[10] The company employs over 19,000 people,[11] operates 12 breweries and 9 aluminum can plants in the United States,[12] and until December 2009, was one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, with ten theme parks through the company's family entertainment division Busch Entertainment Corporation.

[14] In 1860, the brewery was purchased on the brink of bankruptcy by William D'Oench, a local pharmacist, and Eberhard Anheuser, a prosperous German-born soap manufacturer.

[24] During the 1880s and 1890s, Busch introduced a series of advertisements and marketing giveaways for the company, including bottle openers, calendars, corkscrews, pocketknives, postcards, and prints.

[25] As a marketing tactic, Busch distributed thousands of copies of the print to bars in 1896,[25] the same year Anheuser-Busch introduced its new "super-premium" brand, Michelob.

[28] As with all breweries in the country, the Temperance movement and eventual Prohibition in the United States dealt a major blow to the company in the 1910s through the 1930s.

InBev also stated that the merger would not result in any U.S. brewery closures and they would attempt to retain management and board members from both companies.

[33] On June 25, 2008, Anheuser-Busch officially announced that they would reject InBev's offer and provide a restructuring of the company to maintain shareholders and United States World Headquarters in St.

The company had previously filed suit in Delaware, after the rejection of their offer, to ensure that the stockholders could oust Anheuser-Busch's 13 board members.

[35] On July 7, 2008, Anheuser-Busch filed a lawsuit against InBev to stop them from soliciting the support of shareholders, stating that the company's offer is an illegal scheme.

The all-cash agreement, almost $52 billion in total equity, created the world's largest brewer, uniting the maker of Budweiser and Michelob with the producer of Beck's, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Bass, Labatt and Brahma.

On October 7, 2009, parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to sell the theme parks division to The Blackstone Group for up to US$2.7 billion.

By early 2009, AB InBev "turned a family-led company that spared little expense into one that is focused intently on cost-cutting and profit margins, while rethinking the way it sells beer.

"[42] AB InBev focused on reducing costs in the Anheuser-Busch Companies subsidiary and implemented performance-related pay,[42] along with several other changes.

[44] For employees, AB InBev ended perquisites such as executive assistants for senior management, company contributions to the salaried employee pension plan, and company-provided life insurance to retirees; it also reduced the number of company-provided cell phones, taking back 1200 Blackberries;[44] and ended tuition reimbursement, and severance packages.

[12] Other multi-country brands distributed or produced by Anheuser-Busch Companies include Leffe and Hoegaarden, while local brands produced by the company include Bass Pale Ale, Bud Light, Busch Beer, Landshark Lager, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Natural Light, and Shock Top.

Since the acquisition by AB InBev, the company has significantly cut back its advertising, predicated on the belief that "changing demographics and media habits no longer require spending as much on mainstream sports events".

[66] In 1995 Anheuser-Busch's Baldwinsville brewery won an award for pollution prevention from the New York Governor for its use of a "comprehensive, energy-producing pollution-prevention system – bioenergy recovery – to treat wastewater from the brewing process."

[69][70] The brewery also operates an environmental outreach program to encourage recycling, energy conservation, and habitat preservation, as well as to prevent littering and water pollution.

[77][78] In April 2015, Anheuser-Busch, in an effort to target new, younger consumers to buy its products, the company printed a slogan on Bud Light bottles that said "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night.

[83] In early February 2017, Anheuser-Busch's "Budweiser – Born the Hard Way" Super Bowl commercial was released online, prompting conservative political rebuke over its depiction of the immigration of founder Adolphus Busch from Germany to St. Louis.

A week before the ad's release, public controversy erupted over an executive order prohibiting entry of immigrants, refugees, and re-entry of permanent residents from seven countries into the United States.

[86] On March 21, 2019, Anheuser-Busch was sued for false advertising by rival MillerCoors over a Bud Light commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIII.

The suit alleges that Anheuser-Busch is using "false and misleading statements" to confuse health-conscious consumers into thinking the beers contain high-fructose corn syrup, which has been linked with obesity.

On April 2, 2023, Anheuser-Busch's brand Bud Light started facing a boycott,[91][92][93][94][95] after partnering with transgender influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney.

[101] Analysts at HSBC cited "deeper problems than ABI admits" after the partnership with Mulvaney resulted in a wave of backlash and a boycott.

[101] On June 13, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Bud Light lost the title as the top-selling U.S. beer, with Modelo Especial in May taking the top sales spot.

Finance, on July 10, 2023, reported a recent YouGov survey's findings that Bud Light's popularity among American beer brands dropped to the 14th position.

[105] On February 29, 2024, CNN Business reported, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, experienced a significant financial hit, potentially losing up to $1.4 billion in sales.

This loss was attributed to the controversy and subsequent boycott of Bud Light in the United States, following the sponsored Instagram post featuring the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which notably impacted the company's overall growth and beer sales volume in North America.

[106] Adolphus Busch joined Washington University's Board of Directors in 1895, back when the school was still located on its old downtown St. Louis campus.