DRINKING O’ THE GREEN

 

As I’ve noted here in the past, St. Louis likes a chance to drink in public. Budweiser, the local famous brew, markets heavily on St. Patrick’s Day. The can labeled High Noon in this person’s right hand, is nominally vodka and fruit juice. The chap in the Scots tartan has a fat cigar in his left hand. (Calling Dr. Freud!)                       

PANDEMIC IN SPRINGTIME 3 - ESSENTIAL BUSINESS

Is there a more essential business in St. Louis these days, other than, perhaps the Washington University and St. Louis University Medical Centers? Yes, this is the headquarters of Budweiser, or sort of, since it was sucked up by a Brazilian-Belgian conglomerate. It chases you everywhere in the world (except, I think, the Czech Republic). The brand was on the first advertising sign we saw when our little group got off the plane in Tibet years ago. https://flic.kr/p/71dTXFhttps://flic.kr/p/71dTXF . I guarantee you this place is still open for business.            

Here Comes The King

Oops. I'm a bit uncomfortable some days and I'm prone to overlook things. Left my briefcase with my laptop inside sitting on the garage floor behind my car this morning. I was going to upload this as soon as I got to the office. Well, try again.

These are the Budweiser Clydesdale horses, universally known in the US and frequently seen in St. Louis. They pull an old beer wagon to the music of a Bud ad jingle called "Here Comes The King," as in king of beers. Personally, I think Budweiser is more of the handyman or janitor of beers. There is so much more that is so much more interesting.                   

Taps

One of the vendors in Soulard Market, ready to pour you some of the awful (IMHO) products of Anheuser Busch Inbev, while grilling hot dogs or sausages behind. Anheuser Busch used to own this town until it got sucked into the Belgian-Brazilian conglomerate Inbev. Budweiser was everywhere, even all over the world. The first advertising sign I saw in Tibet at a little airport restaurant was for Bud. The sign was in English, Tibetan and Chinese. The picture of the can said Anheuser Busch, St. Louis, Missouri.

I'm not fond of Budweiser. I'm sipping a Cotes du Rhone as I write this.        

Here Comes The King

That is the name of the song that is played whenever the Budweiser Clydesale horses are out on the march because Bud styles itself the King of Beers. Personally, I think the monarchy has been deposed but that's another matter.

You find these mammoths at many major events. I'm sure they will be in the St. Patrick;s Day parade next weekend. The team is a fixture at opening day of the baseball season, not far away, where they trot around the dirt track that surrounds the playing field. Be assured that the product they represent will be for sale everywhere you look.       

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Transitions

I don't have any new local material so I had to dig into the archives for this one. Not at all local, in one sense. It's the first billboard we saw outside of the Lhasa, Tibet, airport. We have an American icon, written first in English, then Tibetan, then Chinese. That's a transition.

And there is a link to the home town of this blog. Look closely at the can, where it says Anheuser Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO, USA. The world keeps shrinking.            

Back In The Nest

The Cardinals, who have by far the best record in baseball this season, were back in town last night after a long road trip. Another full house. No doubt they sold a lot of the beverage advertised on this bus shelter.

The opponent was the despised Chicago Cubs. The poor Cubbies, one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, have not won the championship in 106 years. You may see people walking around downtown wearing tee shirts that read "CUBS - Completely Useless By September."                         

Emblems

Two of the great emblems of St. Louis on a gloomy winter day.                 

Ballpark Village

It finally opened, or Phase 1 did.

We had a new baseball stadium for the 2006 season. It cost about a squillion dollars and much of it was taxpayer money. Construction was right next to the old stadium. In return for the public money, the team owners promised to build a grand complex on the old site to be called Ballpark Village. It was to include shops, restaurants, apartments and offices. So about six years go by and guess what happened? Nothing.

Then someone got some financing and the first part went up. It opened last weekend. We're all baseball fans so we went down for dinner out of curiosity.

It's all about squeezing as much money out of the customers as possible while watching sports on gigantic televisions. There was a feel of Las Vegas. We went to the Budweiser Brew House, whose menu looked okay. Despite being told earlier there would be no problem getting a table at 6, the hostess told me "30 to 45 minutes and we hope less." An hour later as we were getting up to leave they found a table. The food was better than expected (although overpriced) but it was sooo slow. I was about to leave the place when the mains arrived. The servers were wonderful but the front end and kitchen were in obvious disarray. Locals, try them in a few weeks.                                         

Madeleine Monday on Tuesday

Ms. M was put off by the delays, too. Little kids need to eat when they are hungry. So, she perused the menu and found something tasty. When she was finished she gave us the "had enough" sign. Afterward, we got us the cold stare that demanded entertainment. 

Big Suds

A few years ago when Mrs. C and I visited Tibet, our plane landed outside Lhasa. Our group went to lunch at a little restaurant nearby. The first advertising sign I saw in the Tibetan countryside was for Budweiser. The picture of a beer can said "Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis MO USA." 

Not sure why I've posted few pictures of one of The Lou's most famous institutions. Maybe because I don't drink much beer (and when I do it's usually the main local microbrew, not the maxibrew). Maybe it's because the place isn't that photogenic except for this iconic sign. Management recently tore down the decades-old neon sign and replaced it with an energy-efficient LED version.

There are some bizarre decorative details scattered around. The beast below looks like a wolf in German garb, gnawing a bone with a stein of Bud at the ready. Does this say something about the taste of the designers and perhaps the taste of the beer?                     

City Daily Monthly Theme Day: Animals

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Hmm. What kind of animal would you associate with St. Louis? A baseball cardinal or football ram? Perhaps the pigeons in Kiener Plaza or a weasel sucking up real estate redevelopment tax credits.

For us locals the choice is clear: the Anheuser-Busch team of huge Clydesdale horses pulling an old-fasioned Budweiser beer wagon. They have been around for many decades and appear at all sorts of public events. And they're always accompanied by a dalmatian sitting by the wagon drivers. What's more, they seem to have a broad sense of humor and enjoy a good horse laugh.

The first three pictures could have been exposed better. Wicked backlight.

You can view the animal traits of all the City Daily Photo members participating in theme day by clicking here.

Hey Beer Man!

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Budweiser rules this town, as illustrated by these shots at Busch (as in Anheuser-Busch) Stadium during a Cardinals baseball game. Like the sign on the bottom says, Genuine St. Louis Since 1876. Except it's not anymore, not since AB sold out to the Belgian-Brazilian megabrewer Inbev, resulting in hundreds of local layoffs. Budweiser is pretty bland, anyway, IMHO.

Irish Wisdom

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Happy St. Patrick's Day. Many countries may find this a curious holiday but it's a big deal in this part of the Irish diaspora (which includes me). At least in the US, it has a strong association with alcohol consumption. Well, on my visits to Ireland I haven't met many who would turn away a wee nip. (By the way, when in Dublin, stop by Crowe's Pub in Ballsbridge and say hi to the owner, David Crowe, for me.) Now, where's the Guiness?

This is one of a zillion pictures I took around St. Louis' parade. More in coming days.

WHAT ST. LOUIS IS DRINKING TODAY: green Budweiser. WHAT I'LL BE DRINKING THIS WEEKEND, ON THE ROAD AGAIN: a Sazerac.

TOMORROW: the current portraits of St. Louis artists series ends with Scott Beatty, submariner and sculptor.

South Soulard

I've had a notice on this blog for a long time that if people, groups or organizations would like to be featured here they should just e-mail me. Well, someone finally did. Soulard is an eclectic neighborhood just south of downtown. A member of the local community association saw my blog and invited me to photograph a ceremony marking the restoration of three beautiful old homes. This was in a sub-district called South Soulard, a little jewel of a neighborhood tucked in a corner between the huge Anheuser-Busch brewery and I 55. I drive around my city on weekends looking for places to photograph but I've never been here.

An anchor of the neighborhood is the Clydesdale Cottage, a charming B & B owned by Maureen and Ray Kanski. It's been open about a year. The name refers to Anheuser-Busch's Clydesdale horses, a symbol of A-B's Budweiser beer. The bathrooms all have newly-made stained glass windows; this picture is an example. More about South Soulard, the ceremony and the Clydesdale Cottage over the next few days.

Have a Few Brewskis

Anheuser-Busch is one of the world's largest brewing companies and by far the biggest in the US., Its headquarters is in St. Louis. The picture above is the huge brewery here. Their corporate offices are adjacent.

These people know marketing and want to stuff their products into your brain and down your throat. Many of you around the world are hit with advertising for Budweiser. (Click this link to see one of their time-tested techniques.) In some EC countries, they have to sell it as Bud because of the never-ending trademark battle with the Czech Republic's Budějovice Budweiser, or Budvar.

A-B's marketing is inescapable in this country. I went to the Cardinals' baseball game last night at Busch Stadium (yes, as in Anheuser-Busch; the Busch family has run the business for generations). Their trademarks are everywhere. You can't go a day in the US without seeing their ads dozens of times unless you hole up in the wilderness. When you return, it will be one of the first things you see, right next to Coca-Cola.

I drink beer occasionally but I don't like Budweiser. It tastes slightly sweet and cloying to me. When I do drink beer, I prefer Mexico's Pacifico (which, ironically, is half owned by A-B) or another Czech beer, Staropramen. I hate to say this because I adore the country, but I think the worst beer I've ever tasted is Argentina's Quilmes. To my palate, it's flat and bland with a bit of a soapy taste.

What's your favorite beer? What would you never drink again?

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series