Bitter Brew

The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer

By: William Knoedelseder

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The engrossing, often scandalous saga of one of the wealthiest, longest-lasting, and most colorful family dynasties in the history of American commerce - a cautionary tale about prosperity, profligacy, hubris, and the blessings and dark consequences of success.

From countless bar signs, stadium scoreboards, magazine ads, TV commercials, and roadside billboards, the name Budweiser has been burned into the American consciousness as the "King of Beers". Over a span of more than a century, the company behind it, Anheuser-Busch, has attained legendary status. A jewel of the American Industrial Revolution, in the hands of its founders - the sometimes reckless and always boisterous Busch family of St. Louis, Missouri - it grew into one of the most fearsome marketing machines in modern times. In Bitter Brew, critically acclaimed journalist Knoedelseder paints a fascinating portrait of immense wealth and power accompanied by a barrelful of scandal, heartbreak, tragedy, and untimely death.

This engrossing, vivid narrative captures the Busch saga through five generations. At the same time, it weaves a broader story of American progress and decline over the past 150 years. It's a cautionary tale of prosperity, hubris, and loss.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2012 William Knoedelseder (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Good things don't last

Really enjoyable audio book about the king of beers. Or at least what used to be the king of beers. Filled with a mix of history and personal anecdotes, it details the rise and fall of AN as clearly stated in the title. Not knowing much about beer companies, it was a bit hard to follow some of the mergers and acquisitions between competitors. Surprisingly a lot of baseball history as well with the Cardinals and Busch Stadium. Unfortunately the last part of the book talks mainly about the fourth and his envy of poor life choices, which is essentially the end to a long standing family owned company.

I was intrigued by this book after going on an AB brewery tour and glad I listened to it. It's unfortunate such a successful American run business couldn't outlast a buyout from an even bigger corporation, but keeping it in the family isn't always the best business decision.

nepotism vs business. you get what you get

it's hard to believe an American empire so poorly managed by the very leaders/founders of the company.

by the time they got to the 4th generation AND GAVE him the reins the mold had been set for total capitalistic annihilation of one of America's pioneering companies.

money, fame, and family were no match for the trappings of big money.

Great story about AB and it’s leader/family members

I liked the rise of AB and it’s expansion over the decades. Also I like the stories about rich privilege, especially related to August 4.

Intriguing

Great book. A must read especially if you have to ties to St. Louis. The Busch family story is a great one. They have done a lot for our city, unfortunately with immense success comes heartbreak at some point. I would hate to have to be under a microscope 24/7.

Great book

A biography of the relevant history of the Buch family, the Budweiser beer and AB company. Very well written with a good mix of these three great stories.

Entertaining...informative...and a bit sad

Very interesting and thorough look into the Busch family and the empire they built...and lost. Makes me want to go drink a Bud out of respect...even though I'm a craft brew junkie :)

Sad

What an great and sad story, at the same time.
A must story to hear

Super interesting w/ a fantastic narrator

I read a lot of beer books. While this book may not give you a ton of beer knowledge it will give you an immense amount of beer history and fantastic stories.

Great book

I really enjoyed this book. The performance was even better on Audible. If you’re looking to learn about a family dynasty gone wrong than this is a good one to read or listen.

Great listen

Very informative. Narration was alright, slow and not very energetic at times but a decent listen.