It was the summer of 1984, and John McDonald was thirsty. On vacation in Europe, the future founder of Boulevard Brewing Company wandered into a bar specializing in Belgian beers. He tried one, then another and another, amazed by the variety, the aromas, and the flavors. He was hooked.

Back home, John couldn’t stop dreaming about those beers. But dreaming was all he could do, because American beers of the time were homogenous and unremarkable. Kansas City, once home to more than a dozen breweries producing a wide array of beers, had succumbed to the industrial onslaught. Nothing was left.

It took more than a year and every bit of the money he’d raised to retrofit the building, find the equipment – including a vintage 35-barrel Bavarian brewhouse – and get everything up and running. Finally, in November 1989, the first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale was ready. John loaded it into the back of his pickup and delivered it to a restaurant just a few blocks away.