Be among royalty as you visit the “King of Beers” Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.
Anheuser- Busch is the largest brewing company in the United States, with annual production exceeding 100 million barrels of malt beverages and a massive advertising campaign that keeps the brewey’s products in the spotlight and in the memory banks of everyone who sees them. Anheuser- Busch’s flagship product, Budweiser, was introduced in 1876 and is the largest- selling beer in the world. The company operates brewing facilities in 12 different locations in the United States and in foreign nations as well.
Anheuser- Busch was founded in St. Louis, Missouri and besides Budweiser, it produces several other popular brand names, and that includes Bud Light, Bud Ice, Busch, Busch Light, Busch Ice, Michelob, Michelob Specialty Beers, Natural Light, Tequiza, King Cobra Malt Liquor, Hurricane Malt Liquor, and more. Its products can be found in more retail locations than those of any other brewery. From convenience stores to grocery stores to sports stadiums, Anheuser- Busch is the king of beer marketing and distribution, if nothing else, and its products enjoy tremendous name recognition.
Anheuser- Busch has 12 brewing facilities in the United States, but the location that started it all is the one in St. Louis, Missouri. Tours of this brewing location are held daily and are free to the public. The guides are very familiar with Anheuser- Busch and they can answer even the most trivial and/or obscure Anheuser- Busch questions. The tours are very good, and they include an educational overview of brewing and the history of the industry. The tour ends with a trip to the tasting room, and an opportunity to visit the gift shop. Visitors can select among the different Anheuser- Busch products on tap and enjoy a few glasses of their favorite A-B products before ending the visit. Once the brew is consumed, the next place you should try to visit is nearby Grant’s Farm, which includes the famous Clydesdale horses. These, of course, are the famous horses that have appeared in dozens of Anheuser- Busch commercials and have helped to shape the image of the Anheuser- Busch Company.
Corporately speaking, Anheuser- Busch is a good company. It actively takes part in community and charity activities, promotes the recycling of cans, etc. But as far as the beer goes, with the exception of the Michelob product line, the malt beverages that A-B produces are just not that great. I would like to see this company focus its efforts on brewing better- tasting, full- bodied beer products, but this isn’t likely to happen unless the tastes of the American public change completely. A-B knows that weak, watery products may not be the highest in quality, but they sell quite well. Besides, they already produce the number one selling beer in the world, and many other products that rank in the top 10, so change is probably not high on the A-B business agenda. Still, the company has been moving in the direction of better beer for some time. Not only does it produce the Michelob specialty line, there are also a few other newer products like Shock Top Belgian Wheat and others. It has been a slow changeover, but Anheuser- Busch is slowly giving in to the continuously maturing tastes of consumers.
In spite of its lackluster products, a visit to the Anheuser- Busch brewery in St. Louis is something every beer lover should add to his/her must- do list. The tour is nice, very imformative and educational, and very positive. Add to that a visit to Grant’s Farm to see the famous Clydesdale horses and you have the makings of a fun weekend trip that will stretch your beer IQ to new heights.
Rating: 7 Cheers out of 10
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