Gussie’s son to start new brewery in St. Louis
William K. “Billy” Busch, 51, a member of the brewing family said he is close to opening William K. Busch Brewing Co., a brewery that will initially focus on American-style pale lagers, similar to Budweiser and Bud Light.
Two lagers will initially be available in the St. Louis market by November, with broader, regional distribution after that. The beers will initially be brewed under contract by an unnamed. The plan is to choose a site for a brewery in the St. Louis area next year.
Busch is the son of the late August “Gussie” Busch Jr. Although he never worked at his family’s brewery, Busch did perform maintenance tasks on Grant’s Farm as a young man. Later, he and two of his brothers, Adolphus Busch IV and Andy Busch, were part owners of Silver Eagle, a large, Texas-based A-B distributor. Each brother sold his stake in the company for an undisclosed amount in 1991.
Also involved in the project are Gary Prindiville Jr., who was a former A-B director of human resources.