DM

Duvel Moortgat USA, the US unit of Belgium-based brewery Duvel Moortgat, has acquired Boulevard Brewing of Kansas City, Missouri for an undisclosed amount.

The deal, which is expected to close by the end of 2013, will allow Moortgat to secure the resources of Boulevard in Kansas City and extend its regional presence in the US and Europe.

In the US, Moortgat operates a specialty beer import company and a Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York, which it acquired in 2003.

Founded in 1871, Moortgat produces premium beers including Duvel, Chouffe, and Liefmans at various breweries in Belgium.

Following the deal, the Moortgat family will retain their ownership structure in Europe, but will make Boulevard Brewing founder John McDonald as a partner in the new US-based company.

Post acquisition, Boulevard will continue to work on its sustainability initiatives such as support for Ripple Glass, the glass recycling company founded by McDonald, and other brewery principals.

McDonald said he wanted to find a way to take the business to the next level while retaining its essence, its people, its personality — all the characteristics that make their beer and their brewery so important to Kansas City and the Midwest.

"Duvel Moortgat’s commitment to quality and independence, and their proven record helping breweries fulfill their potential, made this a perfect fit and an easy decision," McDonald added.

Duvel Moortgat CEO Michel Moortgat said, "Our companies share the same values. We have great mutual respect for each other’s achievements and maintain a deeply-held belief in exceptional quality as the platform for long-term success."

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Image: Boulevard beers are distributed in 25 states and in the District of Columbia. Photo courtesy: Steve Agocs.