Guest Post by
Erik Wullschleger
Erik Wullschleger
The first annual “Boulevardia” festival had been a smash hit among the locals and I was currently swimming among a rumored 2,000 people on the 12th street bridge’s 2nd level (though it felt as though there were double that number). After jockeying for position in lines that no beer festival goer can appreciate, there was a clear opening near the Duvel table and I was going to take it. As I looked up I did a double take...sure…I had ‘tasted’ my fair share of beers that day but I couldn’t believe who was standing right in front of me offering to top me off with a Duvel Tripel Hop. John McDonald, the founder of Boulevard and an entrepreneur I’ve long idolized here in Kansas City poured my beer and was patient enough for me to snap a picture of him doing so. This man’s vision changed Kansas City, impacted craft beer culture and the brand he created is now not only a local icon but a global symbol of the vitality in KC.
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In 2004 I followed a girl to Kansas City (it worked out, we’ve been married for almost 9 years now) and the brick smokestack tap handles were at EVERY bar we went to. Boulevard Wheat and Pale became a regular rotation in my nights out and I eventually started picking up anything of theirs I could find in the liquor stores. By 2005, the brewery announced a significant $20M expansion plan that would increase their brewing capacity by over 600K barrels per year and allow them to really start experimenting with the old equipment.
There are two people responsible for the move from casual beer drinker to enthusiast, one was my employee at the time (and local beer reviewer) Mark Starr, the other his friend (and volunteer Boulevard tour guide) Tim Pratt (seen here reviewing Bourbon Barrel Quad together). Tim turned into an amazing friend taking me on close to two dozen tours over the course of his tenure there. If he was working (which he did twice a month), I was on his tour. He was great at his ‘job’ and very willing to share his ‘pay check’ with me if I came in to keep him company.
Eventually Tim was let go because the brewery was moving from volunteer to paid labor...he had a day job and couldn’t afford to work the hours Boulevard was looking for. This wasn’t connected to the big changes coming but it was definitely the end of an era for me.
On October 13th, John McDonald wrote a letter to the people of Kansas City. In the note he recounted his first sip of a belgian style ale, how it transformed his perspectives on beer and the culture surrounding it. The letter and subsequent announcement of the sale to Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat sent shockwaves through the community. This was Kansas City’s beer and the thought of a foreign controlling interest immediately sparked talks of boycott and breaking bottles in the streets. As Kansas City collectively settled down and really read the words of Boulevard’s founder they saw the benefits of global distribution, increased production/expansion in our city and most importantly, access to new beers that weren’t previously available in the midwest!! Duvel Moortgat is a parent company that operates nearly a dozen other independent breweries and Boulevard would retain a similar amount of autonomy.
As if day one wasn’t enough, day two brought together 35 different breweries, most of them not currently distributed in the KC market. At $75, the ticket price seemed steep but upon arrival it was clear Boulevard had oversold the event...I would eventually find a way to manage the crowd with my wife and best friend in tow and thankfully navigate my way to a cab that evening (I didn’t make it to day three…).
Over the last year, there are more than a ½ dozen breweries who have opened their doors to the general public and another group of 6-10 who are working toward commercialization here in Kansas City. Many of them were on display and it’s exciting to see such a friendly competition in town. Boulevardia was much more than a beer festival though, it was a show of support and a bear hug for everything Kansas Citians love about KC. Beyond beer, the overwhelming number of makers, innovators, musicians, foodies and entrepreneurs in our town has exploded...many of them on display during the three day festival.
And that brings me full circle. Over the last 25 years, a humble carpenter turned craft brewer had a remarkable impact on KC. After what I believed to be a chance encounter with John McDonald during a drunken walk-about at his beer festival, I never thought I would get a chance to sit down and thank him for the contribution he’s made to our city. When Silicon Prairie News interviewed my as part of their ‘Prairie Portraits’ feature I listed John as the one entrepreneur I wanted to have a beer with (never expected that to happen).
Kansas City is lucky to have Boulevard, a brand that’s meant so much to KC. John McDonald has led his company to do remarkable things in the last 25 years but I’m excited to see what he does with his 6th decade in our city.
Erik Wullschleger is the General Manager of the Sprint Accelerator in Kansas City, a blogger and an advocate for tasty beers everywhere. You can follow him on twitter or keep up with him on his blog or just watch what he’s drinking on Untappd: