Heineken Importer Leo Van Munching Jr. Dies

The man credited with helping introduce Heineken and Amstel Light to American beer drinkers died Sunday at his home in Darien.

Leo Van Munching Jr. died at the age of 89 from heart failure.

Van Munching’s father Leo Van Munching persuaded Heineken executives to allow him to import the beer to the U.S. following the end of prohibition, according to the New York Times. The beer saw a surge in popularity after soldiers came back from World War II. and Van Munching Jr. started working for the company around that time.

He is credited with helping his father promote and build Heineken’s brand in the U.S. Heineken accounted for 41 percent of all imported beer sales in the U.S. at the time and was easily the best-selling imported beer.

Van Munching Jr. took over the company officially in 1980 and it was sold to Heineken in the early 1990’s.

Read the full New York Times story here.

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