The Birthplace of Brands
Since Anheuser-Busch brewed its first beer in 1852, innovation has been a driving force behind the company’s success. In 1876, Budweiser was introduced and would come to be known as the beer world’s classic American-style lager. On its heels, Anheuser-Busch brewed a variety of styles for its consumers and by 1896 brewed 17 different beers for every taste and occasion.
The commitment to bringing new beer styles to adults hasn’t stopped.
The Research Pilot Brewery
In 1981, Anheuser-Busch opened the Research Pilot Brewery (RPB). A 10-story, 3,300 barrel a year brewery located at corporate headquarters in St. Louis. For perspective, consider Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis brewery produces approximately 15 million barrels of beer annually.
This little experimental brewery is a reflection of Anheuser-Busch’s commitment to the consumer and its brewmasters’ passion for brewing new beers. From it, new styles and successful new brands have been introduced, from specialty holiday beers to year-round beers for the general market consumer like Bud Light Lime, Shock Top Belgian White and Wild Blue.
In addition to its focus on experimental brewing, the RPB is vital in helping to shape up-and-coming brewmasters within the Anheuser-Busch family. It serves as a test kitchen for brewmasters to perfect their craft, experimenting with different styles of beer, brewing techniques and ingredients.
A New Future
In 2008, this brewery became a part of the Michelob Brewing Co. – a place to give brewmasters creative license to develop new styles of fuller-flavored beers, experiment with ingredients and showcase unique brewing methods.
At the core of its business, Anheuser-Busch believes in offering adults choices that run the gamut of beer’s most popular and experimental styles. Since 1896, the Michelob brand has embodied what today’s adults appreciate most about their favorite beers – the best ingredients, high brewing standards and full-flavored taste.
While the name may have changed, the brewery will still focus on developing Michelob’s new full-flavored beer styles and will continue to develop new recipes for the entire concepts and recipes to meet adults’ growing desire for variety.