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Anheuser-Busch, the king of beer, was founded by a German immigrant, Adolphus Busch. Born in Kastel, Germany to Ulrich and Barbara Busch, he was the 20th child born into the large family. In 1857, Adolphus Busch moved to American at the age of 18. He immigrated alone; confident that he would find success.

His first employment was as a clerk in St. Louis Missouri. He was driven to succeed so he founded a brewery in St. Louis. An excellent businessman, Busch was soon making a small profit.

In 1860, Eberhard Anheuser purchased a brewery and came to Busch for help and supplies. In 1864, Busch married Lilly Anheuser, Eberhard's daughter. Busch went to work for his new father-in-law. Through hard work Busch rose to partnership in the company. He went back to Europe to study the brewing techniques used there. He was searching for a method to brew a beer that could be sold across the nation.

After years of experimentation, Adolphus Busch developed a beer that he called Budweiser after a town in Germany. The beer went into production in 1876. The company was renamed Anheuser-Busch. In 1900, Busch developed a new beer that he called Michelob. He was one of the first brewers to utilize pasteurization to ensure the freshness of the beer.

Anheuser-Busch is the most successful American brewery. It sells about half of the beer products sold in the United States. Anheuser-Busch is a major player in the world market and in 1995 it had a 45% market share. During the course of his life, Adolphus Busch went from a jobless immigrant to the president of a powerful worldwide corporation.

Adolphus wasn't just a hard worker. Busch lived an extravagant life. He played hard and wasn't miserly with his money. He traveled in a private railroad car.He maintained many estate properties with well maintain grounds. His main home was an elegant mansion and country home in Saint Louis, Missouri. He also owned a hop farm in Cooperstown, NY, and two homes in Pasadena, CA. He never forgot his heritage and maintained two villas in Langenschwalbach, Germany. He died in 1913 while at his home in Langenschwalbach, Germany. His body was shipped to the United States and was buried in St. Louis, Missouri.

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