Boulevard Brewery to boost fermentation tank capacity by 20 percent

[flyingember]

Opening was "sometime this summer" as of April.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/business ... 57867.html

[mykn]

On reddit people are saying that it's already open.

[swid]

Not a peep about it being open on Craft Beer KC.

[swid]

Turns out Reddit was right, as the Star has an article about it being open.

[bspecht]

Yes, they've been quiet vague about the opening. Instagram is my new go to for questions like this, looks like it's been soft opened for a week or so. https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1167789/

[DaveKCMO]

has anyone been to the new beer hall yet?

WHY HAVE YOU NOT FULFILLED MY REQUEST FOR INFORMATION, KCRAG?

[grovester]

Fine, I'll go this week.

[pash]

.

[Highlander]

I am headed there in a couple of weeks. That's one of the first things on my list (preceded only by ride the streetcar).

By the way - Boulevard has all but disappeared from the bars and restaurants here in Houston. It was pretty common a couple of years back. But there are so many local places producing beer now (many of them just gawd awful) that the competition must be pretty fierce for regional craft beers like Boulevard. Boulevard easily out performs the local craft beers - the only one I can stand is Karbach. You can still find Boulevard in the liquor stores and some grocery stores but its getting rarer as more local craft beers enter the market. I wonder if its like that around the US? Sounds like a potential threat to their business model.

[bobbyhawks]

I am headed there in a couple of weeks. That's one of the first things on my list (preceded only by ride the streetcar).

By the way - Boulevard has all but disappeared from the bars and restaurants here in Houston. It was pretty common a couple of years back. But there are so many local places producing beer now (many of them just gawd awful) that the competition must be pretty fierce for regional craft beers like Boulevard. Boulevard easily out performs the local craft beers - the only one I can stand is Karbach. You can still find Boulevard in the liquor stores and some grocery stores but its getting rarer as more local craft beers enter the market. I wonder if its like that around the US? Sounds like a potential threat to their business model.

That is probably another reason why the Duvel purchase was timed well and will be a good long-term move. I'm not totally up on how beer is sold in each state, but I'd imagine Duvel can sell packaged things in such a way that it would be difficult for someone to offer Ommegang or Firestone Walker at a store without also offering the other two US-based Duvel breweries. Based on what I've seen, Firestone Walker is one of the best of the highly available, large-scale "craft" breweries in the nation, and getting a tag along in certain markets will be very beneficial for Boulevard. Also, the entire package is very attractive, in that you are getting Duvel and three well-respected brewers, rather than a single quality brand purchased by InBev packaged with a whole bunch of crap.

The local pride angle is probably here to stay, so Boulevard can only hope to be positioned in such a way that they are eventually one of the standard premium offerings that rises to the top. In most markets today, restaurants that only have 20 or so beers available probably aren't going to offer Boulevard unless they have KC ties or just love the stuff. Over time, I would think that beer people will choose what non-regional beer becomes popular at the 40+ tap locations, and those highlights will spill into the smaller places. There are so many mediocre options (and great options) right now, it is difficult to stand out. That said, I like Boulevard's chances better under the Duvel banner.

[WSPanic]

I'm not sure, but I think Duvel runs their Cooperstown/KC breweries as a unit - and Firestone and Duvel are separate entities.

[grovester]

http://www.pitch.com/food-drink/blog/20 ... ts-awesome

Great, now it will mobbed!