[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 183 (Friday, November 15, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1454-E1455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF BOULEVARD BREWING COMPANY'S THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 15, 2019

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to recognize and 
celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Kansas City's own Boulevard 
Brewing Company. Born from one man's dream to put Kansas City back on 
the map for brewing, Boulevard Brewing Company has become an iconic and 
beloved institution by locals and tourists alike.

[[Page E1455]]

  In the summer of 1984, while on vacation in Europe, John McDonald, 
founder of Boulevard Brewing Company, discovered his love and intrigue 
for Belgian beers. It was this curiosity and interest, coupled with the 
opportunity to address a gap in the market that fueled McDonald's 
dream. Kansas City was once home to more than a dozen breweries, 
producing a wide array of beers, but had succumbed to the industrial 
onslaught, leaving the city left with none. This, in conjunction with 
the homogenous nature of American beers being produced at the time, 
encouraged McDonald to continue to pursue this interest, embarking on 
an endeavor that would come to be a social and cultural pillar of 
Kansas City.
  After attending art school, McDonald began home brewing, put together 
a business plan, sold his house to raise money, and sought necessary 
resources to start the brewery. In line with his creative background, 
McDonald's vision for the brewery was innovative, unique, and stood in 
stark contrast to what many breweries across the country looked like 
and produced.
  McDonald began renovation in an old brick building along the historic 
Southwest Boulevard, which once housed the laundry for the Santa Fe 
Railroad. In November 1989, after more than a year of working 
tirelessly to retrofit the building, the first keg of Boulevard Pale 
Ale was loaded into the back of McDonald's pickup truck and delivered 
to a restaurant down the street.
  For the first year, the small crew worked lengthy hours brewing, 
kegging, cleaning, and working to persuade bar and restaurant owners to 
put Boulevard beers on tap, as the company initially only produced 
draft beers. Knowing that the bottling of Boulevard's product would 
open doors to new opportunities and growth, McDonald worked to secure 
funding for bottling lines. After overcoming rejection by bank after 
bank, one institution saw promise in Boulevard's vision and enabled the 
brewing company to install a very small, used bottling line. With this 
line in place, Boulevard quickly found itself becoming the talk of the 
town and built a notable reputation for itself.
  With its rapid growth came concerns of outgrowing the space in which 
Boulevard Brewing Company was founded. Faced with the decision to 
relocate or revitalize, McDonald chose to revitalize the historic 
building on Southwest Boulevard in 2006 in a $25 million project that 
expanded into a new building with a 150-barrel brewhouse, packaging 
halls, and hospitality spaces. With sales reaching nearly 300,000 
barrels, this renovation allowed the company to increase their 
potential brewing capacity to 700,000 barrels annually. In the years 
following, McDonald continued to create new products and grow 
Boulevard's presence. Boulevard soon found their products spanning 
coast-to-coast, from California to Washington, D.C. by the mid-2000s.
  Eventually, their progress came full-circle when McDonald was 
approached by Michael Moortgat, President and fourth generation leader 
of Duvel Moortgat, maker of Duvel beer, which first set John McDonald 
on his journey in brewing. In 2014, Boulevard became part of the Duvel 
Moortgat family, a collection of artisanal breweries dedicated to the 
highest expression of the brewers' art.
  Today, Jeff Krum serves as President of Boulevard Brewing Company, 
Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, NY, and Duvel Moortgat USA. Krum has 
been with Boulevard since its founding and is committed to taking the 
brewery even further. Krum has also been an active contributor to our 
Kansas City community in other ways, founding Ripple Glass, which 
created a local and regional glass recycling solution, and serving on 
the board on directors of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, the 
Downtown Transportation Development District, and the Kansas City 
Economic Development Corporation.
  To this day, Boulevard remains steadfast in its commitment to the 
original vision and mission set forth by McDonald, helping to redefine 
American beer while having a lasting positive impact on the Kansas City 
community. Through these efforts, Boulevard Brewing Company has 
established itself as the Midwest's largest specialty brewer.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing Boulevard Brewing 
Company's thirtieth anniversary and celebrating their innovation, 
vision, and impact in Kansas City and beyond.

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