The Budweiser Brewery

We got to the Budweiser brewery bright and early Saturday morning.  When we walked in, someone told us that a tour had just started and we should feel free to join them... OR we could wait for the next tour to begin.  We joined the tour that had already begun, and soon regretted our decision.  There were forty-five people from Ireland who were on a bus tour, and about forty more of us who tagged along.  It was far too many people on one tour.  On the bright side, we got to enjoy hearing the Irish brogue during our time there.  We couldn't hear most of the stuff the guides said, but Cliff still enjoyed the huge equipment, and we all loved the old buildings.

 Part of our tour group.

 More of our tour group.

 Cliff's sister having a serious discussion with her husband.

 Cliff with his baby sister and her husband.  This picture is deceptive:  Cliff is not THAT much larger than the two of them.  Honest!

 Charlene gave me permission to take this picture.  She really doesn't appreciate "butt shots", but she gave me the go-ahead this time.

 There are a lot of these huge containers.  We were told that if a person drank one beer every hour of his life, it would take over 100 years to empty this vat, an impossible feat.  An Irishmen told us, "Obviously he has had no experience with the Irish."  

 Most of the backs you see in the picture belong to Irish folks.  

 Somewhere in this picture is the most photographed place on the Budweiser property.  I would have had somebody take my picture beneath the eagle, but there would have been a dozen Irish folks in the picture with me.  Not that that's a bad thing.  I love the Irish.   

 I had no idea Budweiser made so many different products.  

 A died-in-the-wool Irishman visiting with my brother-in-law who, as it happens, is mostly Irish!  Pat is a chameleon; he fits in anywhere.  That's why he makes his living as a salesman.  Here's a joke our Irish friend told us:  "Do you know why women's feet are smaller than men's?"  "No," I answered, why are they?"  "So they'll fit beneath the kitchen sink when they wash dishes."  
I told him he was a male chauvinist; he just laughed.  

 Irishmen were everywhere.  

When you first start the tour, somebody takes a picture of your group.  At the end of the tour they try to sell it to you for twenty bucks.  I simply took a picture of their picture with my camera and got a free picture.  So HA!  Remind me not to wear that red shirt again... am I really that fat?  Oh well.