Billy Busch, an uncle of former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV, is drafting his own plans for a brewing business with St. Louis investor John Timmermann.

The pair have formed Busch Timmermann Brewing LLC to “brew, market, and sell malt, barley, and other grain-based beverages,” according to its articles of organization filed June 1 with the Missouri secretary of state’s office.

Al Watkins, an attorney representing Busch and Timmermann, said the two are exploring a variety of opportunities. “It was not formed for the purpose of sitting dormant forever,” Watkins said. “There are no others involved, but that’s not to say at some point in the future there won’t be.”

Busch, 49, is a son of the late August “Gussie” Busch Jr. and a half brother of former Anheuser-Busch Cos. chairman August Busch III. Billy and two of his brothers, Adolphus Busch IV and Andy Busch, were investors in Houston’s Silver Eagle Distributors, now the largest Anheuser-Busch distributorship in the country. In early 1991, each sold his 17 percent stake in the company for an undisclosed amount, according to a Silver Eagle spokeswoman.

In his youth, Billy worked for his father performing maintenance at Grant's Farm, but he did not have a job at the brewery. As a young man, Billy Busch gained notoriety as a result of a well-publicized barroom brawl and a child-custody battle that reached the Missouri Supreme Court. But he has spent much of the past 15 years maintaining a relatively low profile.

Like older brothers Adolphus and Andy and younger brother Peter, Billy Busch is a polo aficionado who has played competitively since his youth. In addition to cattle, pigs, and crops, his Blue Heron Farm in Defiance, Missouri, features two polo fields where he and his wife, Christi, host tournaments, training classes, and charity events.

Timmermann, a former director of retail operations for Bridgeton-based Dent Wizard International, was one of six original organizers of the Business Bank of St. Louis in 2001. He put in $500,000, the maximum allowed for an individual shareholder. But Timmermann left the bank’s board about a year and a half later and is no longer an investor there, said founder and CEO David Mishler. Like Busch, Timmermann also has stayed largely out of public view in recent years.

It’s unclear exactly how Busch and Timmermann hooked up for this venture, but public relations specialist Glenn Jamboretz, who knows Timmermann and represents some Busch family members, pointed out the two have neighboring properties in St. Charles County—Busch’s Blue Heron Farm and Timmermann’s Mallard Point farm.

And Timmermann, like many members of the Busch family, is an avid duck hunter. He donated a conservation easement on his 576-acre farm to wetland conservation group Ducks Unlimited in 2005 to restore and protect the wetland habitat for wildlife and outdoor recreation. Around the same time, Steven Lohr, co-owner and general manager of Lohr Distributing Co., the exclusive Anheuser-Busch wholesaler for the city of St. Louis, donated a conservation easement on his 52-acre duck-hunting property, known as Thousand Oaks.

Busch did not return calls for comment. Timmermann, who friends say spends much of his time now living in Florida, could not be reached.

Jamboretz said Billy Busch approached August Busch III and received his approval before moving forward with plans for a new beer business. Unlike Busch III and Busch IV, Billy Busch is not restricted by a noncompete agreement with Anheuser-Busch Inc. or the brewery’s parent company, Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Craft brewing has continued to grow nationally, with 1,501 craft breweries operating in 2008, up 4.6 percent, from 1,434, in 2007, according to the Brewers Association, a Boulder, Colorado-based organization that promotes small and independent American brewers. Year-over-year craft beer industry sales volume grew 5.9 percent, to 8.49 million barrels, last year.

Fran Cardonna, who owns O’Fallon Brewery with her husband, Tony, said she gets calls all the time from people seeking advice on how to launch a brewery. Although she had not heard of the Busch Timmermann venture, she said startup breweries continue to appeal to many entrepreneurs.

“It’s a happy business, and it holds up well in tough economic times,” Cardonna said. “People might cut back on other things, but they tend not to stop drinking.”

Cardonna would not disclose O’Fallon Brewery’s revenue, but said the business is on track to double its sales and production this year to about 6,000 barrels, thanks to healthy demand, expanding distribution, and its decision to outsource some brewing to Stevens Point Brewery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to increase capacity.

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Christopher Tritto writes for the St. Louis Business Journal.