The William K. Busch Brewing Company announced Wednesday that the company would be discontinuing production of the award-winning Kräftig and Kräftig Light beers. The remaining stock of Kräftig and Kräftig Light is projected to last through September.
Billy Busch, great grandson of Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch, founded the brewing company in 2011, at a time when the craft beer market was reaching fever pitch and the lager market was controlled by the beer giants.
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“But I still think it was a good plan,” Busch says now. “We wanted to make a higher-quality product that would still appeal to a large market, and we priced it accordingly, at a premium lager price rather than the craft price. Problem was, it was a volume-based model and we never got to that volume.”
He knew going up against the beer behemoths wasn’t going to be easy. “We were trying to gain a foothold when they’re trying to keep their numbers,” he says. Compounding the brewery’s challenges were the shifting sands in the beverage industry, evidenced by the continuing rise of the spirits market and recent popularity of alcohol-free beverages.
In 2014, Busch reflected on the pros and cons of operating in the beer world, noting that Kräftig (pronounced KREF-tig) sales began to take off when the brands “started winning gold medals at prestigious competitions in 2012 and 2013.” Kräftig Lager was voted one of DRAFT Magazine’s “14 highest-rated beers of 2013.” The beers picked up two gold medals at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in 2014. And just last week, at the Denver International Beer Competition, Kräftig Lager won a gold medal and Kräftig Light a silver.
The beers were brewed in Wisconsin and shipped to Missouri, but it was Busch’s intention to eventually move the brewing facility to the St. Louis area. Kräftig was brewed under Reinheitsgebot (rhine-HEIGHTS-geh-boat), the German Beer Purity Law of 1516 (the oldest consumer protection law in the world), which requires only four ingredients be used: water, malt, yeast, and hop (with no added enzymes, preservatives, or adjuncts). Busch claimed that the brewing process “translates to the cleanest possible flavor. As far as we know, we’re the only American premium lager that follows it.”
In a press release issued today, Busch said, “I want to thank all of our customers, retailers, suppliers, and vendors who have supported us over the last eight years.”I’ve always been passionate about brewing, because it’s in my blood. I hope to one day return to this great American-led industry.”
Late last year, Busch announced plans to build a 20,000-square-foot microbrewery and distillery in Defiance, adjacent to the Kraftig Polo Club. Today, a spokesperson for Busch said he “may pursue the Defiance opportunity in the future, but nothing is certain and it will depend on numerous factors.”
“Don’t count us out,” Busch says. “This business is in my blood. We’re already considering new avenues. Stay tuned.”
