Duvel Moortgat Buys Boulevard Brewing Co

As European interest in American craft beers begins to mirror the mania for them stateside, the Duvel Moortgat Brewery of Belgium on Thursday announced a deal to buy the Boulevard Brewing Company, a craft brewery in Kansas City, Mo. 

The acquisition of Boulevard will give Duvel, pronounced DOO-vel, ownership of a large United States craft brewer that is well known in the Midwest and produces a wide variety of beers under its own name and others. Boulevard’s brands range from 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer, described as citrusy with a slightly sweet flavor and light bitterness, to Dark Truth Stout, an “inky” beer with hints of chocolate, coffee and fruits.

UPDATE from Boulevard founder John McDonald:

Dear Friends,
Almost 30 years ago, I was fortunate to spend time traveling around Europe with my wife, Anne Blumer. In each city I visited, one of my favorite adventures was trying different beers. I sipped bitter ales in England, spent my days in Munich drinking pilsners and wheat beers, but it was in Paris, in a Belgian beer bar, that I truly fell in love.

I will never forget the day I walked into the pub, ordered a Belgian ale, and experienced what I can only describe as an epiphany. The beer was brilliant in color, with intensely floral aromas and a flavor bursting with joyous complexity. I went back day after day, sampling a wide array of amazing beers, and was hooked for life.

Last winter my wife and I returned to that same Parisian pub, and the memory of that long-ago experience flooded my senses. It has been many years since that fateful encounter started me on the path to brewing my own beer and founding Boulevard Brewing Company. At the outset, my goal was to make a beer as extraordinary as the Belgian ales I had so fortuitously discovered. With the help of my parents Bill and Mary and my wife Anne, and brewery colleagues, Boulevard has grown into one of the largest craft breweries in the country, and my dream has become a reality. While I always say I don’t have a favorite Boulevard beer, I must admit that some of the Belgian ales in our lineup are as exciting to me as those beers I first tasted in Paris all those years ago.

I have long felt as though I have three children: Boulevard, born in 1989, Jake, in 1990, and Piper, in 1992. I’m not getting any younger, and the long-term future of the brewery has weighed on my mind for the past several years. After long discussions with my family, we determined that we wanted to find a way to take Boulevard to the next level while retaining its essence, its people, its personality – all the characteristics that make our beer and our brewery so important to Kansas City and the Midwest.

I am honored and humbled to announce that I have chosen Duvel Moortgat as the long-term partner for Boulevard. An independent, family-owned craft brewer spanning four generations, Duvel Moortgat produces world-class beers at several breweries in Belgium, and owns and operates Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. They bring to us an unparalleled depth of experience, strong resources, and an unwavering devotion to quality. Duvel Moortgat is committed to our people, to the expansion of our Kansas City brewery, and to growing Boulevard brands throughout the US and abroad. After spending a lot of time getting to know the company and its people, I am confident this is the right decision. We share the same values, respect each other’s achievements, and have the same obsession for exceptional beers.

Be assured that this is not goodbye. Although Boulevard is combining with Duvel Moortgat, I will remain closely involved, with a continuing stake in the business and a seat on the board. My commitment to sustainability initiatives will continue, as will Boulevard’s support of Ripple Glass, the glass recycling company I co-founded.

For now, all I can say is thank you. Thank you for making the last 24 years an amazing journey for me and the entire Boulevard family. We will continue to work hard to produce great beers, and to give back to the community. Ultimately, I am determined to make Kansas City even more proud of its hometown brewery, and our dedicated supporters delighted to raise a glass of Boulevard beer.

Cheers,