The creators of Budweiser and Michelob beers, the Anheuser-Busch company is one of the wealthiest, most colorful and enduring family dynasties in the history of American commerce. In Bitter Brew, critically acclaimed journalist William Knoedelseder tells the riveting, often scandalous saga of the rise and fall of the dysfunctional Busch family - an epic tale of prosperity, profligacy, hubris, and the dark consequences of success that spans three centuries, from the open salvos of the Civil War to the present day.

Busch family tree --Prologue: "August is not feeling well" -- "Beer is back!" -- "The alpha Busch" -- "Being second isn't worth shit" -- "The man who saved the Cardinals" -- The magical beer kingdom -- The Prussian Lieutenant -- The old man and the kid -- Gussie's last stand -- Choosing sides -- Camelot's end -- "We are at war" -- Rebirthing Bud -- "Tell me I'm a horse's ass" -- Warning sign -- "Do you know who I am?" -- "I probably feel worse about this than you do" -- "Hey, pal, you got a quarter?" -- Here comes the son -- "Way, way, way beyond Tiger Woods" -- "A bad apple at the top" -- The last watch -- "They didn't just drop out of the sky" -- Epilogue: An American dream.