Earlier this fall, the comedian Brian Quinn spent the day cemetery hopping in Staten Island.

First, he visited Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp to visit the grave of August Horrmann. Next up was Silver Mount Cemetery in Sunnyside, where Joseph Rubsa m is buried. “His mausoleum is a lot smaller,” Mr. Quinn said. “I don’t know why.”

After all, for decades in the late 19th century, the two men were business partners.

At each site, Mr. Quinn lifted up a can of Rubsam & Horrmann Pilsner and made a toast. “I was like, ‘I hope I do you guys proud,’” he said. “I thought it was proper, the right thing to do.”

Mr. Horrmann and Mr. Rubsam, both German immigrants, were pillars of the community in their day. In 1870, they started a small brewing business in Stapleton. By 1911, the facility had expanded to 3.5 acres and was producing 200,000 cases of beer every year.