Comments (0) Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests - 2008
Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour
S. 12th St. & Lynch St.
St. Louis, MO 63118
314-577-2626
Head for the mountains of...Belgium? Like it or not, Anheuser-Busch is now Brito's brew, in bed with Stella and a part of the InBev empire. But don't let that deter you from taking in the splendor of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour. Less secretive than Willy Wonka's factory, the Anheuser-Busch complex invites people of all ages to come and experience the entire process — from beechwood aging to bottling — of creating an ice-cold Bud. The hourlong tour takes visitors through the history of the brewery, including one of the darkest periods in the nation's history, Prohibition, when the company produced (gasp!) only nonalcoholic beverages. Other highlights include meeting the Clydesdales, seeing three historic landmarks, discovering what wort is and watching the Laverne & Shirley-style magic along the bottle line. And of course, there is the main attraction: free beer. The tour ends in the hospitality room, with your choice of any two of the finest drinks St. Louis' semi-local brewery has to offer. As Jeff the tour guide says when he greets the crowd, "We're your golden ticket to free beer." So please, stay with the group.
