Brewer Sale Worries St. Louis Residents

St. Louis is a Budweiser town. But the recent announcement that brewer Anheuser-Busch had been bought out by a Belgian brewer has many in the city worried about the future of their most famous and most unifying resident.

1 minute read

July 16, 2008, 12:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


"The Anheuser-Busch dynasty is so ingrained in the identity of St. Louis that people here talk about the Busch family as if they are both royalty and relatives, making references to "Gussie" (August A. Busch Jr.) and "Augie" (August A. Busch III)."

"In a city that does not do much bragging, the mighty brewery has long been a reason to boast."

"'St. Louis has a terrible inferiority complex,' said Susan Manlin Katman, sitting in the shade at an outdoor cafe in the trendy Central West End neighborhood. 'We're not North or South, East or West. So we tend to dwell on what we're lacking, instead of what we have.'"

"Downtown St. Louis has witnessed a striking resurgence in recent years, with the opening of stylish pubs and restaurants and the refurbishing of residential lofts. With its French and German influences, St. Louis has a rich cultural history and an architectural flourish. It has exulted in the glories of Cardinal baseball heroes, from Stan Musial to Albert Pujols. The city also claims Forest Park, an urban nature preserve near downtown that is bigger than Central Park."

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 in The New York Times

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