Get Out of Town: DCBeer Invades KCMO for Boulevardia

Kansas City is well-known for its legendary barbecue and, unbeknownst to me, fountains, but not so much its beer, except for Boulevard Brewing Company. Go ahead, think “midwest” and “beer city,” and I suspect that Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and maybe even Madison come to mind before the “Heart of America” sitting on the Missouri River. However, a recent trip out to attend Boulevard’s first annual beer and music festival, Boulevardia, proved that KCMO’s beer scene is alive, well, and growing quickly.

Let’s get one thing clear: square one for Kansas City’s craft beer scene is Boulevard. It’s everywhere. You walk into a bar, nearly any bar, as far as we saw, and order a “pale ale,” and you will get handed a Boulevard Pale Ale. Same with “a Pils.” You’ll get Boulevard’s KC Pils, 10 percent of the revenue of which goes to local charities. From gas stations to fine dining restaurants, you will see Boulevard’s influence from giant signs to tap handles. How’d they become so ubiquitous?