Boulevard Brewing

John McDonald had been working as a carpenter when he encountered European brewing traditions while on holiday in France in the mid-1980s. In 1988, he purchased a turn-of-the-century brick building on Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City and converted it into a brewery using second-hand equipment, including a vintage Bavarian brewhouse sourced from a closed brewery in Bavaria, Germany. The brewery takes its name from its original address on that boulevard. The first keg was delivered on 17 November 1989.

The company expanded in 1999 and 2005, then broke ground on a $20 million project in March 2006 adding a 150-barrel brewhouse. In 2014, Boulevard joined the Duvel Moortgat family of breweries. The brewery now produces over 200,000 barrels annually.

Boulevard's beers reach 41 US states and are available internationally in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Visitors can take daily tours at its Kansas City site.

The company has maintained a sustained sustainability programme: it achieved zero landfill status in 2011 and installed an 18 kW solar array that same year, followed by a 200 kW solar system in 2019. Its brewhouse carries a green roof, cartons are made with 70% post-consumer recycled paper, and case trays use 100% post-consumer material. One of its drinks has won awards.