Johann Frederick August Thieme was born in Weimar, Thuringia, Germany. He emigrated to America and settled in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. In 1862 he bought a controlling partnership in John Wagner's brewery at the corner of 4th and Union Streets in Lafayette. Under their proprietorship the firm became a dominant regional brewery. Thieme died in 1891 and Wagner died in 1904 and their children carried on the business through Prohibition. The brewery emerged upon repeal as the Lafayette Brewery and they brewed their Ye Tavern Beer until 1952 at which time it closed down for good. Their flagship recipe and label were then sold to the Warsaw Brewery in Illinois, who produced the beer until the late 1960s.

John H. Wagner was born in Lockweiler, near Trier, Germany. At the age of 15 Wagner was apprenticed to a maltster in his native town. He emigrated to America at age 25 in 1854 and settled in Lockport, Indiana with his brother Charles, who had himself emigrated several years earlier.

In 1858 he moved to Lafayette, Indiana to partner with Dietrich Herbert in a brewery. Four years later Herbert sold his stake to Johann Thieme and the firm of Thieme and Wagner was born. The brewery became an important regional brewery soon after and continued its local dominance into the 20th century.

Wagner, the last living partner, died on September 14th, 1904, after which the families of the founders carried on the business through Prohibition all the way into the 1950s. In 1952 the brewery was sold off. The flagship brand Ye Tavern Brew was purchased by the Warsaw Brewery in Illinois. They brewed the beer until they were purchased by Peter Hand and closed in 1972.