Leonhard Michel was born in Darmstadt, Germany. His family emigrated to America in 1860 and settled in Richmond, Virginia. He obtained a job as a brewer at David G. Yuengling, Jr's James River Steam Brewery and by 1874 he was a partner in the company. When that brewery closed in 1878 Michel moved north to Brooklyn, New York to be the brewmaster of the India Wharf Brewery, where he spent the next 29 years. In 1896 the United States Brewmasters Association honored Michel by electing him president of their brotherhood. Then in 1907 he started his own brewery in Brooklyn, which he ran until Prohibition forced it closed on January 16th, 1920. Leonhard Michel died on December 7th, 1926 at age 80 years.