No public tours planned for Anheuser-Busch brewery in Columbus

Anheuser-Busch says it doesn't have any immediate plans to open its Columbus brewery for public tours. The mega-brewer recently decided to offer regular tours at its Houston facility and offered a new "pop-up brewery tour" last month at its Cartersville, Ga., location.

"At this point, we don’t have any plans to open in Columbus," spokeswoman Beth Kerley said when asked by the Akron Beacon Journal.

Of course, never say never.

"But the beer industry and consumer taste and consumer interest are something that we're on top of so if there are some reasons to open there, we certainly would be open to consider it," she added.

The Houston facility is providing three different kinds of tours, including a behind-the-scenes tour and beer school. It's the first time the brewery has been open to the public in nearly 20 years, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Anheuser-Busch used to offer public tours at its Columbus brewery, which opened in 1968 and is located near the Interstate 71-Interstate 270 interchange. But the last one was held in 1999, Kerley said.

The Columbus facility produces about 10 million barrels a year and supplies all of Ohio and surrounding states with Budweiser, Bud Light and other brands.