Peter Windeler was born in Herstedt, Hannover, Germany. In 1867 at the age of 22 he crossed the ocean and emigrated to America. He made his way to San Francisco where he got a job as a maltster in the Hildebrandt & Co. Brewery. By 1890 he had become partner in the Enterprise Brewery of San Francisco. Eventually he became sole proprietor of the Enterprise Brewery, a position he held until Prohibition closed the firm in 1920. He died on August 9, 1921.