Charles Liebmann


Charles Liebmann was a German-born American brewer and president of S. Liebmann Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. The brewery's main brand Rheingold Extra Dry was one of the most popular beer brands in New York City in the 1940s to 1960s.

Biography

Charles Liebmann was born to a Jewish family in Schmiedelfeld in 1837, the son of Dara and Samuel Liebmann. His father was, at the time, the owner of the estate Schloss Schmiedelfeld. In 1840, the family moved to Ludwigsburg and ran the inn "Zum Stern" and its attached brewery; and where the young Liebmann attended secondary school. His father determined to immigrate to the United States for political reasons and sent Charles' brother in 1850 in advance to procure a home. In 1854, the remainder of the family immigrated settling in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The family first operated the old Maasche Brewery while Charles worked as a cooper at the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company. Pooling their resources, the family built a new brewery in Bushwick named the S. Liebmann Brewery.
After the death of his father in 1872, the three sons took over the management of the brewery and renamed it S. Liebmann's Sons Brewing Company. The Liebmann brothers alternated with each other as Chief Executive Officer each year. Charles Liebmann was considered the technical director of the company.
In 1903, the Liebmann brothers retired and handed over the management of the company to six of their sons.

Personal life

On October 22, 1865, Liebmann married Sophia Bendix; they had four children:
Liebmann died on June 12, 1928 in New York City.