John McDonald of Boulevard Brewing Co.

(Press Release)

KANSAS CITY—In an agreement signed earlier this week, principals of Boulevard Brewing Co. and Duvel Moortgat approved the combination of their US businesses. Boulevard, one of the largest craft brewers in the Midwest, and Duvel Moortgat, an independent craft brewer based in Belgium, will join forces to better promote the continued growth and success of their widely respected brands.

A family-owned business spanning four generations, Duvel Moortgat produces premium beers including Duvel, Chouffe, and Liefmans at several breweries in Belgium. Duvel Moortgat’s US activities include a specialty beer import company and Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. The Moortgat family will maintain their existing ownership structure in Europe, while John McDonald, founder of Boulevard Brewing Company, will be an important partner in the new US-based company. By uniting with Duvel Moortgat, Boulevard secures the resources to embark on a significant expansion of its Kansas City facilities, and gains the depth and experience of the 142-year-old firm to help extend its strong regional presence throughout the U.S. and Europe.

“Since I started Boulevard in 1989, the company’s long-term future has always been top of mind,” said founder and president John McDonald. “I wanted to find a way to take the business 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. Duvel Moortgat’s commitment to quality and independence, and their proven record helping breweries fulfill their potential, made this a perfect fit and an easy decision.”

Read a 2012 interview with Boulevard president John McDonald

“Our path for growth became abundantly clear as I got to know John and Boulevard,” said Michel Moortgat, CEO of Duvel Moortgat. “Our companies share the same values. We have great mutual respect for each other’s achievements and maintain a deeply-held belief in exceptional quality as the platform for long-term success.  Even as recently as this week I was happy to learn that both Boulevard and Brewery Ommegang won 3 medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Fest. Together, with our combined strengths and our mutual obsession for outstanding beers, I’m convinced that one plus one equals three.”

McDonald intends to remain closely involved with Boulevard in Kansas City, where the base of operations will remain. He will be intimately involved in Duvel Moortgat’s activities in the US,  with a stake in the combined company and a seat on its board. Boulevard will maintain its leading role on sustainability initiatives, including support for Ripple Glass, the glass recycling company founded by McDonald and other brewery principals in 2009.

The transaction between the two privately-held companies is expected to close by the end of the year; no financial details will be disclosed. First Beverage Group acted as advisor to Boulevard. Further information will be released as it becomes available.

Read a story about foreign-born brewers in America, including Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Steven Pauwels

KANSAS CITY—Announced earlier this year, Boulevard Brewing Company’s new initiative directs to local charities a full 10% of the company’s revenue from sales of KC Pils in Greater Kansas City. With all precincts reporting in the first “10% for KC” tally, KC Pet Project garnered 56% of the popular vote, entitling the organization to 60% of the third quarter donation. The American Jazz Museum and KC Care Clinic will also benefit, with each to receive 20% of the total contribution. Though final dollar figures will not be available until next week, approximately $30,000 will be divided among the organizations.

“Response from the organizations and consumers has been overwhelming,” said Jeremy Ragonese, Boulevard’s Director of Marketing. “KC Pet Project took the opportunity and ran with it. Their enthusiasm, along with the creativity and passion demonstrated by the other two participants, fulfilled our desire to bring attention to these worthy causes and give back to hometown charities.”

Three different groups have been named as beneficiaries of KC Pils sales during the fourth quarter: First Downs for Down Syndrome, the Midwest Music Foundation, and Synergy Services. At the end of the period, the public will again be invited to vote for their favorite, with the winner to receive the majority of available funds. Consumers are invited to visit boulevard.com/weloveKC to nominate area charities for future consideration.

About Boulevard Brewing Company
Boulevard Brewing Company has grown to become one of the largest specialty brewers in the Midwest, dedicated to the craft of producing fresh, flavorful beers using traditional ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques. Boulevard beers are distributed in 25 states and in the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.boulevard.com, boulevard.com/facebook, or follow us on Twitter atboulevard.com/twitter. ]]> https://allaboutbeer.net/daily-pint/whats-brewing/2013/10/boulevards-10-for-kc-program-posts-first-results/feed/ 0 https://allaboutbeer.net/daily-pint/whats-brewing/2013/09/santa-fe-brewing-releasing-collaboration-beer-in-kansas-city/ https://allaboutbeer.net/daily-pint/whats-brewing/2013/09/santa-fe-brewing-releasing-collaboration-beer-in-kansas-city/#comments Thu, 05 Sep 2013 19:57:20 +0000 Staff https://allaboutbeer.net/?p=31001 (Press Release)

SANTA FE, NM—Santa Fe Brewing Company is proud to announce the Imperial Smoked Rye Porter as its exclusive collaboration beer with Central States Beverage Company.  The beer will be available to select Kansas City draft accounts in mid November.

After months of deliberating and input from a number of Certified Cicerone’s, staff members of both Central States and Santa Fe Brewing, a local KC chef, and an award-winning home brewer from Kansas City, The Imperial Smoked Rye Porter was agreed upon to be the first ever brewer/distributor collaboration beer.

Paying homage to the infamous Kansas City BBQ scene, the Imperial Smoked Rye Porter will have a subtle smoky yet spicy flavor profile. “We decided to go bold and do an Imperial style porter so its character would stand up to the big flavors of smoked meats. Not only will this beer scream Kansas City, it will also give a wink to Santa Fe with subtle notes of chipotle chile peppers, ” said head brewer AJ Condit.

The Imperial Smoked Rye Porter will be released in limited quantity with 1/3 of the batch being reserved for barrel aging. The barrel aged version of the beer is scheduled to be released in Spring of 2014.

“Santa Fe Brewing is excited to be teaming up with Central States on this project because they are a knowledgeable resource for us. Our joint efforts will ideally produce a beer that Kansas City beer enthusiasts will enjoy,” said Brian Lock, president of Santa Fe Brewing. “The Imperial Smoked Rye Porter is a very unique style of beer and will be exclusive to the Kansas City market.  I suspect that many of our local clientele will be wishing they could purchase it here in New Mexico!”

Santa Fe Brewing Company is New Mexico’s oldest and most award-winning microbrewery. We currently have distribution throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada, Kansas & Missouri. All of our beers are brewed, canned and bottled on premise in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Year round favorites include Happy Camper IPA, Imperial Java Stout, Santa Fe Pale Ale, Santa Fe Nut Brown, State Pen Porter, and Chicken Killer Barley Wine.  Seasonal styles include Freestyle Pilsner, Oktoberfest, Black IPA, and Irish Red Ale.

Central States is a High Life Sale Company, DBA Central States Beverage Company was founded as a distributor of alcoholic beverages on May 28^th, 1932 by signing an agreement with Miller Brewing Company to be the distributor for the Miller Brewing Company brands in Kansas City, Mo.   Since 1932, the company has grown and today we are proud to represent over 30 brewers in Kansas & Missouri. Central States Beverage Company is locally owned and operated by the Mos family in Kansas City since 1932.

No, the hamburger did not originate in Hamburg, but its exact origin is still disputed. “Hamburger” Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, WI, enjoys notoriety as the inventor in 1885, and there exists a Hamburger Hall of Fame―and an annual Hamburger Festival the first Saturday of August―in this town near Green Bay. That same year, brothers Frank and Charles Menches were said to have constructed the first in Akron, OH, where the Menches family still flips ’em to this day. And in 1891, Oscar Weber Bilby is heralded as the innovator of the hamburger on a bun, putting Tulsa, OK, on the burger map.

Any way you slice it, May is National Hamburger Month. Which is why we’re focusing on destinations where gastronomic playfulness, much like fermenting whimsy, and the superlative camaraderie of burger and beer can be found aplenty.

LOS ANGELES, CA

In the not so distant past, Los Angeles earned its reputation as a craft beer wasteland. After all, a city with a population of almost four million people and not a single craft brewery? (OK, fine, there were a couple in LA county, but then what are two breweries to nearly 10 million people?) Then, as soon as I hightailed it out of my native hamlet only a few years ago, actual beer bars and gastro-taverns sprouted up, taking their cue from the likes of Father’s Office (1018 Montana Ave., fathersoffice.com) in Santa Monica and Lucky Baldwins (17 S. Raymond Ave., luckybaldwins.com) in Pasadena. Incidentally, it was actually the burger that put Father’s Office on the map. It was so popular with the happy hour crowd―what with its dry-aged beef, caramelized onions, bacon compote, gruyere, Maytag Blue cheese and arugula―that you could expect to wait in line for it.

It’s great that more Angelenos are pairing slow beer with their slow food. Since Angelenos are always in a hurry (even though the freeways are always bumper-to-bumper), it’s no coincidence that SoCal is the birthplace of fast food burgers. McDonald’s first opened in San Bernadino in 1940. Eight years later, a superior drive-through was born, In-N-Out, which most visitors to California insist on trying. Better still in my opinion is Fatburger, another decades-old, indigenous chain where the skinny fries are the best. But for the record, as any native Angeleno will tell you―and  perhaps only a native would―the best burger in town comes from The Apple Pan (10801 Pico Blvd.), established in 1947 in West LA. Alas, none of these joints serve beer.