All About Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch (A-B) is one of the largest brewing companies in the world, and in the United States ranks as number one. To give an idea of how much beer they sell, in 2005 about 121.9 million barrels of beer were sold worldwide. A-B produces many different beers and other brews, including the famous Budweiser, Busch, and Michelob families, as well as malt liquors and even nonalcoholic drinks.

A-B started in the mid-1800s in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was owned by Eberhard Anheuser for a short while, but then was taken over by his son-in-law Adolphus Busch in 1880 after Eberhard died (before then, they were partners). A-B used many new manufacturing and transporting techniques for their beer, which helped turn them from a struggling brewery into the most successful beer company in America. A-B's most recognized brand of beer, Budweiser, was introduced in 1876, and was the first national brand of beer ever. In fact, Budweiser is one of the top three beers in the world, and the beers coming in at two and three are also owned by A-B. As of now, A-B has twelve breweries in the United States, and many more around the world.

The headquarters of A-B still resides in St. Louis, and the largest of their breweries is there as well. Like most breweries, A-B offers tours of their breweries (where people can see beer being made up close), and also offers free drinks at the end of the tour. Also housed at the headquarters are the famous Clydesdale horses, along with many other animals. Even at other A-B subsidiaries, such as Busch gardens, animals usually have a part in the establishment.

A-B is also well known for its advertising. In the 1995 Super Bowl, they debuted their famous advertising campaign depicting three frogs croaking Budweiser's name. The campaign led to commercials featuring new characters, and the original frogs can still be seen today on some Budweiser advertising products.

While A-B is most known for its production of beer, it also manages many subsidiaries, the most notable of which being Busch Entertainment Corp. Busch Entertainment owns Busch Gardens and Seaworld, which has a combined nine locations around the world. Both parks are very popular and are great promotional devices for A-B's alcoholic products. All of the other subsidiaries of A-B are used with the manufacturing and distribution of A-B products. For example, Metal Container Corp. produces cans and lids for all of the company's brewing operations, as well as for many other U.S. soft drink companies. A very positive subsidiary is the Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corp., which is one of the world's largest recyclers of used aluminum beverage containers. The recycling also helps reduce costs of containers, and the savings are passed on to the consumer.

The owner of A-B currently is from the family of the original owner. The President and CEO now is August Busch IV, who is the great-great-grandson of the Adolphus Busch. He was born in 1965 and took his current office at the end of 2006.