The Original Michelob

Michelob Brewery Anton Dreher, signed Saaz (currently ŽATEC in the Czech Republic) 1876

This is around the same time that Adolphous Busch was on his sabbatical around Europe to meet with Brewers and suppliers. This most likely brought him to Saaz to negotiate hops purchase agreements with the Jewish traders.
Dreher owned the Michelob estate (about 9 Km outside of Saaz) with not only the brewery but also thousands of hectares of Saaz hops. He bought up this land for the hops production and Moravian farms for the barley production which he used to supply his three breweries: Schwechat outside Vienna, Michelob in Bohemia and Dreher in Budapest.

Michelob is now called Mecholupy in the Czech Republic. the old brewery is still there as is the Dreher Estate house. Hop fields all around. Best and most expensive hops in the world.

Busch not only stole the name Budweiser from Bohemia but also the name Michelob. I even have an email from AB categorically denying that the name comes from any place, person or thing. Yeah bullshit. Here's the proof! Story in book.

I finally found this document after searching thru archives all over the north west of the Czech Republic. I found a mountain of boxes of personal items of the Dreher family confiscated by the Communists including boxes and boxes of passports, pictures and piles of letters bound in groups. I am surprised that none of the family has ever been up there to claim it back. If you are related, feel free to contact me and I will point you in the right direction.