The Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch

 

Well-built spot to hang out and have a beer before or after a tour. Interesting artifacts on display and they have a very well stocked gift shop. Nobody sells stuff better than Anheuser-Busch.

Visited in August 2023 during a long road trip... After one of the more surprisingly entertaining brewery tours I've ever taken (I'll get back to that in a sec), I dropped my duff upon a bench at one of the quite many communal tables at this hangar-like (barely a soul there, so its volume felt immense) set up on the A-B grounds... the beer-pour staff were super friendly, though my impression was that craft beer talk would've been pointless... tried (all draft) a 'winning recipe' brown ale (decent), then Bud Select (never seen anywhere), then Space Dust (which I somehow never had); primed for adventure by the end... this was my first stop of the day, and I wish I would've grabbed some food, because the menu had enough relatively tantalizing items... the draft of the day, however, was a pint of "21-day", lagering Bud along the tour, poured cold from a horizontal tank through a corkscrew spout in their lagering house; why this was as moreish as it was is still a mystery to me - maybe the novelty of it heightened its impact... fantastic tour, if you ever get a chance to go... historical galore, horses, and more

This is actually a sizeable open air biergarten under a large hangar sort of canopy that has no issues with the weather, put to practice by the storm we watched roll in just after we completed our tour. And what a tour it was, even as the pandemic protocols were still in place. It was casual enough, but well paced and structured, showing us the production line from start to finish in an orderly yet efficient manner.

As the tour ends, just before entering the public biergarten, you find yourself at a smaller tap station where you get your free pint from a smaller selection of drafts. You can sit out at that small small patio, or venture into the larger beirgarten that also has a larger, much more diverse pay-as-you-go selection--you know, if you weren't able to get your Busch fix from the free taps. In fairness, there actually are a few other "craft" options, and even some strange one-offs that I never realized AB brewed. We're talking schwarzbiers and saisons here! However, I'd temper your expectations.

Service is fine, but not quite as knowledgeable as you'd find at a more trafficked, tested craft beer bar. They weren't able to identify anything regarding their Underground series, or even some of the other non-AB drafts. However, there's a respectable list of food which, if ordered, will be delivered to your table. In fact, it's pretty close to a restaurant, without full service--something I didn't realize was on-site.

All in all, I CAN hate the player, and have fun with them at the same time, because this really was an enjoyable visit. While I'm mildly intrigued with the thought of having a casual beer dinner here, I probably wouldn't come back unless I was in town with friends who also wanted to do the tour.

 

 

indoor and outdoor bar and grill at the AB brewery, south of downtown St. Louis. The tour of the historical brewery starts and ends here. The tour is actually pretty cool even if you're not an AB fan. beer selection is a rundown of the AB lineup. But they also had a special pilot brew of a black lager that was pretty good. Didn't have any food.

 

It's a joy to visit the number of small breweries that continue to pop up, but I had never visited a brewery that brews at a massive large scale that even New Belgium Brewing can't match. Anheuser Busch is an American landmark, and being in St. Louis, I had the opportunity to visit. The sights are numerous, however I did have a proper meal and drink at the Biergarten, which was in the Oktoberfest mood. Bavarian music playing overhead, light sky blue checkerboards, mugs of bright colored beer, long wooden benches for seating. A decent crowd on hand just before noon.

It's easy to think that their Biergarten will only serve similar light beers, but the beer menu does go a little deeper. A bona-fide beer menu with short descriptions and pouring sizes. While many of the beers you could seemingly get at a 7-Eleven, a few specialties/"rarities" like Budweiser Signature Draught and Michelob Golden Draft Light spot their way onto the menu. A few brews from the family of brands, such as Leffe and Blue Point, are also available. Even matching glassware come with the drafts!

Service was a little slower at the Biergarten than expected. But the return of what I got was acceptable. Beer Bratwurst with parmesan fries for lunch, plus potato pancakes as an appetizer put me in a drinking mood. Furthermore, after spending years digesting craft beers at premium prices, it felt light weight was liften when I spotted many drafts at $4, including Budweiser Premium Draft ('twas alright, thankyouverymuch).

Come to Anheuser Busch for a day and soak in the history and a Bud. And finally, don't forget to add your name to the Brewmaster Tour and enjoy multiple samples of beers on the tour!

 

This is the big tasting room/restaurant where tours of the St Louis AB plant end. It has a combination hospitality room/ chain restaurant vibe inside and the big tour groups dropping off every 15 min would really be disruptive if you were trying to have lunch inside. The outisde seating area was big and seemed nice, but it was way, way too hot to go out there they day we visited. The service was good, especially under the circumstances, but we didn't have any food. The selection is quite good, with maybe 40 different beers on tap, but the quality... Well, the best thing available was Goose Island IPA, then Stella, and rapidly downhill from there. It is worth visiting for the ornate, historic buildings on the tour, but aside from that, drink your free beer and move on to better breweries, which are very easy to find.