Anheuser-Busch was shipping cold kegs westward by the 1870s, but once they learned that saloons were watering down their "Budweiser" beer they began bottling and labeling their beer.
From Wikipedia:
Adolphus Busch, a wholesaler who had immigrated to St. Louis from Germany in 1857, married Eberhard Anheuser's daughter, Lilly, in 1861. Following his service in the American Civil War, Busch began working as a salesman for the Anheuser Brewery.[17][15] Busch purchased D'Oench's share of the company in 1869, and he assumed the role of company secretary from that time until the death of his father-in-law.[17]
Anheuser-Busch was one of the first companies to transport beer nationwide using railroad refrigerator cars.
Adolphus Busch was the first American brewer to use pasteurization to keep beer fresh; the first to use mechanical refrigeration and refrigerated railroad cars, which he introduced in 1876; and the first to bottle beer extensively.[1][18][19] By 1877, the company owned a fleet of 40 refrigerated railroad cars to transport beer.[19] Expanding the company's distribution range led to increased demand for Anheuser products, and the company substantially expanded its facilities in St. Louis during the 1870s.[20] The expansions led production to increase from 31,500 barrels in 1875 to more than 200,000 in 1881.[20]
To streamline the company's refrigerator car operations and achieve vertical integration, Busch established the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company in 1878, which was charged with building, selling, and leasing refrigerator cars; by 1883, the company owned 200 cars, and by 1888 it owned 850.[21] To serve these cars and switch them in and out of their St. Louis brewery, Anheuser-Busch founded the Manufacturers Railway Company in 1887. The shortline operated until 2011, when Anheuser-Busch sought to shut down operations.[22]
During the 1870s, Adolphus Busch toured Europe and studied the changes in brewing methods which were taking place at the time, particularly the success of pilsner beer, which included a popular Budweiser beer brewed in České Budějovice (in German (Budweis).[16] In 1876, Busch took the already well-known name Budweiser and used it for his new beer, even though his product had no connections to the city of České Budějovice.[16] His company's ability to transport bottled beer made US Budweiser the first national beer brand in the United States, and it was marketed as a "premium" beer.[16]
The last time the wife and I were in London (2002) the bartender asked if I wanted my Guinness "iced". I asked him if he meant pouring it over ice? He said no. He explained that many pubs now had decent refrigeration and they could actually serve draught beer at a cold temperature. He said certain patrons still preferred a just cool Guinness like the old days. I explained that, being a Yank, I wanted it as frosty as possible. He said most patrons were adjusting to a colder temperature of their beer.