Friedrich Probst was born in Hanover, Germany. He and his young family emigrated to America in 1857 and within one year they had settled in Gillespie County, Texas. In the late 1860s Probst established the first brewery in Fredericksburg Texas. The brewery thrived until its doors were forced shut by Texas' probationary laws. Friedrich Probst died on October 28, 1910. He was 80 years of age.