Anheuser-Busch’s giant combine-turned-bar is rolling into Idaho Falls
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IDAHO FALLS – As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, Anheuser-Busch is kicking off a nationwide summer tour next month to celebrate the occasion in a unique way.
The St. Louis-based company, which has a plant on the south side of Idaho Falls, recently launched the ComBar. It’s a 10-ton, 400-square-foot mobile bar built from a real combine harvester. Its gleaming beer taps will serve up cold brewskis in communities across the country, beginning July 3 and 4.
In a Wednesday morning news release, the company says the purpose of the one-of-a-kind creation is to pay tribute to the contributions of America’s farmers.
“The ComBar … serves as a 10‑ton ‘thank you’ to the growers who power American farming. Every detail of the ComBar — from its colossal size to its original auger-turned-tap and custom wrap — is a reminder of the massive contributions of U.S. farmers to Anheuser-Busch’s portfolio of iconic American beers,” the news release says.
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The tour, which includes a stop in Idaho Falls, is part of the company’s Choose beer grown here initiative. It encourages patrons to buy beers that source at least 95% of their agricultural ingredients from U.S. farms.
“By spotlighting the farmers behind its beers, and the company’s substantial investment in their livelihoods, Anheuser‑Busch aims to make it easier than ever for consumers to choose beer that benefits American growers,” company executives say.
So far, eight tour stops have been announced. It will kick off in St. Louis, Missouri on July 3 and 4. The ComBar will pay a visit to Idaho Falls on July 15 for Alive After 5.
Additional stops are planned in North Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee.
Anheuser-Busch is celebrating 169 years of operation this year, according to its website. It began as a small neighborhood brewery in 1857. With the help of Eberhard Anheuser, Adolphus Busch and thousands of employees, it transformed from a local fixture into “an American icon.”
“Today, Anheuser-Busch is the nation’s leading brewer and maker of some of the top brands in beer and beyond,” the website says.
The company has nine flagship breweries in the U.S. and more than 100 plants and distribution centers.
Anheuser-Busch has 400 grower contracts in Idaho, and has been using Idaho barley for nearly 60 years, according to a 2018 report from Idaho Business Review. It’s the largest buyer of Idaho barley.
The Idaho Falls malt plant at 5755 South Yellowstone Highway was built in 1990 and expanded in 2004, according to the Idaho Barley Commission. While it doesn’t brew beer, it processes more than 300,000 metric tons of finished malt per year — enough to produce 6 million bottles of beer.
As Anheuser-Busch rolls out the ComBar for its 2026 tour, chief external affairs officer Cesar Vargas says he’s thrilled to transform “an iconic symbol of the harvest into a celebration of the people who make our beers possible.”
“We’re rolling it out this summer to … support the growers behind every sip because that’s who we are,” Vargas says in a news release.