ABOUT
FEELIN’ FINE
SINCE 1989
BORN & BREWED IN KANSAS CITY
Founded in 1989, Boulevard Brewing Company has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Our mission is simple: to produce fresh, flavorful beers using the finest ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques.
Our Story
In the mid-1980s, while on vacation in France, John McDonald discovered the history, variety and exciting flavors of European brewing tradition. This sparked a passion for beer and brewing. As a carpenter with a shop located on Southwest Boulevard, he started with a small home brewing set up and quickly developed a reputation for making unique – and delicious – beer on the Boulevard. Brewing beer shifted from a hobby to a dream of bringing a craft brewery to Kansas City for the first time in decades.
At the time – in the Midwest and across the USA – the brewing landscape lacked the variety we know today. This led to initial challenges surrounding John’s journey, but he persevered. “I want to do something different,” he would say to skeptics. “I want to make big beers, a variety of beers, beers with color and flavor and aroma and body, beers for real beer lovers.”
And he did. He founded Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City in 1989, after converting a historic railroad facility into a small brewery. On November 17th, John delivered the first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale to a small restaurant one mile down the road.
Against all odds Boulevard grew rapidly. Our original vintage 35bbl Bavarian brewhouse produced beers like Pale Ale, Unfiltered Wheat, and a handful of beloved seasonals, which were quickly embraced by not only the Kansas City community but throughout the Midwest. The demand and popularity of these exciting craft styles led to a brewery expansion in 2006, commissioning a 150bbl state-of-the-art brewhouse. This expanded capacity allowed our brewers to get creative, leading to the addition of the award-winning Smokestack Series, including Tank 7 American Saison.
In 2014, Boulevard became part of the Duvel Moortgat family of breweries, with more than 150 years of brewing excellence. Today, Boulevard continues to innovate and expand, welcoming visitors to its Tours & Rec Center and increasing production with new facilities. Boulevard beers and beverages now include an ever-evolving array of craft styles, with a dedication to quality and creativity. Year after year and beer after beer, Boulevard is committed to John’s vision to “do something different.”
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Our Team
Beer is crafted with four core ingredients, but Boulevard beer has a fifth: passion. Our team is united by a commitment to craft and quality. We are dedicated to creating a safe, healthy, and fulfilling workplace where employees feel empowered and take pride in their roles. We aim to foster diversity and inclusion both in our brewery and the craft beer industry. We champion respect for everyone regardless of their identity. Hate has no place here; we are committed to a culture of value, inclusion, and empowerment.
Sustainability
Zero Landfill
Embedded in Boulevard’s DNA is a profound sense of responsibility for protecting the environment and promoting sustainable business practices. We’re always looking for new ways to reduce our environmental impact, while working to ensure a positive future for our local and global communities. Learn about our ongoing initiatives below.
In the fall of 2010, Boulevard began the process of becoming a zero landfill company. In early 2011, the last dumpster was removed from the main brewing facility. The brewery now recycles or composts almost all of its “waste” with a variety of local companies. The fraction that can’t be recycled or composted is incinerated by a local cement manufacturer to generate energy, with the ash used as an ingredient in concrete.
Our first 18 kW photovoltaic array was installed in 2011 on the roof of Brewhouse Two, and in 2019, we added a much larger 200 kW system atop our 24,000 square foot Canning Hall. This clean, renewable energy source reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and the electric grid, and speaks to who we are and our calling to serve as environmental stewards. Plus, it allows us to offer a free electric car charging station to employees and guests!
Boulevard’s closed boxes are a unique piece of our brand heritage, and a key part of our environmental push. All of our cartons are produced using 70% post-consumer recycled paper, and all are 100% recyclable. Our case trays contain 100% post-consumer material, and are also 100% recyclable.
Throughout our history, Boulevard has been committed to supporting local and regional businesses. From the Missouri-grown soft red winter wheat in our popular Unfiltered Wheat Beer to the local farmers who use our spent grain to feed their cattle, Boulevard strives to employ sound, sustainable, common-sense practices—what we believe to be “better business.”
One of the most visible expressions of our commitment is over our heads… literally. The green roof on our brewhouse and packaging building reduces our heating and air conditioning loads (lowering our energy consumption) by increasing the insulation value where it is needed most—on the roof. The surface also absorbs rainwater, thus reducing runoff, while sustaining a variety of plant life. The plants, in turn, lower the overall thermal footprint of the building, absorb CO2, and produce oxygen, all positively impacting the quality of life in the surrounding area.
Our brewing and packaging facility was also carefully designed to utilize natural sunlight, accomplished through large windows, large roof monitors (skylights), and light wells. All exterior lighting is controlled via photocells and timers to prevent the waste of energy. We also have an electric vehicle charging station, allowing guests to charge their vehicles while enjoying their time at the brewery.
Before Ripple Glass, Kansas City discarded 150 million pounds of glass annually, including many Boulevard beer bottles, which ended up in landfills. The lack of local recycling facilities was due to a cycle of low local recycling rates. Ripple Glass, with support from local businesses and organizations, broke this cycle with a state-of-the-art processing facility and collection system. Now, Ripple recycles over 800 tons of glass weekly, repurposing it into new products and saving over 1 billion glass bottles from landfills.
Our commitment to sustainability initiatives extends beyond the brewery, Space Camper Cosmic IPA has made it her mission to save the earth, the only planet with beer – and the only planet we have. Learn more about Space Camper partnerships.
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Community
Proud to support and partner with our local KC Community
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Partnerships
Howdy Partner
Over the years we have been fortunate to partner with some of the Midwest’s most-beloved organizations and events. They include:
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Donations
Sponsorships and Donations
Boulevard is proud to support hundreds of local and regional groups, non-profit organizations and charities with beer donations and other promotional support. If you’d like us to consider your group, please fill out the form below.
Please note that per Missouri law, donated beer cannot be sold. It can only be given away.
For sponsorship of special events or festivals to potentially include Boulevard beer sales, please email your proposal to our team.
Donations
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