ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES, INC.

company that is the largest producer of beer in the United States and the world. It is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. The company had its origins in a small brewery opened in St. Louis by George Schneider in 1852. This faltering enterprise was bought by the soap manufacturer Eberhard Anheuser in 1860, and the following year Anheuser's daughter married Adolphus Busch (q.v.), a brewery supplier who became the driving force behind the brewery's future success. Busch pioneered the use of refrigerated railcars and of pasteurization in the brewing industry as part of his efforts to create the first nationally selling beer in the United States. In 1875 E. Anheuser & Company's name was changed to Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association, and in 1876 the company introduced a new, light-coloured beer called Budweiser. Busch became president of the company in 1879. The company greatly expanded its brewing operations during the presidency (194675) of August Anheuser Busch, Jr., and the latter's son August A. Busch III headed the firm into the late 20th century. By then Anheuser-Busch Companies had become the world's largest brewer owing to its popular Budweiser and Michelob lines. The company is also a major owner of family-entertainment attractions. Among the latter are four Sea World amusement parks; Busch Gardens (The Dark Continent), a zoo and amusement park in Tampa, Fla., that has African themes; and Busch Gardens (The Old Country), an amusement park near Williamsburg, Va., that has historical European themes. Anheuser-Busch also owned the St. Louis Cardinals professional baseball team from 1953 to 1996.