FILLING

The packaging process begins with the bottle rinser where bottles are rinsed inside and out, filled, and instantly crowned to retain their natural carbonation.

The bottles then pass by an electronic inspection device, before they go to the pasteurizers. Adolphus Busch introduced pasteurization to Anheuser-Busch in the 1870s, two decades before milk was pasteurized in the United States. Pasteurization allows our packaged beer to be shipped and stored without refrigeration. After the bottles emerge from the pasteurizers, they continue to the labelers, where the distinctive Anheuser-Busch labels are applied. Draught beer is refrigerated at all times and does not have to be pasteurized. Our canning process follows similar steps.

PACKAGING

The finished beer is packaged into bottles, cans and draft kegs. Packaging lines are capable of filling up to millions of cans and bottles per day. The draft beer line is capable of producing the equivalent of 2.3 million 12 oz. containers per day.

SHIPPING

The filled containers are put into cartons and conveyed to the warehouse where they are stacked on pallets for shipment. Beer is transported from one out of twelve regional breweries to an Anheuser-Busch wholesaler for distribution to local markets.