Anheuser-Busch Brewery: beer behind the scenes
Many cities have brewery tours where guests can sample local favorites, but only St. Louis can boast a tour of the brewery that spawned the biggest beer in the world…Budweiser. At the Anheuser-Busch brewery, visitors can explore the beer process from brewing to bottling, sample the results, and learn the history of a company whose beer is enjoyed around the world.
In 1857, a young man named Adolphus Busch emigrated from Germany to St. Louis and formed a brewery supply company. Adolphus went on to marry the daughter of Eberhard Anheuser, the owner of the E. Anheuser and Co. brewery. The father and son-in-law forged a partnership that in 1879 spawned the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association, which today produces Budweiser and dozens of beers and beverages sold around the globe.
The tour of the St. Louis brewery - the first and now one of several around the country to produce famous Anheuser-Busch products - begins in a small museum demonstrating the history and heritage of the beer company. From there, guests visit the company’s famous mascots, the renowned Budweiser Clydesdales in their stable on the brewery’s grounds.
Next is a tour of the Beechwood Lager Cellars, where visitors are instructed in the brewing process and quality controls that guarantee every bottle of Budweiser tastes the same as the next. Then the tour moves through the historic Brew House, where guests can see the aging process before the beer is brought to the Bevo Packaging Facility. Thousands of bottles and cans are whisked through the high-tech maze of machinery, and guests can watch in wonder as beers are poured, packaged and readied for sale.
After the long walking tour, the Hospitality Room is a perfect end to the visit, where guests age 21 or older can sample two of a rotating number of Anheuser-Busch alcoholic beverages, ranging from classic to specialty beers. Tour guides remain on hand to answer any remaining questions, and guests are reminded to stop by the large gift shop for souvenirs of all things Anheuser-Busch.
While many brewery tours boast tasting samples and a lesson in brewing beer, few give the behind-the-scenes access that the Anheuser-Busch brewery tour offers. Guests will enjoy seeing each process that leads to their favorite beers, kids will love seeing the famous Clydesdales, and everyone will appreciate the price tag on an afternoon of entertainment: absolutely free.
Posted by D.J. Siegel
