A Busch to re-enter the brewing industry
It must be in their genes. While August Busch IV, 47, the last CEO of Anheuser-Busch, seems to have left the brewing industry for good, his uncle William “Billy” Busch, 51, has decided to enter it. According to St Louis newspapers, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in September 2011 granted label approval for the first two beers from the recently announced William K. Busch Brewing Co.: Kräftig Lager and Kräftig Light.
Lacking his own brewery, Mr Busch has both beers brewed under contract at the City Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The labels indicate that the lagers are brewed and bottled in Wisconsin; they also show "William K. Busch Brewing Company, St. Louis, Mo."
Kräftig (pronounced KREF-tig) means strong or robust in German. There is no alcohol-by-volume listed on either label, but Kräftig Light’s label notes that it contains 109 calories per 12-ounce serving.
Mr Busch announced his St. Louis-based brewing venture in July this year with a goal of having two lagers available in this market by November. Marc Gottfried, long-time brewmaster at Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede’s Landing, is leading the brewing efforts at Busch Brewing Co, it was reported.
Billy Busch is a son of the late August “Gussie” Busch Jr. and a half brother of former Anheuser-Busch Chairman August Busch III, 74. Billy and two of his brothers, Adolphus Busch IV and Andy Busch, were co-owners of Houston’s Silver Eagle Distributors, now the largest Anheuser-Busch distributor in the country. In early 1991, each sold his 17 percent stake in the company for an undisclosed amount.
Mr Busch, a polo player, is not bound by a non-compete agreement with AB-InBev since he wasn’t working for Anheuser-Busch when InBev took it over.
