on my shelves. The only thing that would look cooler would be whole rows of cans from Fesenmeier! Back to top
	What are the precise, "key dates" in this brewery's history? The timeline from beginning to end including demolition? Little Switzerland officially opened on April 1st, 1968. The best available information shows that the brewery was sold in October 1970, and shut down for good in July 1971. It was torn down sometime in 1972. Back to top
	When Little Switzerland took over from Fesenmeier did they in fact, continue to brew Fesenmeier Centennial and/or any other Fesenmeier products? This is still not clear. However... Some of my fellow-Huntington breweriana collectors have examples of West Virginia Pilsner cans with a Fesenmeier tax-stamp the bottom. These cans could have been among the first that Little Switzerland filled, and they just used the leftover lids. This adds credence to the theory that they also continued packaging and distributing Fesenmeier products until they ran out. Back to top
	When August Wagner bought Little Switzerland in 1970, did they in fact, continue to brew Little Switzerland products until closing the plant in 1971? Or did the brewery sit idle? This is still not clear. Back to top
	What happened to the brewery's delivery trucks? Were any of them salvaged and / or "collected?" This is still not clear. Back to top
	Q: Mark Ferguson - BCCA # 5836, where are you? Are you still collecting? Unknown at this time. What does this have to do with Little Switzerland? Mark once had a six-pack of West Virginia Pilsner cans that were still full! Maybe he still does? When I was a kid I went to his house with my oldest brother, Ernie and his girlfriend. Mark gave my then-pitiful collection a boost by donating 35 really nice cans, all of which I still have. I also drank my first whole beer there, a can of Sparkling Champale which I also still have. (green can - no I didn't get drunk - that happened a few years later) Back to top