Bottle, Beer
Object number2017.94.39
Manufacturer
The Victor Brewing Company
OriginJeannette, PA
MediumGlass; Paper; Ink; Adhesive
Credit LineGift of Robert Thomas
DescriptionBrown glass beer bottle. Cylindrical body with long tapered neck leading to circular mouth. Two seams. Paper label adhered to neck is beige with black printed text. Paper label adhered to body has beige border; label depicts a horse-drawn carriage with man and woman occupants and white horse in front of beige, brown, and yellow background. Label has black printed text.DimensionsHeight x Diameter: 9.5 × 2.5 in. (24.1 × 6.4 cm)MarksRaised text on underside "3-3".
Paper label on neck has black printed text "Old Shay ALE".
Paper label on body has black printed text "CONTENTS 12 FLUID OZ. / Old Shay / GOLDEN / ALE / TAX PAID AT THE RATE PRESCRIBED BY INTERNAL REVENUE LAW / © / THE VICTOR BREWING CO. / JEANNETTE, PENNA. / PERMIT NO. PA. U-337".
Historical NotesOld Shay Golden Ale beer bottle. Part of a collection of Fort Pitt Brewing Company artifacts that was collected by donor Robert Thomas to document the time his family ran the company (1930s through the 1950s). The donor’s great uncle, Michael Berardino, became president of Fort Pitt Brewing Company two years after one of the original owners and founder, Samuel Grenet, died suddenly in 1935. Grenet had started the business in 1906 with Herman Hechelman. They built a brewery in the suburb of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, survived Prohibition and were set to be the number one brewery in the state when Grenet passed. Berardino began an aggressive sales campaign to turn the company around after lagging sales the year before. The company also bought the Victor Brewing Company of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, but continued to produce their signature Old Shay beer. In the early 1950s due to local strikes and an increase in national brand popularity, Fort Pitt struggled. After Berardino died in 1957, the company stopped brewing at the Sharpsburg plant and expanded into other products and became the newly incorporated Fort Pitt Industries. The rights to the brand were sold to Gunther Brewing of Baltimore. In 2010, the Fort Pitt name was purchased by Mark Dudash who began producing Fort Pitt Ale.
Related institution
Fort Pitt Brewing Company
(1906 - 1957)
Related person
Michael Berardino
(died 1957)
Collector
Robert M. Thomas
On View
Not on view
1930-1957
1930-1957
1930-1957
1930-1957