Duvel Moortgat buys Boulevard Brewing Company

Exciting news for those who worked so hard to make Boulevard one of the best American breweries today. I'm sure they're excited to see what Duvel can do for their brand in Europe. Congrats.

This is the tip of the iceberg, my friends... buckle your seatbelts

 

Let's hope this means wider distribution.

 

This is the canary in the coal mine of a trend towards craft brewery consolidation (not that it is necessarily a bad thing).

 

As a long-time Kansas Citian, I'm saddened by this acquisition. Boulevard is entrenched in our community and is a classic American example of a successful enterprise built on hard work and determination. The largest brewery in the country is only 4 hours east - that's no small feat to take on. Though I love Duvel, it's not what comes to mind when I think of my hometown. Headed to the cellar for a bottle of Original Boulevard suds.

 

Great, these bottles of Saison-Brett just went from $11.99 to $19.99. Since Duvel is pushing that whole "luxury brand" pricing thing, re: Ommegang.

 

If this means more Smokestack series brews available without losing the quality, then congrats to the breweries and everyone in craftbeerdom.

 

I was beginning to think the same, but can't imagine the prices going up just solely due to the merger.

 

The butthurt on their facebook post about this is hilarious! Everyone is of course calling them sellouts and saying they will no longer support them because they're "foreign owned"...

 

As a local of the KC area, I'm saddened by the news. The world needs more mid-sized breweries, not more conglomerate umbrellas. Sure, not everyone was able to get a brew form them, but if they all could, I doubt the quality control could be as good. Also, as they were local, even if the beers taste exactly the same, it's not as good as it was for me, because I know where my money is going. The local pride will be hurt for a while, and I'll probably sip on some other local suds besides Boulevard while I mull this one over.

 

Much like the fallout with Goose Island, everyone is going to be disgusted by BCBS and they will now become shelf turds...

 

A part of me is excited--of course it's good news for two quality brewers from Belgium and the U.S. to join forces--Ommegang has done just fine in light of their Duvel Moortgat ownership.

The other part of me worries that 1) the prices may increase, as I have spoken to people who noted that Ommegang's prices went up across the board after the Duvel purchase, 2) Boulevard won't give as much special attention to their local market, as the do currently, and 3) I'll lose all my trade bait--KS/MO aren't big on hard-to-get-beers, so if I ever wanted something from outside my distro area, I was pretty much dependent upon the limited seasonals--BBQ, Saison-Brett, Imperial Stout and Rye-on-Rye (and Love Child).

In the long run, this is probably good news. Especially if it ends up creating jobs, which in turn allows Boulevard to continue growing and being successful.

 

Heck yeah. It wouldn't be any different than if your local sports team was bought and then ran by out of towners. Why WOULDN'T we be upset? We were the original supporters after all.

 

If this happened to New Glarus, I'd probably be sad too. So while I'm glad I don't feel the way you do, I agree with your sentiment.

 

Chirpie, I understand being bummed, even feeling a little betrayed...and I'm not saying you in general, but people no longer supporting the brewery "they" helped build...that seems a little far fetched and ridiculous.

 

Appreciate the sentiment. It's not the end of the world, but it does mar the local flavor.

 

As a resident of KC I am bummed out by this as well. This may be the new trend, but not really sure why this was necessary other than to increase presence and profit. It's ok to be small or mid-size and not have your beer everywhere, we don't need to turn everything into a conglomeration.

Boulevard won't really feel like a local brewery anymore, and my desire to drink their stuff has ended for the time being, unless there are no other options.

 

I have no disagreement with anything you write except this: if anything with a broader distribution footprint and new owners QC will only increase. I'm not saying: "and that's why you should love this deal!" I'm just saying of all the many very valid concerns, quality control isn't one of them.

 

Fellow Kansas Citians--isn't a part of you proud that our local brand is now more likely to reach the far corners of the Earth? Just look at what wider distribution has done for places like Ommegang, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. Those are all household names.

While I share some misgivings, those doubts are buoyed by the notion of my hometown favorite becoming more well-known and an even greater source of pride about Kansas City. At the very least, a wait-and-see approach here seems reasonable.

Edit: and if you don't think John McDonald weighed this decision heavily before taking any actions, they you don't know his dedication for and love of his company and craft beer. He wasn't going to run that place forever, and if you read his quotes in the NYT article, it sounds like he felt this was the best option in terms of finding a good steward of the Boulevard brand. Until I have reason to believe otherwise, I'm going to trust his judgement.

 

There's only so many barrels of templeton rye you can age your brew in, and Rye-On-Rye only lasts a day in our market as it is.