September 1999

Found an old bottle floating in the water up in Indian Lake, Ohio. Amber in color. Quart size. Has "THE LIMA BREWING Co." on the bottle with a Premum (beer mug) coat of arms on front. Looks like it may have been sealed with a cork vs. a cap from the appearance. Its not in bad shape. It does have a parting line in it. It has a code of 923 on the bottom of the bottle. All the natives of Lima that I questioned could not recall a brewing company in Lima. Any info on it?

American Breweries II, a book that belongs in anybody's library, tells us that the Lima Brewing Co. operated in Lima between 1900 and 1919 (when it closed with the arrival of Prohibition). It also operated under that name between 1891-93. A brewery called Zimmerman & Duvel was founded on the site in 1875 and continued under a variety of names (including Lima Brewing) until Prohibition.

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