Sebastian Helldorfer, pioneer brewer of Baltimore was born in Bavaria, Germany. He emigrated to America with his family in the early 1850s and they established themselves in Baltimore. In 1874 Sebastian bought the Gottlieb Bauer & Frederick Buechler brewery and put his brothers and sister in its employ. On January 29, 1893 Sebastian died and the family reorganised the brewery as S. Helldorfer’s Sons Brewery. In 1899 the brewery was sold to the Maryland Brewery syndicate and promptly closed.