Key Stats
Founded: 1876
Parent Company: Anheuser-Busch InBev
Headquarters: Leuven, Belgium (AB InBev); St. Louis, Missouri (Anheuser-Busch)
CEO: Michel Doukeris (AB InBev, since July 2021)
Stock Symbol: NYSE: BUD (Anheuser-Busch InBev)
Budweiser is one of the best-selling beers in the United States and the flagship brand of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewing company. First introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. in St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser is a filtered lager made with barley malt, rice, hops, and water.
The beer takes its name from the town of Budweis (now České Budějovice) in the Czech Republic, where a similar style of lager had been brewed since the 13th century. Adolphus Busch and Carl Conrad developed the American Budweiser as a “Bohemian-style” lager to appeal to German immigrants in the United States.
Today, Budweiser is available in more than 80 countries worldwide. The brand is marketed with the slogan “The King of Beers” and is known for its Clydesdale horses, which have appeared in advertising since 1933.
Budweiser History
1860
Bavarian Brewery Founded
Eberhard Anheuser and William D’Oench purchase the struggling Bavarian Brewery in St. Louis. Nine years later, Anheuser’s son-in-law Adolphus Busch joins as a partner.
1876
Budweiser Introduced
Adolphus Busch and Carl Conrad launch Budweiser, a Bohemian-style lager named after the brewing traditions of Budweis, Bohemia. Conrad holds the original trademark and has Anheuser-Busch manufacture the beer.
1879
Anheuser-Busch Name Adopted
The company is renamed Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association. Adolphus Busch becomes president after Eberhard Anheuser’s death in 1880.
1882
Busch Acquires Budweiser Rights
Adolphus Busch purchases the Budweiser trademark from Carl Conrad, who declared bankruptcy. The brand becomes fully owned by Anheuser-Busch.
1933
Prohibition Ends
Following the repeal of Prohibition, the Budweiser Clydesdales make their first public appearance, delivering a case of beer to the Empire State Building. The Clydesdales become an enduring brand symbol.
1957
Industry Sales Leader
Anheuser-Busch surpasses Schlitz to become the top-selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser remains central to this position for decades.
1982
Bud Light Launched
Anheuser-Busch introduces Bud Light, which becomes the best-selling beer in America. The light beer category grows to dominate the U.S. beer market.
2008
InBev Acquisition
Belgian-Brazilian brewing company InBev acquires Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion, creating Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewing company.
Budweiser Founders
Adolphus Busch
Born July 10, 1839, in Germany. Busch immigrated to St. Louis in 1857 and married Eberhard Anheuser’s daughter Lilly in 1861. He joined the family brewery in 1869 and developed Budweiser with Carl Conrad in 1876. Busch pioneered pasteurization and refrigerated railcars to distribute beer nationally. He died in 1913.
Carl Conrad
Born in Guggenheim, Germany, Conrad immigrated to St. Louis in 1861. A wine and liquor importer, he partnered with Adolphus Busch to create Budweiser, registering the trademark in 1878. Conrad bottled and sold the beer under his own label until declaring bankruptcy in 1883, when Busch acquired the rights.
Eberhard Anheuser
Born in Germany in 1806, Anheuser was a successful soap manufacturer in St. Louis. He purchased the struggling Bavarian Brewery in 1860 with William D’Oench. His daughter’s marriage to Adolphus Busch brought the partnership that would build the company into America’s largest brewery.
Anheuser-Busch InBev Acquisitions
Budweiser’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated the global brewing industry. The company now controls approximately 630 beer brands worldwide.
The modern AB InBev began with the 2004 merger of Belgium’s Interbrew and Brazil’s AmBev. This created InBev, which then acquired American brewing giant Anheuser-Busch in 2008 for $52 billion. The deal brought Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, and other American brands under international ownership.
AB InBev continued expanding with the 2016 acquisition of SABMiller for over $100 billion, the third-largest corporate takeover in history. To satisfy antitrust regulators, the company divested several brands including Peroni, Grolsch, and Miller’s U.S. operations to Molson Coors.
The company has also acquired craft breweries including Goose Island (2011), Blue Point (2014), Elysian Brewing (2015), and Golden Road Brewing (2015). These acquisitions allow AB InBev to compete in the growing craft beer segment while maintaining its mass-market brands.
Through its ownership of Grupo Modelo (acquired 2013), AB InBev produces Corona and Modelo beers outside the United States. Within the U.S., Constellation Brands holds the license to these Mexican beer brands due to antitrust requirements.
Anheuser-Busch InBev Revenue
Anheuser-Busch InBev generated $59.76 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024. As the world’s largest brewing company, AB InBev produces approximately one in four beers sold globally and operates in over 50 countries.
Anheuser-Busch InBev Market Cap
Anheuser-Busch InBev has a market capitalization of approximately $156 billion as of February 2026. The company trades on the Euronext Brussels stock exchange with a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BUD.
Budweiser Competitors
Budweiser competes in the global beer market against major international brewers and regional craft producers. The Bud Light controversy in 2023 caused significant market share losses in the United States, with Modelo Especial overtaking Bud Light as the top-selling beer in America.
| Company | Headquarters | Key Brands |
|---|---|---|
| Heineken | Netherlands | Heineken, Amstel, Dos Equis |
| Molson Coors | United States | Coors Light, Miller Lite, Blue Moon |
| Constellation Brands | United States | Corona, Modelo, Pacifico |
| Carlsberg | Denmark | Carlsberg, Tuborg, Kronenbourg |
| Asahi Group | Japan | Asahi Super Dry, Peroni, Grolsch |
| Kirin Holdings | Japan | Kirin Ichiban, Kirin Lager |
| Diageo | United Kingdom | Guinness, Harp, Smithwick’s |
| Boston Beer Company | United States | Samuel Adams, Truly Hard Seltzer |
| Tsingtao Brewery | China | Tsingtao, Laoshan |
| Budweiser Budvar | Czech Republic | Budweiser Budvar, Czechvar |
Budweiser Trademark Dispute
Budweiser has been the subject of trademark disputes for over a century. The name “Budweiser” refers to beer from the Czech city of Budweis (České Budějovice), where brewing dates back to 1265. Czech brewers Budweiser Budvar and Bürgerbräu have marketed their beers under the Budweiser name since 1895 and 1876, respectively.
In 1907, American and Bohemian brewers agreed that Anheuser-Busch could use the Budweiser name in North America while Czech brewers retained European rights. Today, the American beer is marketed as “Bud” in France and “Anheuser-Busch B” in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The United Kingdom is one of few markets where both companies sell beer under the Budweiser name.
As of the early 2010s, approximately 40 trademark disputes were pending in various jurisdictions worldwide. The Czech Budweiser Budvar had won the majority of cases brought to resolution.
FAQs
Who owns Budweiser?
Budweiser is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, a Belgian-Brazilian multinational brewing company headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008.
When was Budweiser created?
Budweiser was introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and Carl Conrad in St. Louis, Missouri. The beer was inspired by Bohemian lagers from the town of Budweis.
Why is Budweiser called the King of Beers?
The slogan “King of Beers” was adapted by Adolphus Busch from the Czech phrase “Beer of Kings,” which described Budweiser beer from Budweis dating back to the 16th century.
What is Budweiser made from?
Budweiser is brewed using barley malt, rice (up to 30%), hops, water, and yeast. The addition of rice gives Budweiser its lighter body and crisper taste compared to all-malt lagers.
Is Budweiser the same as Czech Budweiser?
No, American Budweiser and Czech Budweiser Budvar are different beers made by different companies. They share a name derived from the Czech city of Budweis but have no corporate relationship.
