In this film inspired by a true story, a young man, Adolphus Busch, chases a dream from Germany to America. It’s 1857, and nothing is easy — let alone traveling across the world. Along the way, he battles through hardship after hardship: he's thrown from his bunk while crossing the Atlantic, cutting his head; he fights his way through an anti-immigrant crowd in New Orleans; he leaps for his life off of a burning steamboat on the Mississippi; and endures a long, cold ride on a flatboat into St. Louis. But he never loses sight of his dream, sketching out ideas in a notebook he carries the whole way. When he arrives in a bar in St. Louis, he impresses a local patron, Eberhard Anheuser. Their handshake lays the groundwork for a partnership, Anheuser-Busch, that would go on to brew one of the world’s most iconic beers: Budweiser.

Budweiser was an original “American Dream” success story – founded by a German immigrant in 1876 who grew his business into the largest beer brand in the world.

But by 2016, Budweiser was a fading American brand icon, and the nation was roiled in divisive discourse on the subject of immigration.

We saw an opportunity to remind the country what the best of American values looks like – Freedom, Ambition and Authenticity – by telling our original immigrant story in a modern and relevant way.

The director paid meticulous attention to detail for this film, trying to capture the true texture of the time period. Everything from the ship, to the steamboat, the clothing, and set design was triple checked by the director for authenticity. He instructed the cast to wear their wardrobe for a few hours every day in the 3 weeks leading up to the shoot. The lighting was never faked - he used only what was historically available: sun and fire. The director had an 1850’s era trans-atlantic ship reconstructed in a barn, and he set a charred-out steamboat on fire. With a limited number of takes for key action scenes, like our hero jumping off the steamboat, or getting thrown from his bunk on the trans-Atlantic ship, precision was key in every decision the director made.