Welcome to The Well—where we spill the tea (or beer) on the forgotten stories behind your favorite drinks. This week, we’re talking about Budweiser. But not that Budweiser. We’re talking about a lesser-known beer from a tiny brewery that tried—and almost succeeded—in keeping the Budweiser name.
Once upon a time, “Budweiser” wasn’t just the King of Beers. Back in the late 1800s, it was a style, not a brand. Over two dozen American breweries used the name, believing it simply described a beer brewed in the tradition of the Czech city of Budweis. Among these bold brewers was the Du Bois Brewing Company—a small, feisty outfit from Pennsylvania. In 1905, Du Bois rolled out their own “Budweiser,” and it was an instant hit in taverns from New York to Ohio. But there was one small problem: Anheuser-Busch.
While Du Bois was happily slinging its Budweiser in local pubs, Adolphus Busch, the big boss of Anheuser-Busch, had other plans. Having already won a court case in 1898 against Miller Brewing, where Miller was accused of making a “fraudulent” Budweiser (ouch), Busch was more than ready to take down any other challengers.
By 1940, Anheuser-Busch was a national powerhouse, and they weren’t messing around. They slapped Du Bois with a trademark infringement lawsuit, insisting that any beer called “Budweiser” was bound to confuse thirsty consumers everywhere. But here’s where it gets interesting: Du Bois wasn’t ready to roll over. They took the fight to court, arguing that Budweiser was still just a generic term—a beer style anyone could use, like “Pilsner.”
And guess what? Du Bois won the appeal! For a little while at least. The judges ruled that since Du Bois had been brewing their version of Budweiser for so long, it would be unfair to take the name away. But there was a catch—Du Bois was only allowed to sell their Budweiser locally. Expanding beyond their regional turf? Not a chance.
Fast forward 20 years, and Anheuser-Busch was back in court, this time with a bigger army of lawyers and way more beer sales under their belt. By 1972, Du Bois Budweiser was no more, leaving Anheuser-Busch to rule unchallenged as the sole American brewer of Budweiser.
So, what’s the takeaway? If you’re going to mess with the King of Beers, be prepared to lose more than just the name on your bottle. But hey, Du Bois had a good run—and for a while, there really was more than one Bud in town.
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