Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Anheuser Busch Brewery

I will say this just once in this post: Inbev. OK, now that we have that out of the way, can you believe I have lived in St Louis all my life and have been drinking Anheuser Busch products for nearly a decade and this past weekend was the first time I went on the brewery tour? The FREE brewery tour with the free beer? I know!

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Usually I get my free beer with goats (at Grant's Farm, of course) but this year, the brewery is staying open late for just two Fridays in December so that you can check out their holiday light display while taking a walking tour of the plant. After hours just feels more special, even with 50 other people and tours departing on the half hour.

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I was running late, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time on the exhibits in the tour center or in the gift shop, but I can tell you that both are expansive. I can also point out that custom AB carpet tile with the distinctive Budweiser "bowtie," because that's what I do. I can even tell you who makes it (Milliken.)

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Onward to the stables! Some of the Clydesdales live here on the brewery property, in this fancypants stable that was built in 1885 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Sorry about the orbs in these photos. Stables are dusty (or are they HAUNTED?)

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There are 6 "hitches" of Budweiser Clydesdales; 5 that travel around the country and one that resides at the brewery. There are two Clydesdale breeding farms, one at Grants Farm in St Louis and one in California.

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Next up on the tour, the Mashing Room. This building is absolutely incredible. I think the thing I like the most about the AB headquarters is that they still make use of so many of the original buildings.

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These hop vine chandeliers are from the 1904 World's Fair. If I remember right, they are 4 stories tall.

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The copper grant is used by the brewmaster to check the wort for consistency and clarity as it comes out of the straining tank.

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I love this tile mosaic that is on the first floor. They don't say anything about it on the tour, but I know there are also some original tile mosaics at Bevo Mill that they talk about if you can get a tour from the manager. All I remember is that they cost a fortune.

The next stop on the tour is the bottling plant. The next few pictures are from the lobby of the building.

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You take several flights of escalators up, which feels like being in a department store, to the observation room above the plant.

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The last stop on the tour is the hospitality room, where you get some pretzels and two free samples (about 6oz) of beer, or sodies for the kids. I highly recommend the Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale. This Friday, December 19th, from 6-9pm is your last chance to do the nighttime tour. You can find the regular hours for the brewery tour on the Budweiser Tours website.
Posted by at 10:08 PM

5 comments:

  1. Good job, Beth!

    I have worked down there many times on the power generation and control systems. They have three compressors that were used for making ice in at the world's fair - about 8' in diameter, big old motors / compressors. Their generating plant has some really old equipment as well although they modernized all of the controls.

    I was lucky enough to work there in the days of free beer while you worked - nothing like it. And got some neat behind the scenes tours of some of the buildings. Awesome place with all of that old architecture and stories.
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  2. 6oz.? Is that for the late-night only? Or maybe a more recent development (I was there in late August/early September)? Every time I've gone, I've received two full (12oz.) beers. They even have Stella Artois there now (AKA the Budweiser of Belgium).

    Also, I love the companion piece to the AMERICANA painting, it's on the opposite wall and labelled GERMANIA if memory serves.

    Every time I take the tour, I ask about the bowling-pin-shaped bottles, and if there's a special facility for making those, or what. Go figure, none of the guides providing the tours ever seems to know.
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  3. I thought the glasses looked smaller than pint size but I could be wrong. I didn't feel like I drank two full beers! I did notice the Stella but I went for samples of stuff I hadn't tried yet (the Cask Ale and the Shock Top.)

    I tried to get a picture of another mosaic that might be the one you are talking about. It's not opposite this one, but it's on the far wall of the mashing room when you're coming down the stairs. I couldn't get a decent pic through the plexiglass at such a distance.

    Man, I know I have heard something about those bowling pin bottles before, and I think they are custom made, but I can't find any info on the Googles to back myself up.
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  4. here is the other mosaic I am thinking of: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/nastyboots/AB%20Inbev%20Brewery/abbrewery026.jpg
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  5. Yes, that's the GERMANIA one, I think. It exists in more than one place in the brewery. I shoulda taken a picture when I was there last, but I only got the AMERICANA one too.
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