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Bitter Brew: The Rise And Fall Of Anheuser-Busch And America's Kings Of Beer (2012)

by William Knoedelseder(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0062009265 (ISBN13: 9780062009265)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

HarperBusiness

review 1: Just finished Bitter Brew for a book club. I spent a few years at A-B in the late 1990's as a temp, so I was curious about the book from working in and around those hallowed grounds on Pestalozzi Street.Knoedelseder did a nice job of lightly covering all of the history of the Busch family since Adolphus Busch married Lilly Anheuser, a daughter in a beer brewing family. The information about the beginnings of A-B was pretty historical, describing what was happening in the world at the time when milestones were being met at A-B. The book changed approach to chronicle more of the Busch family (instead of the company) as it got closer to present day with August III and August IV.Overall it seems like there were some colorful people in the mix of Busch men at the top of A-B, bu... moret not all of them had business acumen. All did share a last name and were womanizers, hunters, and drinkers though. Up until August IV rose to power, these "Kings" also understood the importance of their role at A-B as a steward of the company and that they were protecting a legacy for their employees, St. Louis, and America.Through the years it seems like the Busch family has had successes, failures, and loads of sadness. Though I think the author gave it all he could and he did have some nice quotes woven in from people who "lived" the experience, I still found this book a bit disjointed and just not my cup of tea...
review 2: This was an enjoyable read, but it did not convince me to buy a Bud Light Lime-A-Rita, which I'm pretty sure would make the founder of Anheuser-Busch cry in despair. It did, however, make me appreciate the history of Budweiser and all of the love and effort poured into the company to make it the number one beer company in the U.S. Maybe I will buy a six-pack of Budweiser next time instead of Fat Tire. less

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