Dr. Edward York Ames was born in Marion County, Texas. He was the son of Charles Ames, a county judge.  When Edward was a teenager his father was removed from office because of his abolishionist sympathies in the run up to the Civil War.

Edward received his Doctorate in medicine at Tulane University in 1883 and became visiting physician at Charity Hospital. In 1887 he organized the Crescent City Brewery in New Orleans with capital stock of $250,000. Three years later he sold the company to the New Orleans Brewing Association for $563,000. After this, the doctor went to New York City and took charge of the first Bohemian Brewery in that city and managed that firm for one year. before returning to New Orleans to organize the Algiers Brewery with capitol stock of $125,000. Two years later this became the Security Brewing Company, a name it retained until it closed in 1913.

Dr. Ames died on the 5th of January, 1923 at age 75 years.

The New Orleans Times Picayune publishes a history and summary of the operations of the Crescent City Brewing Company.