William K Busch Co. Applies For License to Brew Beer in Brentwood

The chief brewmaster of a company owned by a Busch applied for a license to brew beer at the Brentwood Board of Aldermen meeting on Dec. 3.

The William K Busch Company makes its beers in Wisconsin, but it's headquartered at 8047 Litzinsinger Road in Brentwood. Chief Brewmaster and VP of Brewing Marc Gottfried asked the aldermen for a license to brew beer in 10-gallon quantities for testing purposes.

The William K Busch Co. markets Kräftig Lager and Kräftig Light beer.

“We’re asking for this liquor license to have literally the pots and pans a home brewer would use to brew very small amounts of beer for the purpose of research and development of new brands, and also evaluation of crops such as barley and hops,” Gottfried said.

He said the heart of the testing operation is the most advanced piece of equipment a home brewer might own.

“It’s literally for me to do tests, so that we can make Kräftig and Kräftig Light consistent for everyone.”

Gottfried assured Ward 3 Alderman Andy Leahy there would be no brewery smell coming from the building.

“If you were in your house cooking spaghetti sauce, that’s a good analogy,” Gottfried said.  “If you are inside our office you would smell it, and it would smell like a brewery. You certainly would not smell it outside the building.”

Patch visited the office after the meeting. Nothing outside identifies it as the William K Busch Company, though Gottfried said they jokingly refer to it as the "world headquarters."

Gottfried gave a tour, and showed the garage at the back of the building where the brewing will take place.

He didn’t want to disclose too much. He said they don't have the financial backing of much bigger competition, who would love to know what they're up to.

“We’re just a red-blooded American start-up,” he said.

The reporting from the Dec. 3 meeting is from the YouTube recording provided by the city of Brentwood.