S&M: tour of anheuser-busch brewery

Today, we went for a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Getting there involved a ride on the metro (to Convention Center station) and then a bus (30, I believe). Not terribly convenient, but the long trip was worth it.

The company's most recognizable mascots. They were *huge*. The full-grown Clydesdale should stand 18 hands (about 6 feet) at the shoulder and weigh between 2000 and 2300 pounds.

"In 1933, August A. Busch, Jr. gave a hitch of Clydesdales to his father in celebration of the resumption of brewing in St. Louis following the repeal of Prohibition. Clydesdales--a powerful breed of draft horses--originated in the Clyde valley of Scotland, and they are known for the distinctive, feathery hair on their fetlocks--the lower parts of their legs above and behind the hooves."

---Kim Knox Becklus

Inside the air-conditioned stables. These are pampered horses...


As we walked through the grounds, we could smell the cooking malt. Mike was commenting that the smell reminds him of the area in front of Ikea in Queensway (back in Singapore), where there used to be a brewery before it moved away. I can't recall that, but for me, the smell reminds me of Horlicks, something I haven't drunk or eaten since I was a kid.


I didn't really know what to expect -- a factory, perhaps? However, I was pleasantly surprised, for the old buildings that constitute the original brewery are very beautiful and well-maintained. I suppose it is not a surprise as they do open these areas, which are still in use, to the public.

The occasional quirky architecture. Is that meant to be a gargoyle or is that another company mascot?


And at the end, there were 2 complimentary glasses of beer. Each.

Friends in Singapore know I don't, or didn't use to, drink because I'm a lightweight, alcohol's expensive and I'm a cheapskate, I ride a motorbike, alcohol interferes with athletic performance; etc. But since I've left Singapore, somehow, I found myself taking the occasional tipple. Even before I left, there was the dinner with Jessica and Kelvin that ended with a round of drinks on Mt Faber (I had a magarita). When I got to St Louis, there was the ladies' nite at Blueberry Hill (I had another magarita, but while I paid about US$10 for a dainty glass of magarita with crushed ice in Singapore, I got a generous plastic cup of magarita with ice cubes for US$5 in St Louis); Dan's BBQ (had a few sips of Mike's beer); the brewery tour (where I had about a glass of beer).

Well, when in Rome...

The beer at the brewery was good. Really, really fresh, of course.

Hic.