View source for Anheuser-Busch

{{Short description|American brewing company}}
{{About|the St. Louis based company|the parent company|AB InBev|the historic brewery|Anheuser-Busch Brewery}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC
| logo = File:Anheuser Busch logo 2022.svg
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| parent = [[AB InBev]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1852}} (as Bavarian Brewery)<br>[[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]],<br/>United States
| founder = {{unbulleted list| [[Eberhard Anheuser]]<ref name="anheuser-busch.com">{{Cite web |url=https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/heritage |title=Heritage &#124; Anheuser-Busch |website=anheuser-busch.com |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508150725/https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/heritage |url-status=live}}</ref> |[[Adolphus Busch]]<ref name="anheuser-busch.com"/>}}
| fate = 
| location_city = [[St. Louis]], Missouri
| location_country = U.S.
| locations = 12 Breweries & 9 Can Plants
| area_served = North America
| key_people = {{unbulleted list|Brendan Whitworth<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/about-us/management-team.html |title=Our Leaders |access-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-date=August 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816025503/http://www.ab-inbev.com/about-us/management-team.html |url-status=live}}</ref> (president)|Todd Allen<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schuhmacher |first1=Harry |title=Bud Light Management Changes: Todd Allen Appointed VP Bud Light |url=https://beernet.com/bud-light-management-changes-todd-allen-appointed-vp-bud-light/ |website=beernet.com |date=April 21, 2023 |access-date=22 April 2023 |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421223310/https://beernet.com/bud-light-management-changes-todd-allen-appointed-vp-bud-light/ |url-status=live}}</ref> (vice president)}}
| industry = {{unbulleted list|Beverages|Beverage packaging}}
| products = {{unbulleted list|[[Beer]]|[[Malt beverage]]s|[[Energy drink]]s|[[Bottled water]]}}
| revenue = US$15.588 billion (2018)<ref name="revenuenote">Revenue and gross profit for 2018 was reported by zone unit and therefore includes other North American subsidiaries of AB InBev, from pg. 58 of company annual report</ref>
| net_income = US$9.811 billion (2018)<ref name="revenuenote"/>
| homepage = {{URL|anheuser-busch.com}}
}}

'''Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=103284 |title=Company Overview of Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=February 5, 2017 |website=Bloomberg Research |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=February 5, 2017 |quote=Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC brews and sells beers. Its portfolio includes spirits, malt beverages, and wines. |archive-date=March 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303152127/https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=103284 |url-status=live}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|n|h|aɪ|z|ər|_|ˈ|b|ʊ|ʃ}} {{respell|AN|hy|zər|_|BUUSH}}) is an American [[brewing company]] headquartered in [[St. Louis, Missouri]].<ref name="Hampson18">{{cite book |last=Hampson |first=Tim |date=2008 |title=The Beer Book |location=London |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |page=18 |isbn=978-1405333016}}</ref> Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ([[AB InBev]]), now the world's largest brewing company,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/media/our-company.html |title=Company Information |access-date=20 May 2015 |publisher=Anheuser-Busch InBev |archive-date=October 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007183515/http://www.ab-inbev.com/media/our-company.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hampson18"/><ref name="aboutab">{{cite web |author=Dun & Bradstreet |author-link=Anheuser-Busch InBev |year=2019 |title=Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, company profile |url=https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.anheuser-busch_companies_llc.03826aea9ef132b9676f22ddd179d1f3.html?sitespectflag=TRUE&imok=hoovers&aka_re=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726040631/https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.anheuser-busch_companies_llc.03826aea9ef132b9676f22ddd179d1f3.html?sitespectflag=TRUE&imok=hoovers&aka_re=1 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |access-date=September 20, 2019 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="aboutnazone">{{cite web |author=AB InBev |author-link=Anheuser-Busch InBev |year=2011 |title=North America Zone Leadership |access-date=August 12, 2012 |url=http://anheuser-busch.com/index.php/our-company/na-zone-leadership/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329183545/http://www.anheuser-busch.com/index.php/our-company/na-zone-leadership/ |archive-date=March 29, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> which owns multiple global brands, notably [[Budweiser]], [[Michelob]], [[Stella Artois]], and [[Beck's]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anheuser-Busch-Companies-Inc |website=Britannica |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415211039/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anheuser-Busch-Companies-Inc |url-status=live}}</ref>

The company employs over 19,000 people,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/culture/ |title=Culture &#124; Anheuser-Busch |access-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201173008/https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/culture/ |url-status=live}}</ref> operates 12 breweries and nine aluminum can plants in the United States,<ref name="abinbevusreport2012">{{Cite report |author=AB InBev |author-link=Anheuser-Busch Inbev |date=April 2012 |title=Anheuser-Busch InBev in the United States |url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/pdf/factsheets/US2012.pdf |publisher=AB InBev |page=1 |access-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> and until December 2009, was one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, with ten theme parks through the company's family entertainment division [[SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment|Busch Entertainment Corporation]].<ref name="Ledger">{{cite web |url=http://www.theledger.com/article/20091007/news/910079954 |title=InBev Selling Busch Gardens, SeaWorld Parks |agency=Associated Press |work=TheLedger.com |date=October 7, 2009 |access-date=October 7, 2009 |archive-date=October 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011085608/http://www.theledger.com/article/20091007/news/910079954 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Coord|38|35|57|N|90|12|52|W|display=title}}

==History==

===Beginnings and national expansion===
In 1852, [[German American]] brewer and saloon operator George Schneider opened the Bavarian Brewery on Carondelet Avenue (later known as South Broadway) between Dorcas and Lynch streets in South St. Louis.<ref name="herbst 32">Herbst, 32.</ref><ref name="Hampson20">{{cite book |last=Hampson |first=Tim |date=2008 |title=The Beer Book |location=London |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |page=20 |isbn=978-1405333016}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=September 2023|reason=[https://www.stlmag.com/history/architecture/the-man-who-started-anheuser-busch-part-i/ Conflicting information]}} Schneider's Brewery expanded in 1856 to a new brewhouse near Eighth and Crittenden streets; however, the following year, financial problems forced the sale of the brewery to various owners during the late 1850s.<ref name="herbst 32"/> In 1860, the brewery was purchased on the brink of bankruptcy by William D'Oench, a local pharmacist, and [[Eberhard Anheuser]], a prosperous German-born soap manufacturer.<ref name="herbst 32"/><ref name=Jackson>[[Michael Jackson (writer)|Jackson, Michael]] (1977). ''The World Guide to Beer'', pp. 210–211. New York: Ballantine. {{ISBN|0-89471-292-6}}</ref><ref name="Hampson20"/> D'Oench was the [[Partnership|silent partner]] in the business until 1869 when he sold his half-interest in the company.<ref name="herbst 32"/> From 1860 to 1875, the brewery was known as E. Anheuser & Co., and from 1875 to 1879 as the E. Anheuser Company's Brewing Association.<ref name="herbst 32"/>

[[Adolphus Busch]], a wholesaler who had immigrated to St. Louis from Germany in 1857, married Eberhard Anheuser's daughter, Lilly, in 1861. Following his service in the [[American Civil War]], Busch began working as a salesman for the Anheuser Brewery.<ref name="herbst 33">Herbst, 33.</ref><ref name="Hampson20"/> Busch purchased D'Oench's share of the company in 1869, and he assumed the role of company secretary from that time until the death of his father-in-law.<ref name="herbst 33"/>

[[File:Reefers-shorty-Anheuser-Busch-Malt-Nutrine ACF builders photo pre-1911.jpg|thumb|left|Anheuser-Busch was one of the first companies to transport beer nationwide using railroad [[refrigerator car]]s.]]
Adolphus Busch was the first American brewer to use [[pasteurization]] to keep beer fresh; the first to use mechanical [[refrigeration]] and [[refrigerator car|refrigerated railroad cars]], which he introduced in 1876; and the first to bottle beer extensively.<ref name="anheuser-busch.com"/><ref>Sanford Wexler, "From Soap Suds to Beer Suds: How Anheuser-Busch became the Largest Brewer in the World", ''Financial History'', Dec 2002, Issue 77, pp. 30–34</ref><ref name="herbst 34">Herbst, 34.</ref> By 1877, the company owned a fleet of 40 refrigerated railroad cars to transport beer.<ref name="herbst 34"/> Expanding the company's distribution range led to increased demand for Anheuser products, and the company substantially expanded its facilities in St. Louis during the 1870s.<ref name="herbst 36">Herbst, 36.</ref> The expansions led production to increase from 31,500 barrels in 1875 to more than 200,000 in 1881.<ref name="herbst 36"/>

To streamline the company's refrigerator car operations and achieve vertical integration, Busch established the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company in 1878, which was charged with building, selling, and leasing refrigerator cars; by 1883, the company owned 200 cars, and by 1888 it owned 850.<ref name="herbst 37"/> To serve these cars and switch them in and out of their St. Louis brewery, Anheuser-Busch founded the [[Manufacturers Railway (St. Louis)|Manufacturers Railway Company]] in 1887. The shortline operated until 2011, when Anheuser-Busch shut down its operations.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://trn.trains.com/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/03/Manufacturers%20Railway%20applies%20to%20shut%20down.aspx |title=Manufacturers Railway applies to shut down |access-date=April 9, 2011 |date=March 25, 2011 |magazine=Trains Magazine}}</ref>

During the 1870s, Adolphus Busch toured Europe and studied the changes in brewing methods which were taking place at the time, particularly the success of [[pilsner]] beer, which included a popular Budweiser beer brewed in [[České Budějovice|Budweis]].<ref name=Jackson/> In 1876, Busch took the already well-known name [[Budweiser]] and used it for his new beer, even though his product had no connections to the city of Budweis.<ref name=Jackson/> His company's ability to transport bottled beer made US Budweiser the first national beer brand in the United States, and it was marketed as a "premium" beer.<ref name=Jackson/>

The company was renamed Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association in 1879; in 1880, Adolphus Busch became company president upon Anheuser's death.<ref name="herbst 37">Herbst, 37.</ref><ref name=Rhodes>Rhodes, Christine P. (1995). ''The Encyclopedia of Beer'', pp. 49–53. New York: Henry Holt & Co. {{ISBN|0-8050-3799-3}}.</ref> The Busch family fully controlled the company through the generations until Anheuser-Busch's sale to InBev in 2008.<ref>Salter, Jim. [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40806859 "Busch family touched by scandal, tragedy"], NBC News via Associated Press. December 25, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2011.</ref>

During the 1880s and 1890s, Busch introduced a series of advertisements and marketing giveaways for the company, including bottle openers, calendars, [[Mounted corkscrew|corkscrews]], pocketknives, postcards, and prints.<ref name="herbst38">Herbst, 38.</ref> Among the most well-known of these giveaways was ''Custer's Last Fight'', a lithograph print of a painting by St. Louis artist Cassilly Adams.<ref name="herbst38"/> As a marketing tactic, Busch distributed thousands of copies of the print to bars in 1896,<ref name="herbst38"/> the same year Anheuser-Busch introduced its new "super-premium" brand, [[Michelob]].<ref>Chura, Hillary. [http://adage.com/article/news/a-b-cranks-michelob-ads-accents-light/57566/ A-B cranks up Michelob ads, accents Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702083327/http://adage.com/article/news/a-b-cranks-michelob-ads-accents-light/57566/ |date=July 2, 2015}}. ''Advertising Age''. July 17, 2000. Retrieved March 14, 2011.</ref> Eventually, more than one million copies of the print were produced, and it became "one of the most popular pieces of artwork in American history."<ref name="herbst38"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chromolithograph entitled "Custer's Last Fight" |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_326129 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=National Museum of American History|archive-date=August 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803002103/https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_326129 |url-status=live}}</ref>

At the turn of the 20th century, Anheuser-Busch continued to expand its production facilities to keep up with demand.<ref name="herbst39">Herbst, 39.</ref> In 1905, the company built a new stockhouse in St. Louis, and by 1907 it produced nearly 1.6 million barrels of beer.<ref name="herbst39"/> As demands for the [[prohibition of alcohol]] in the United States grew, Anheuser-Busch began producing non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverages (known as [[near beer]]); the most successful of these was [[Bevo (beverage)|Bevo]], a [[malt beverage]] introduced in 1908.<ref name="herbst39"/> After the death of Adolphus Busch in 1913, control of the company passed to his son, [[August Anheuser Busch Sr.]], who continued to combat the rise of prohibitionists.<ref name="herbst39"/> As part of an effort to improve the respectability of drinking, August Busch built three upscale restaurants in St. Louis during the 1910s: the Stork Inn, the Gretchen Inn (now known as the Feasting Fox), and the [[Bevo Mill, St. Louis|Bevo Mill]].<ref name="herbst39"/>

[[File:Olivedrabcan.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Anheuser-Busch produced olive-colored [[Budweiser]] cans during World War II.]]

===Prohibition period===
[[File:Anheuser-Busch logo.gif|thumb|left|Original Anheuser-Busch logo used from 1879 to 2022]]
As with all breweries in the country, the [[Temperance movement]] and eventual [[Prohibition in the United States]] dealt a major blow to the company in the 1910s through the 1930s. Some of the products sold by Anheuser-Busch to survive during Prohibition included brewer's yeast, malt extract, ice cream, and Bevo, a nonalcoholic malt beverage, or "near beer".<ref name=Rhodes/><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/04/03/daily37.html |title=Anheuser-Busch celebrates anniversary of Prohibition repeal |journal=Jacksonville Business Journal |date=April 7, 2006 |access-date=March 14, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629023031/http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/04/03/daily37.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Prohibition to last years of independence===
In 1957, Anheuser-Busch became the largest brewer in the United States.

In 1981, Anheuser-Busch International, Inc., was established as a subsidiary responsible for the company's international operations and equity investments. Prior to its 2008 acquisition, Anheuser-Busch operated 15 breweries internationally: 14 in China and one in the United Kingdom.

In 1997, Chinese production of Anheuser-Busch products began after the company's purchase of a local brewery; later, the company operated both Budweiser Wuhan International Brewing Company and [[Harbin Brewery]], which Anheuser-Busch fully acquired in 2004. In the United Kingdom, the Budweiser Stag Brewing Company produced and packaged Budweiser at the Stag Brewery in [[Mortlake]].

At one time, Anheuser-Busch International also held investments in [[Grupo Modelo]] in Mexico<ref name="abpr2006">[http://anheuser-buschcompanies.com/Press/ModeloChina_120406.html Grupo Modelo Appoints Anheuser-Busch as the Importer of its Brands in China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430094911/http://anheuser-buschcompanies.com/Press/ModeloChina_120406.html |date=April 30, 2009}}, ''Anheuser-Busch Press Release'', 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2008.</ref> [[Tsingtao Brewery]] in China;<ref name="abpr2006"/> Anheuser-Busch also held investments in [[Redhook Ale Brewery]] of [[Seattle, Washington]]<ref name="wotp">[http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog/?p=205 "Anybody Watching Redhook's Stock..."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003182838/http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog/?p=205 |date=October 3, 2011}}, ''What's on tap? Newsletter''. Retrieved March 24, 2008.</ref> and [[Widmer Brothers Brewery]] of [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref name="wotp"/> After the 2008 acquisition, most international operations were transferred to AB InBev zones where the interests are located.

===Acquisition by InBev===
On June 12, 2008, Belgian-Brazilian brewing company [[InBev]] announced that it had made a US$46 billion offer for the company,<ref>[http://www.globalbeerleader.com/home.php InBev Proposes Combination with Anheuser-Busch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702071656/http://www.globalbeerleader.com/home.php |date=July 2, 2012}}. [[Press release]]. ''InBev''</ref> which if it was accepted would join two of the world's four largest brewing companies (based on revenue) and create a company brewing three of the highest-grossing beers in the world, namely [[Bud Light]], Budweiser, and [[Skol]]. InBev also stated that the merger would not result in any U.S. brewery closures and they would attempt to retain management and board members from both companies.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-inbev.html |title=InBev: U.S. Anheuser Breweries to Stay After Merger |agency=Reuters |work=The New York Times |date=June 20, 2008 |access-date=June 20, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=August 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> On June 25, 2008, Anheuser-Busch officially announced that they would reject InBev's offer and provide a restructuring of the company to maintain shareholders and United States World Headquarters in St. Louis.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article4215711.ece |title=Anheuser-Busch set to snub InBev and propose own revamp |newspaper=The Times |date=June 25, 2008 |access-date=June 25, 2008 |location=London |first=Suzy |last=Jagger |archive-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612055721/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article4215711.ece |url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 1, 2008, InBev urged Anheuser-Busch shareholders to vote in favor of the buyout as InBev felt the offer of $65 per share should be considered a reasonable offer in view of the falling stock market. The company had previously filed suit in [[Delaware]], after the rejection of their offer, to ensure that the stockholders could oust Anheuser-Busch's 13 board members.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25472139 |title=InBev pitches buyout bid to Bud shareholders |agency=Associated Press |work=NBC News |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=July 1, 2008 |archive-date=December 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217003149/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25472139/ |url-status=live}}</ref>  On July 7, 2008, Anheuser-Busch filed a lawsuit against InBev to stop them from soliciting the support of shareholders, stating that the company's offer is an illegal scheme. InBev was also accused of concealing that they do business in [[Cuba]], which might have created additional obstacles to their efforts to operate in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D91PU0BO2.htm |title=Anheuser-Busch calls InBev takeover bid illegal |agency=Associated Press |work=Business Week |date=July 8, 2008 |access-date=July 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112185753/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D91PU0BO2.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2011}}</ref>

On July 13, 2008, Anheuser-Busch and InBev said they had agreed to a deal, pending shareholder and regulatory approval,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/07/13/2008-07-13_anheuserbusch_belgian_firm_inbev_are_bre.html |title=Anheuser-Busch, Brazilian Belgian firm InBev are brewin' up a merger |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=July 13, 2008 |access-date=July 14, 2008 |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012165627/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/07/13/2008-07-13_anheuserbusch_belgian_firm_inbev_are_bre.html |url-status=live}}</ref> for InBev to purchase the American icon at $70 per share, creating a new company to be named Anheuser-Busch InBev.  Anheuser-Busch would get two seats on the combined board of directors. The all-cash agreement, almost $52 billion in total equity, created the world's largest brewer, uniting the maker of Budweiser and Michelob with the producer of [[Beck's]], [[Stella Artois]], [[Hoegaarden Brewery|Hoegaarden]], [[Leffe]], [[Bass (beer)|Bass]], [[Labatt]] and [[Brahma (beer)|Brahma]]. The two companies had combined yearly sales of more than $36.4 billion, surpassing the current No. 1 brewer, London-based [[SABMiller]].<ref>De la Merced, Michael J. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14beer.html?ref=europe nytimes.com, "Anheuser-Busch Agrees to Be Sold to InBev"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301193455/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14beer.html?ref=europe |date=March 1, 2017}}, ''The New York Times''. July 14, 2008.</ref><ref>Spain, William; Goldstein, Steve. [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/anheuser-busch-accepts-70-share-52-billion/story.aspx?guid=%7B02125469-49F4-4C21-824D-01EB0623A817%7D&dist=hplatest "Anheuser-Busch accepts $52 billion InBev offer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803162812/http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/anheuser-busch-accepts-70-share-52-billion/story.aspx?guid=%7B02125469-49F4-4C21-824D-01EB0623A817%7D&dist=hplatest |date=August 3, 2008}}, ''MarketWatch''. July 14, 2008.</ref>

Grupo Modelo took InBev to arbitration for more than a year and a half after the deal was completed, attempting to block the deal.

On October 7, 2009, parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to sell the theme parks division to The Blackstone Group for up to {{USD|2.7&nbsp;billion}}.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/blackstone-buys-a-b-inbevs-theme-parks-for-27b-2009-10-07 Blackstone to buy A-B InBev's theme parks for $2.7 billion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915094804/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/blackstone-buys-a-b-inbevs-theme-parks-for-27b-2009-10-07 |date=September 15, 2018}}. MarketWatch, October 7, 2009</ref>

In July 2010, a panel decided that the takeover did not violate Anheuser-Busch's agreement with Modelo.<ref>p. 338 ''Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of AnHeuser-Busch, An American Icon'' – [[Julie MacIntosh]]</ref>

===Post-acquisition changes===
On November 18, 2008, the [[hostile takeover]] was completed, and the [[parent corporation]] was renamed Anheuser-Busch InBev; Anheuser-Busch became a [[wholly owned subsidiary]] of the new corporation, controlled within the North America zone unit of AB InBev. By early 2009, AB InBev "turned a family-led company that spared little expense into one that is focused intently on cost-cutting and [[profit margin]]s, while rethinking the way it sells beer."<ref name="wsjchanges">{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124096182942565947 |title=Unease Brewing at Anheuser As New Owners Slash Costs |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=April 29, 2009 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |first1=David |last1=Kesmodel |first2=Suzanne |last2=Vranica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430134003/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124096182942565947.html |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>  AB InBev focused on reducing costs in the Anheuser-Busch Companies subsidiary and implemented performance-related pay,<ref name="wsjchanges"/> along with several other changes. They immediately laid off 1,400 employees and 415 contractors,<ref name="layoffs">{{cite web |url=http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/lager-heads/uncategorized/2010/01/small-number-laid-off-today-at-anheuser-busch-inbev/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100118075843/http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/lager-heads/uncategorized/2010/01/small-number-laid-off-today-at-anheuser-busch-inbev/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |title=Small number laid off today at Anheuser-Busch InBev |publisher=St. Louis post Dispatch |date=January 15, 2010 |access-date=February 6, 2010}}</ref> sold Busch Entertainment Corporation, and sold company-owned [[aircraft]].<ref name="loschmanagement.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.loschmanagement.com/content/bitter-brew |title=Bitter Brew |publisher=Losch Management |date=April 2013 |access-date=September 19, 2013 |archive-date=November 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129024127/http://www.loschmanagement.com/content/bitter-brew |url-status=live}}</ref>

For employees, AB InBev ended [[perquisite]]s such as executive assistants for senior management, company contributions to the salaried employee [[pension]] plan, and company-provided [[life insurance]] to retirees; it also reduced the number of company-provided cell phones, taking back 1200 Blackberries;<ref name="loschmanagement.com"/> and ended tuition reimbursement, and [[severance package]]s. Perks like free tickets to [[St. Louis Cardinals]] baseball games and for [[Busch Gardens]] were taken away from employees. Anheuser-Busch stopped providing free beer to its employees and visitors to its theme parks.<ref name=":0"/> These internal changes accompanied changes in its [[advertising]]. These cost-cutting measures rapidly reduced AB InBev's debt from $56.6 billion in 2008 to $30.1 billion at the end of 2012. When the restructuring was complete, only three senior-level Anheuser-Busch managers remained.<ref name="loschmanagement.com"/>

InBev auctioned off several large assets in an effort to pay off debt to the banks that financed the merger.<ref name=":0">p 334 ''Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of AnHeuser-Busch, An American Icon'',  [[Julie MacIntosh]]</ref> It sold Anheuser's 27% stake in China's [[Tsingtao Brewery|Tsingtao]], sold a few beverage can and lid-making plants to Ball Corporation, and sold its own [[Beer in South Korea|Korean beer]] business for $1.8 billion to [[private equity]] firm Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts & Co.<ref>p. 356 ''Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of AnHeuser-Busch, An American Icon'' – [[Julie MacIntosh]]</ref> It put the 10 theme parks in Anheuser's Busch Entertainment Unit, which included its three [[SeaWorld]] locations, up for sale.<ref name=":0"/>

Under InBev, Anheuser-Busch also lengthened [[accounts payable]] terms, and introduced [[zero-based budgeting]]. These changes caused concern from its suppliers when Anheuser-Busch announced it would take 120 days to pay its bills rather than 30 days, taking time to use that money for other purposes. The new payment policy often results in longer periods than 120 days, since the 120 days starts from the end of the month in which the invoice is 'approved' internally, which can be many days/months after an invoice is submitted.<ref name=":0" />

InBev signed a 10-year lease on 31,500 square feet of office space on [[Park Avenue]] in [[New York City|New York]], which led to speculation that they would move Anheuser-Busch InBev North American headquarters from [[St. Louis|St Louis]].<ref>[[Julie MacIntosh]], ''Dethroning the King'', p. 335</ref>

In February 2013, a widely publicized lawsuit accused AB InBev<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21597076 |title=Drinkers sue Anheuser-Busch for 'watering down' beer |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=February 27, 2013 |date=February 26, 2013 |archive-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227050538/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21597076 |url-status=live}}</ref> of "watering down" products including Budweiser and Michelob. Such beers are intentionally brewed over-strength and then "watered down" to the intended level, creating a product of equal or greater quality.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mooseheadbeeracademy.com/high-gravity-brewing-risks-benefits-considerations/ |title=High Gravity Brewing – risks, benefits and considerations |work=Moosehead Beer Academy |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018044301/http://www.mooseheadbeeracademy.com/high-gravity-brewing-risks-benefits-considerations/ |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/02/28/173076501/budweiser-may-seem-watery-but-it-tests-at-full-strength-lab-says |title=Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says |date=February 27, 2013 |work=NPR |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016064746/http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/02/28/173076501/budweiser-may-seem-watery-but-it-tests-at-full-strength-lab-says |url-status=live}}</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/judge-dismisses-lawsuits-alleging-a-b-waters-down-beer/article_428f5a24-0d32-5062-95ab-c8162f13cb86.html |title=Judge dismisses lawsuits alleging A-B waters down beer |author=Lee Enterprises |work=stltoday.com |date=June 3, 2014 |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820173352/http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/judge-dismisses-lawsuits-alleging-a-b-waters-down-beer/article_428f5a24-0d32-5062-95ab-c8162f13cb86.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Of Anheuser's top executives, only three remained in their jobs following the acquisition: [[Dave Peacock (businessman)|Dave Peacock]] as president of the merged company's US division; Gary Rutledge as general counsel for the company's North American business; and Bob Golden, Anheuser's former acquisitions head, as global head of the merged company's [[mergers and acquisitions]] effort.<ref>p. 350 Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, An American Icon – Julie Macintosh</ref>

==Operations and products==
Anheuser-Busch Companies operates as one of several subsidiaries in the North America zone unit of [[Anheuser-Busch InBev]] SA/NV (AB InBev) and it produces and distributes hundreds of products from the AB InBev portfolio.

On October 10, 2016, a $100 billion merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller closed. The new company is trading as NewbelcoSABMiller.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/taranurin/2016/10/10/its-final-ab-inbev-closes-on-deal-to-buy-sabmiller/#2e5f846437d6 |title=It's Final: AB InBev Closes On Deal To Buy SABMiller |last=Nurin |first=Tara |date=October 10, 2016 |work=Forbes |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-date=February 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203010314/http://www.forbes.com/sites/taranurin/2016/10/10/its-final-ab-inbev-closes-on-deal-to-buy-sabmiller/#2e5f846437d6 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Corporate leadership===
[[Michel Doukeris]] is the current [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of AB InBev, the parent company of the U.S. operation,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ab-inbev.com/who-we-are/people/ |title=Our Leaders &#124; AB InBev |access-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416002857/https://www.ab-inbev.com/who-we-are/people/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and Brendan Whitworth is the current CEO of the Anheuser-Busch subsidiary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/leadership |title=Leadership &#124; Anheuser-Busch |access-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415170946/https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/leadership |url-status=live}}</ref>

Previous corporate leaders of Anheuser-Busch include:
* 1860–1880 Eberhard Anheuser
* 1880–1913 Adolphus Busch
* 1913–1934 August A. Busch Sr.
* 1934–1946 [[Adolphus Busch III]]
* 1946–1971 [[Gussie Busch]]
* 1971–1974 [[Richard A. Meyer]]
* 1974–2002 [[August A. Busch III]]
* 2002–2006 [[Patrick Stokes (businessman)|Patrick Stokes]]
* 2006–2008 [[August A. Busch IV]]
In 2008 Anheuser-Busch was acquired by InBev, and the combined company was renamed Anheuser-Busch InBev.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Years
! CEO of parent company AB InBev
! Leader of the Anheuser-Busch subsidiary
|-
| 2008–2012
| rowspan="4"|[[Carlos Brito (businessman)|Carlos Brito]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/abinbev/news-media/press-releases/2021/04/ABI_CEO_050621_EN.pdf |title=AB InBev Press Release |access-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185423/https://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/abinbev/news-media/press-releases/2021/04/ABI_CEO_050621_EN.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
| President [[Dave Peacock (businessman)|Dave Peacock]]
|-
| 2012–2014
| Luiz Edmond
|-
| 2014–2018
| João Castro Neves
|-
| 2018–2021
| Michel Doukeris
|-
| 2021–Present
| [[Michel Doukeris]]
| CEO Brendan Whitworth
|}

===Brewery operations===
[[File:Anheuser-Busch Brewery at St. Louis.jpg|thumb|Brewery at [[St. Louis]]|alt=]]
[[File:StLouisABPackaging Plant.JPG|thumb|The packaging plant in St. Louis|alt=]]
Anheuser-Busch Companies has operated 13 breweries, all located in the United States:
*[[St. Louis, Missouri]] (opened 1852)
*[[Newark, New Jersey]] (opened 1951)
*[[Los Angeles, California]] (opened 1954)
*[[Tampa, Florida]] (opened 1959, now closed)
*[[Houston, Texas]] (opened 1966)
*[[Columbus, Ohio]] (opened 1968)
*[[Jacksonville, Florida]] (opened 1969)
*[[Merrimack, New Hampshire]] (opened 1970)
*[[Williamsburg, Virginia]] (opened 1972)
*[[Fairfield, California]] (opened 1976)
*[[Baldwinsville, New York]] (opened 1983)
*[[Fort Collins, Colorado]] (opened 1988)
*[[Cartersville, Georgia]] (opened 1993)

The [[Anheuser-Busch Brewery (St. Louis, Missouri)|St. Louis brewery]], which opened in 1852, is a [[National Historic Landmark District]], and includes three buildings listed as [[National Historic Landmarks]]. Public tours of the brewery are offered. The tour takes visitors through the complex where they can see beer being made and packaged in a working part of the brewery. The company keeps a rotation of its famous [[Budweiser Clydesdales]] at its headquarters, and visitors to the brewery can observe the [[Clydesdale (horse)|clydesdales]] in their exercise field and see their places in the carriage house.

The brewery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite journal |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000945_text |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Anheuser-Busch Brewery |date=April 1978 |format=PDF |author=Cecil McKithan and Stephen Lissandrello |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=June 22, 2009 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726041559/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000945_text |url-status=live}} and {{NHLS url|id=66000945|title=''Accompanying four photos, from 1895, ca. 1900, 1942, and ca. 1970''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(1.90&nbsp;MB)}}</ref><ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=715&ResourceType=District |title=Anheuser-Busch Brewery |access-date=June 28, 2008 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=August 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804114432/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=715&ResourceType=District |url-status=dead}}</ref> The landmarked area includes 189 structures spread over {{convert|142|acre|ha}}, including many red brick Romanesque ones "with square crenelated towers and elaborate details."<ref name="nrhpinv2"/> The Brew House, built in 1891–1892, is particularly notable for its "multi-storied hop chandeliers, intricate iron-work, and utilization of natural light".<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>

===Other operations===
Aside from supply operations like brewing and packaging, Anheuser-Busch Companies includes Anheuser-Busch Wholesale Operations Divisions (WOD), Anheuser-Busch Agricultural Operations, Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corporation, Eagle Packaging, and [[Busch Properties]], which manages subsidiary-owned property. Anheuser Busch owns and operates aluminum can plants (Metal Container Corporation). 
MCC supplies Anheuser Busch breweries and Pepsi Beverages Group fillers across the US. Suppliers to Anheuser-Busch Companies include [[Owens-Illinois]], which provides glass bottles to several Anheuser-Busch breweries. Anheuser-Busch also owns glass production facilities, such as the former Longhorn Glass, which provides glass for the Houston brewery. Anheuser-Busch Companies delivers its products to retailers through a network of more than 500 independent wholesalers and 13 wholly owned distributors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://anheuser-busch.com/index.php/our-company/operations/wholesale-operations/ |title=Anheuser-Busch Wholesaler Operations |publisher=Anheuser-Busch |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224132200/http://anheuser-busch.com/index.php/our-company/operations/wholesale-operations/ |archive-date=February 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On February 20, 1953, Anheuser-Busch purchased the St. Louis Cardinals [[Major League Baseball|major league baseball]] club and owned them until March 21, 1996, when the club was sold to a group of private investors.

In 1966, [[Busch Memorial Stadium]] was paid for and built by the brewery and opened for business; Anheuser-Busch later purchased the stadium in 1981 for $53 million and removed the "Memorial" in its name. The stadium was demolished in late 2005 and replaced by a [[Busch Stadium|new ballpark]] in 2006. Anheuser-Busch signed an agreement to retain the "Busch Stadium" name on the new building through 2025.

Up until 2009, Anheuser-Busch was also one of the largest theme park owners/operators in the United States, with ten parks throughout the country through its entertainment division, Busch Entertainment Corporation, including its three SeaWorld locations. The company is now known as [[SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment]].

===Beverage products===
{{Main|Anheuser-Busch brands}}
Anheuser-Busch Companies is responsible for the production, importation and distribution of several AB InBev products, including three company-designated global brands, Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Beck's.<ref name="abinbevusreport2012"/> Other multi-country brands distributed or produced by Anheuser-Busch Companies include Leffe and Hoegaarden, while local brands produced by the company include [[Bass Brewery|Bass Pale Ale]], Bud Light, [[Busch Beer]], [[Landshark Lager]], Michelob, Michelob Ultra, [[Natural Light]], and [[Shock Top]].<ref name="abinbevusreport2012"/> The company also produces nonalcoholic beverages, [[malt liquor]]s (such as King Cobra and Hurricane), and flavored malt beverages (e.g. the Bacardi Silver family and [[Tequiza]]).{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

On December 22, 2015, it was announced that Anheuser-Busch would purchase Breckenridge Brewery for an undisclosed sum.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wallace |first1=Alicia |title=Breckenridge Brewery sold to giant Anheuser-Busch's "High End" |url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_29298392/breckenridge-brewery-sold-giant-anheuser-buschs-high-end |website=denver Post |date=December 22, 2015 |access-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-date=January 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123161616/http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_29298392/breckenridge-brewery-sold-giant-anheuser-buschs-high-end |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Advertising==
[[File:Kevin harvick (47223208601) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|[[Kevin Harvick]]'s Busch sponsored [[2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series|2019]] [[NASCAR Cup Series|NASCAR]] [[Ford Mustang (sixth generation)|Ford Mustang]] at [[Pocono Raceway]]]]
[[File:Malt-Nutrine, 1898.jpg|thumb|right|1898 magazine ad for Malt-Nutrine]]

Prior to its acquisition by InBev, the company was known in the United States for its advertising presence, including a sports marketing division which created advertising material for the [[Super Bowl]] and many other sporting events. Budweiser has sponsored horse racing events and [[motorsports]] including [[NASCAR]], the "[[Miss Budweiser]]" racing [[hydroplane (boat)|hydroplane]],  and the "Budweiser King" championship top fuel dragster of [[Kenny Bernstein]].

Since the acquisition by AB InBev, the company has significantly cut back its advertising, predicated on the belief that "changing [[demographics]] and media habits no longer require spending as much on mainstream sports events".<ref name="wsjchanges"/>

==Controversies==

===Spykes underaged alcohol marketing===
In 2007, the company introduced a flavored 12% [[abv]] malt liquor under the name ''Spykes''. It was sold in colorful, 2-[[ounce]] bottles. Available flavors included [[mango]], [[Lime (fruit)|lime]], [[melon]] and [[chocolate]].<ref name="Hot melon">{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16815536 |title=Hot melon in your Budweiser? – Business – US business – Food Inc. – NBC News |work=NBC News |date=January 25, 2007 |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018044302/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/16815536/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It was withdrawn in the same year after criticism from [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] industry watchdog groups that it was being marketed to underage customers, and the [[Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau]] found that the labeling of Spykes was illegal.<ref name="Booze buzz">[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17862137 "A booze buzz for teenyboppers?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923220948/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17862137 |date=September 23, 2020}}, March 30, 2007, NBC News</ref><ref name="Spykes labels illegal">{{cite web |url=http://www.cspinet.org/new/200704161.html |title=Anheuser-Busch's "Spykes" Labels Illegal, Group Says |work=Center for Science in the Public Interest |date=April 16, 2007 |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923211637/http://www.cspinet.org/new/200704161.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/18/national/main2824509.shtml |title=Anheuser-Busch Pulls "Spykes" – CBS News |publisher=www.cbsnews.com |access-date=December 22, 2009 |date=May 18, 2007 |archive-date=February 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205013537/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/18/national/main2824509.shtml |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Environmental record===
In 2002, the [[Political Economy Research Institute]] ranked Anheuser–Busch 40th among the "Toxic 100", a list of U.S. corporations most responsible for [[air pollution]]. The study found that Anheuser–Busch released 1,002,786&nbsp;kg (2,213,657&nbsp;lbs) of toxic pollutants annually into the air.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peri.umass.edu/Toxic-100-Table.265.0.html |title=PERI: Home |access-date=October 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001071549/http://www.peri.umass.edu/Toxic-100-Table.265.0.html |archive-date=October 1, 2011}}</ref> This is mainly because large amounts of [[CO2|CO<sub>2</sub>]] are released during the process of [[Brewing#Fermenting|fermentation]].

Anheuser-Busch has received numerous awards for its efforts to reduce its impact on the environment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abehsreport.com/docs/performanceawards.html#China |title=Anheuser-Busch Environmental, Health & Safety Report |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211145956/http://www.abehsreport.com/docs/performanceawards.html#China |archive-date=February 11, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1995 Anheuser-Busch's Baldwinsville brewery won an award for pollution prevention from the New York Governor for its use of a "comprehensive, energy-producing pollution-prevention system – bioenergy recovery – to treat wastewater from the brewing process." The brewery also reduced solid waste by nearly 70 percent from 1990 to 1994. In addition, the Baldwinsville brewery found markets for previous "waste" materials used in the [[fermentation]] of Anheuser-Busch beers.<ref>[http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/22539.html "NYS Governor's Awards for Pollution Prevention – Anheuser-Busch"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200709/http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/22539.html |date=March 3, 2016}}. Retrieved May 6, 2008</ref> The Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corp. recycled more than 27 billion cans in 2006, a number far greater than what was used in its own packaging. Similarly, Anheuser-Busch has set short-term goals to reduce energy consumption 5% and increasing use of renewable fuel from 8 to 15% by 2010. Along with these goals, Anheuser-Busch has succeeded in cutting down its water use by 3% since 2002.<ref>[http://gliving.tv/news/anheuser-busch-to-make-green-beer/ "Anheuser-Busch To Make Green Beer"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200858/http://gliving.tv/news/anheuser-busch-to-make-green-beer/ |date=March 3, 2016}}. Retrieved May 6, 2008</ref> Its parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev has recently announced a commitment to secure 100% of the company's purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.anheuser-busch.com/newsroom/2017/03/anheuser-busch-inbev-commits-to-a-100--renewable-electricity-fut.html |title=Anheuser-Busch InBev Commits to a 100% Renewable Electricity Future |access-date=2017-04-08 |archive-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409111001/http://www.anheuser-busch.com/newsroom/2017/03/anheuser-busch-inbev-commits-to-a-100--renewable-electricity-fut.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2017/04/06/bud-boss-promises-green-beer-in-big-shift-to-renewable-energy/#2ea456bb7ea9 |title=Bud Boss Promises 'Greener' Beer In Big Shift To Renewable Energy |last=Helman |first=Christopher |work=Forbes |access-date=2017-04-08 |archive-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409022608/https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2017/04/06/bud-boss-promises-green-beer-in-big-shift-to-renewable-energy/#2ea456bb7ea9 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The brewery also operates an environmental outreach program to encourage recycling, energy conservation, and habitat preservation, as well as to prevent [[litter]]ing and water pollution.<ref>[http://www.abenvironment.com/ Anheuser-Busch Environmental Outreach.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203082112/http://www.abenvironment.com/ |date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> For past 18 years Anheuser-Busch employees have participated in "Green Week", which focuses on environmental conservation education for employees and their families.<ref name="csrwire1">[https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/26465-anheuser-busch-employees-seeing-green "Anheuser-Busch Employees Seeing Green"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007183008/https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/26465-anheuser-busch-employees-seeing-green |date=October 7, 2021}} "Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire" April 11, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008</ref>

Anheuser-Busch states they do not use animal-derived products, artificial ingredients, additives or preservatives at any stage of the brewing process or as part of the packaging in any of their range, with the exception of three Michelob products and two Bud Light products, which contain honey and shellfish respectively, and are marketed as such.<ref>[http://www.barnivore.com/beer/3/Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch: Has Some Vegan Options] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314115011/http://www.barnivore.com/beer/3/Anheuser-Busch |date=March 14, 2011}}. Barnivore.com. Feb 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.</ref>  All other Anheuser-Busch beers are brewed using water, yeast, barley malt, hops, and additional cereal grains. Anheuser-Busch eliminates the need for [[isinglass]] [[finings]] by settling and removing particles before fermentation. The beechwood aging process also helps to attract and remove yeast from the brew before the lagering process has ended.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.barnivore.com/beer/Rolling%20Rock?keyword=rolling+rock |title=Barnivore – Your online drink directory |access-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110707212845/http://www.barnivore.com/beer/Rolling%20Rock?keyword=rolling+rock |url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zen159730.zen.co.uk/Vegetarian_beers.html#AnheuserBusch |title=Vegetarian beers |author=Geraint Paul Bevan |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925000414/http://www.zen159730.zen.co.uk/Vegetarian_beers.html#AnheuserBusch |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> This only applies to the beers the company brews itself.

Anheuser-Busch became a pioneer for electricity-powered heavy trucks. It ordered hundreds of trucks from [[Nikola Motor]], an Arizona company specialized in the development of hydrogen-fueled engines.<ref>Christof Leisinger: [https://www.nzz.ch/finanzen/wasserstoffbrennzellen-nikola-motor-im-hoehenflug-ld.1560518 ''Nikola – der «Tesla» der Lastwagenbranche hebt ab wie eine Rakete''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611161703/https://www.nzz.ch/finanzen/wasserstoffbrennzellen-nikola-motor-im-hoehenflug-ld.1560518 |date=June 11, 2020}} Neue Zürcher Zeitung, June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020</ref>

===Budweiser Bill===
In 2003, after numerous deaths in [[association football|soccer]] stadiums, Brazil passed a law outlawing alcohol sales in stadiums. FIFA demanded that Brazil allow alcohol sales at the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] because Budweiser, a major World Cup sponsor is the "Official Beer of the FIFA World Cup", a role it has played since 1986.

In response, Brazil passed a law paving the way for alcohol sales in the World Cup, nicknamed the "Budweiser Bill".<ref>[https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/03/07/148155110/brazil-moves-to-ease-soccer-beer-ban-as-world-cup-spat-with-fifa-grows Brazil Moves To Ease Soccer Beer Ban, As World Cup Spat With FIFA Grows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318040837/http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/03/07/148155110/brazil-moves-to-ease-soccer-beer-ban-as-world-cup-spat-with-fifa-grows |date=March 18, 2015}}, ''[[NPR]]'' (March 7, 2012).</ref><ref>[http://en.mercopress.com/2012/05/10/brazilian-senate-approves-budweiser-bill-ending-dispute-with-fifa-over-world-cup-sponsoring Brazilian Senate approves 'Budweiser bill' ending dispute with FIFA over World Cup sponsoring] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714230247/http://en.mercopress.com/2012/05/10/brazilian-senate-approves-budweiser-bill-ending-dispute-with-fifa-over-world-cup-sponsoring |date=July 14, 2014}}, ''Merco Press'', (May 10, 2012).</ref>

==="Up for Whatever" beer campaign controversy===
In April 2015, Anheuser-Busch, in an effort to target new, younger consumers to buy its products, the company printed a slogan on Bud Light bottles that said "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night. #UpForWhatever."<ref>{{cite news |author=Kurtis Lee |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-budweiser-controverisal-slogan-20150429-htmlstory.html |title=Bud Light's 'Up for Whatever' slogan hits a target, but is it the wrong one? |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 29, 2015 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406171229/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-budweiser-controverisal-slogan-20150429-htmlstory.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The label triggered a backlash, and the company was immediately criticized by people who charged that it could be interpreted as promoting rape.<ref>{{cite news |author=Anthony Venutolo |url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/04/bud_light_label_rape_culture_poll.html |title=Poll: Does Bud Light\u0027s controversial label promote rape? |newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]] |date=April 29, 2015 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060741/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/04/bud_light_label_rape_culture_poll.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Bud Light's vice president Alexander Lambrecht addressed the situation via [[Twitter]], first saying that the slogans were meant to promote brand engagement in a "positive and lighthearted way", but that the company had "missed the mark" with their "up for whatever" slogan.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Kantli |first=Marianna |date=2019-03-17 |title=Bud Light {{!}} Up For Whatever |url=https://medium.com/ad-discovery-and-creativity-lab/bud-light-up-for-whatever-5020a09f46cd |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Medium|archive-date=December 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212174918/https://medium.com/ad-discovery-and-creativity-lab/bud-light-up-for-whatever-5020a09f46cd |url-status=live}}</ref> He ended his message by saying that Bud Light would "never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior". His message was followed by a Twitter response from Lisa Weser; the former head of communications and marketing for [[Anheuser-Busch InBev]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lisa Weser - Leadership - Acceleration Community of Companies |url=https://www.theacceleration.com/leadership/lisa-weser.php |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Lisa Weser - Leadership - Acceleration Community of Companies}}</ref> who also responded to the situation via Twitter. Her response repeated Alexander Lambrecht's concluding message.<ref name="auto"/>

===Liquor law violations in Seattle===
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) issued a $150,000 violation to Anheuser-Busch in May 2016. Investigators determined that Anheuser-Busch entered into an illegal agreement of exclusivity with two concert venues in Seattle – the [[The Showbox|Showbox]] and the Showbox SoDo.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kendall Jones |url=http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/anheuser-busch-gets-fine-for-liquor-law-violations-seattle/ |title=Anheuser-Busch gets $150,000 fine for liquor law violations in Seattle |publisher=[[Washington Beer Blog]] |date=May 16, 2016 |access-date=May 25, 2016 |archive-date=May 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526042452/http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/anheuser-busch-gets-fine-for-liquor-law-violations-seattle/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===2017 Super Bowl advertising===
In early February 2017, Anheuser-Busch's "Budweiser – Born the Hard Way" Super Bowl commercial was released online, prompting conservative political rebuke over its depiction of the immigration of founder Adolphus Busch from Germany to St. Louis. Although the ad had been conceived eight months before its release, some perceived the ad to be a political statement in opposition to then-current president [[Donald Trump]]. A week before the ad's release, public controversy erupted over an executive order prohibiting entry of immigrants, refugees, and re-entry of permanent residents from seven countries into the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/people-boycotting-budweiser-super-bowl-ad-2017-2 |title=People are boycotting Budweiser because of this immigration-themed Super Bowl ad |last=Snyder |first=Chris |website=Business Insider |access-date=2019-10-31 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031152329/https://www.businessinsider.com/people-boycotting-budweiser-super-bowl-ad-2017-2 |url-status=live}}</ref> The script for the advertisement was finalized after the November elections, when Budweiser's internal marketing team settled on the twelfth revision of the script. Shooting for the commercial then took place in January.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-budweiser-created-an-epic-immigrant-story-to-reclaim-the-super-bowl-spotlight/ |title=How Budweiser Created an Epic Immigrant Story to Reclaim the Super Bowl Spotlight |last1=Monllos |first1=Kristina |date=January 29, 2017 |website=adweek.com|access-date=2019-10-31 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031152329/https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-budweiser-created-an-epic-immigrant-story-to-reclaim-the-super-bowl-spotlight/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The ad controversy followed after controversy in May 2016 when Trump, then a presidential candidate, was perceived by some to be hijacking Budweiser's America branding campaign for his own political purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-takes-credit-for-budweiser-beer-name-change-to-america/ |title=Donald Trump takes credit for Budweiser beer name change to 'America' |website=CBS News |date=May 11, 2016|access-date=2019-10-31 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031152330/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-takes-credit-for-budweiser-beer-name-change-to-america/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===2019 Super Bowl advertising===
On March 21, 2019, Anheuser-Busch was sued for false advertising by rival [[MillerCoors]] over a Bud Light commercial that aired during [[Super Bowl LIII]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Belmonte |first1=Adriana |title=MillerCoors sues Anheuser-Busch over corn syrup Super Bowl ads |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bud-light-super-bowl-ads-lawsuit-174127974.html |website=finance.yahoo.com |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=21 March 2019 |archive-date=March 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322043047/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bud-light-super-bowl-ads-lawsuit-174127974.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The commercial claimed MillerCoors' [[Miller Lite]] and [[Coors Light]] products contain [[corn syrup]], but the lawsuit argues that corn syrup is only used during the brewing process as a fermentation aid and neither beer contains corn syrup. The suit alleges that Anheuser-Busch is using "false and misleading statements" to confuse health-conscious consumers into thinking the beers contain [[high-fructose corn syrup]], which has been linked with [[obesity]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lucas |first1=Amelia |title=MillerCoors sues Anheuser-Busch for its Bud Light Super Bowl ad |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/21/millercoors-sues-anheuser-busch-for-its-bud-light-super-bowl-ad.html |website=cnbc.com |access-date=21 March 2019 |date=21 March 2019 |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321204537/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/21/millercoors-sues-anheuser-busch-for-its-bud-light-super-bowl-ad.html |url-status=live}}</ref> An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson called the lawsuit "baseless" and said it would not deter Bud Light from "providing consumers with the transparency they demand."<ref>{{cite web |title=Beer war escalates: MillerCoors sues Anheuser-Busch over Super Bowl corn syrup commercial |url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/beer-war-escalates-millercoors-sues-anheuser-busch-over-super-bowl/article_7fcd7f63-47d6-5085-a1d4-9f0f3b1801b9.html |website=stltoday.com |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=21 March 2019|archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321204541/https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/beer-war-escalates-millercoors-sues-anheuser-busch-over-super-bowl/article_7fcd7f63-47d6-5085-a1d4-9f0f3b1801b9.html |url-status=live}}</ref> MillerCoors {{when|date=April 2023}} sought an injunction to prevent Bud Light from continuing the ad campaign, as well as a trial by jury and legal fees.  Anheuser-Busch prevailed in the Seventh Circuit in 2020,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lupo |first1=Anthony |last2=Mills |first2=Matthew |last3=Maginnis |first3=Thorne |title=A Case of Beer: Seventh Circuit Decides Ad Dispute Between Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors |url=https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/the-fine-print/case-beer-seventh-circuit-decides-ad-dispute-between-anheuser-busch-and |website=ArentFox Schiff LLP |date=May 14, 2020 |publisher=ArentFox Schiff |access-date=22 March 2024}}</ref> with the court finding that since Miller included corn syrup on the ingredients list, Anheuser-Busch was within the bounds of the Lanham Act.

=== 2023 Bud Light boycott ===
{{Main|2023 Bud Light boycott}}
[[File:WSJ bud light data.jpg|thumb|Top beer brands in the U.S. the first half of 2023]]
On April 2, 2023, Anheuser-Busch's brand [[Bud Light]] started facing a [[boycott]],<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Emily |date=2023-04-12 |title=The Bud Light boycott, explained as much as is possible |url=https://www.vox.com/money/2023/4/12/23680135/bud-light-boycott-dylan-mulvaney-travis-tritt-trans |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=Vox|archive-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426130119/https://www.vox.com/money/2023/4/12/23680135/bud-light-boycott-dylan-mulvaney-travis-tritt-trans |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Floyd |first1=Thomas |last2=Selk |first2=Avi |date=April 15, 2023 |title=Bud Light chief says he 'never intended' boycott over trans star Dylan Mulvaney |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/04/15/bud-light-apology-letter/ |access-date=April 17, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415215802/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/04/15/bud-light-apology-letter/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-25 |title=Anti-trans backlash against Bud Light has executives on the hot seat. What's going on? |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-04-25/anti-transgender-backlash-against-bud-light-explained |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427015158/https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-04-25/anti-transgender-backlash-against-bud-light-explained |url-status=live}}</ref> after partnering with [[transgender]] influencer and activist [[Dylan Mulvaney]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Aleks |date=2023-04-03 |title=Bud Light faces boycott over trans activist partnership: 'Never drink it' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/bud-light-faces-boycott-trans-activist-partnership-dylan-mulvaney-1792192 |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Newsweek|archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406142822/https://www.newsweek.com/bud-light-faces-boycott-trans-activist-partnership-dylan-mulvaney-1792192 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Dodgson |first=Lindsay |date=April 6, 2023 |title=Conservatives called for a boycott of Bud Light after it partnered with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The company stood by its choice. |url=https://www.insider.com/bud-light-stands-by-dylan-mulvaney-after-conservative-backlash-trans-2023-4 |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Insider|archive-date=April 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417233926/https://www.insider.com/bud-light-stands-by-dylan-mulvaney-after-conservative-backlash-trans-2023-4 |url-status=live}}</ref> Alissa Heinerscheid, the vice president of marketing behind the campaign,<ref>{{cite web |last=Durbin |first=Dee-Ann |date=2023-04-26 |title=Bud Light fumbles, but experts say inclusive ads will stay |url=https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-transgender-dylan-mulvaney-nike-2fe1425ba09a3f0e271fda0ae4b67434 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=AP News|archive-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426214358/https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-transgender-dylan-mulvaney-nike-2fe1425ba09a3f0e271fda0ae4b67434 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 26, 2023 |title=Bud Light fumbles, but experts say inclusive ads will stay |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/bud-light-fumbles-experts-say-inclusive-ads-will-stay-rcna81584 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=NBC News|archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427001819/https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/bud-light-fumbles-experts-say-inclusive-ads-will-stay-rcna81584 |url-status=live}}</ref> took a leave of absence on April 21, 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last=Telford |first=Taylor |date=April 22, 2023 |title=Bud Light's attempt to market to new customers alienated old ones |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/22/bud-light-brand-identity-dylan-mulvaney/ |access-date=April 27, 2023 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=April 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422111350/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/22/bud-light-brand-identity-dylan-mulvaney/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Holpuch |first1=Amanda |last2=Creswell |first2=Julie |date=2023-04-25 |title=2 Executives Are on Leave After Bud Light Promotion With Transgender Influencer|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/business/bud-light-dylan-mulvaney.html |access-date=2023-04-27 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427000358/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/business/bud-light-dylan-mulvaney.html |url-status=live}}</ref> She was replaced by Budweiser Global Marketing VP Todd Allen.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-04-22 |title=Bud Light Marketing Executive Takes Leave After Controversy: Ad Age|work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-22/bud-light-marketing-exec-takes-leave-after-controversy-ad-age |access-date=2023-04-22 |archive-date=April 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422070303/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-22/bud-light-marketing-exec-takes-leave-after-controversy-ad-age |url-status=live}}</ref>

On May 10, 2023, [[HSBC]] downgraded [[AB InBev|Anheuser-Busch InBev]] stock as it dealt with a "Bud Light crisis".<ref name="nbcnews.com">{{Cite web |title=HSBC downgrades Anheuser-Busch InBev as it deals with a 'Bud Light crisis' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/hsbc-downgrades-anheuser-busch-inbev-deals-bud-light-crisis-rcna83778 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=NBC News |date=May 10, 2023|archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510182742/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/hsbc-downgrades-anheuser-busch-inbev-deals-bud-light-crisis-rcna83778 |url-status=live}}</ref> Analysts at [[HSBC]] cited "deeper problems than ABI admits" after the partnership with Mulvaney resulted in a wave of backlash and a boycott. The analyst cited a Beer Marketer's Insights note that showed a steep drop in beer sales "of maybe more than 25%" in April.<ref name="nbcnews.com"/>

On June 13, 2023, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that Bud Light lost the title as the top-selling U.S. beer, with [[Grupo Modelo|Modelo Especial]]  in May taking the top sales spot.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maloney |first=Jennifer |date=2023-06-13 |title=Bud Light Loses Title as Top-Selling U.S. Beer|work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bud-light-modelo-best-selling-beer-6a4d6b27 |access-date=2023-06-14 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

[[Yahoo! Finance]], on July 10, 2023, reported a recent [[YouGov]] survey's findings that Bud Light's popularity among American beer brands dropped to the 14th position.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-10 |title=Bud Light Plummets To 14th Place Among Beers As Anheuser-Busch CEO Pleads For Consumers To Think Of The 65,000 Employees Impacted By Boycotts |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bud-light-plummets-14th-place-210130892.html |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Yahoo Finance}}</ref>

On July 26, 2023, the [[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]] reported that Anheuser-Busch laid off hundreds of workers at its U.S. sales offices after months of slumping sales at Bud Light.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yeung |first=Ngai |date=2023-07-27 |title=Bud Light Brewer Lays Off Hundreds of U.S. Workers|work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bud-light-brewer-lays-off-hundreds-of-u-s-workers-4cddf7d6 |access-date=2023-07-27 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

Anheuser-Busch reported in its second quarter earnings, on August 3, 2023, that its revenue in the United States fell more than 10 percent in the second quarter, versus the same period last year, “primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light.” Operating profit at the U.S. unit dropped by nearly 30 percent.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-03 |title=Fall in Bud Light Sales Puts Dent in Beer Maker's Earnings |work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/business/bud-light-sales-decline.html |access-date=2023-08-03 |last1=Moreno |first1=J. Edward}}</ref>

On February 29, 2024, [[CNN Business]] reported, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, experienced a significant financial hit, potentially losing up to $1.4 billion in sales. This loss was attributed to the controversy and subsequent boycott of Bud Light in the United States, following the sponsored [[Instagram]] post featuring the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which notably impacted the company's overall growth and beer sales volume in [[North America]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ziady |first=Hanna |date=2024-02-29 |title=Bud Light boycott likely cost Anheuser-Busch InBev over $1 billion in lost sales |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/business/bud-light-boycott-ab-inbev-sales/index.html |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2025 PrideFest ===
In 2025, Anheuser-Busch broke ties with [[St. Louis PrideFest]] after 30 years as the main corporate sponsor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schmid |first=Eric |date=2025-03-25 |title=Anheuser-Busch pulls support for PrideFest after 30 years of sponsorship |url=https://www.stlpr.org/culture-history/2025-03-25/anheuser-busch-pulls-support-pridefest-after-30-years |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=STLPR |language=en}}</ref> In response, several St. Louis LGBTQ and ally bars announced they would stop carrying AB products.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clancy |first=Sam |last2=Reynolds |first2=Genell |last3=Kernan |first3=Megan |date=2025-03-26 |title=Several local businesses join boycott of Anheuser-Busch products in response to Pride sponsorship decision |url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/rehab-bar-the-grove-boycott-anheuser-busch-pride-sponsorship-decision/63-78810d51-02bb-45b4-b80f-32e18a0de704 |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=ksdk.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Ties with Washington University in St. Louis ==
Adolphus Busch joined [[Washington University in St. Louis|Washington University]]'s Board of Directors in 1895, back when the school was still located on its old downtown St. Louis campus. Adolphus would continue to serve on the board until his death in 1913, at which point his son, [[August Anheuser Busch Sr.|August Busch Sr.]] took over his seat. Though [[Adolphus Busch III]] and [[Gussie Busch]] never sat on the board, the ties between their company and the school were still strong. [[August Busch III]], CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1975 to 2002, would become a trustee of the university, a position he holds to this day. The Anheuser-Busch Foundation donation that gave its name to Anheuser-Busch Hall was made in honor of Fred L. Kuhlmann, an executive officer of both the company and the St. Louis Cardinals under August Busch III. Kuhlmann, who held these positions for most of the 1980s and early 1990s, graduated from WashU's undergraduate and law programs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://wustl.edu/about/campuses/danforth-campus/anheuser-busch-hall/ |title=Anheuser-Busch Hall |work=Washington University in St. Louis |access-date=2019-08-04 |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804010844/https://wustl.edu/about/campuses/danforth-campus/anheuser-busch-hall/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Though the Busch family no longer owns Anheuser-Busch, the connection between the company and the university is ongoing. Jack H. Purnell, former CEO of Anheuser-Busch, where he worked for 36 years, is an executive in residence of the [[Olin Business School]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.studlife.com/scene/2019/02/06/bears-and-beer-a-history-of-wus-connection-to-anheuser-busch/ |title=Bears and beer: A history of WU's connection to Anheuser-Busch |website=Student Life |date=February 7, 2019 |access-date=2019-08-04 |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804010853/http://www.studlife.com/scene/2019/02/06/bears-and-beer-a-history-of-wus-connection-to-anheuser-busch/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Companies|Beer}}
*[[Anheuser-Busch InBev]]
*[[Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association Building]]
*[[SeaWorld Entertainment]]
*[[Manufacturers Railway (St. Louis)]]
*[[Jacques Chirac]] – former [[President of France]] worked at the St Louis plant in the 1950s during his summer term at [[Harvard University]].

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*''Dethroning the King – The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon''. [[Julie MacIntosh]] (John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2011)
*''Bitter Brew – The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer''. [[William Knoedelseder]] (HarperCollins, 2012)

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website}}
*{{HABS |survey=MO-1613 |id=mo0926 |title=Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Broadway & Pestalozzi, Saint Louis, Independent City, MO |photos=3 |data=2 |cap=1}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100113182118/http://www.budweisertours.com/toursSTL.htm Anheuser-Busch Web Page on the St. Louis Brewery Tour]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170215120911/http://gogd.tjs-labs.com/gallery-view?advertiser=anheuser*busch Collection of mid-twentieth century advertising featuring Anheuser-Busch products] from the TJS Labs Gallery of Graphic Design.

{{Anheuser-Busch}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals owners}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Anheuser-Busch| ]]
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[[Category:Alcoholic drink companies]]
[[Category:German-American culture in St. Louis]]
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[[Category:Beer brewing companies based in St. Louis]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1852]]
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[[Category:Eclipse Award winners]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in Missouri]]
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