Boulevard Brewing Co. Charts New Growth Using Rapid On-Demand Steam Generators

Boulevard Brewing Co. of Kansas City, Missouri has announced that it using steam technology to achieve its goals. Full details are below.

Los Angeles, CA -- “Throughout the brewery, without steam you can’t do anything,” said Dali Grabar, Director of Engineering for Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri.

Boulevard has been “full steam ahead” since its founding in 1988 by John McDonald, a young carpenter with a vision “to make big beers, a variety of beers, beers with color and flavor and aroma and body, beers for real beer lovers.” It’s a passion that began four years earlier with a trip to Europe, when by chance he wandered into a bar specializing in Belgian beers that were remarkably varied in style, compared to the homogenous varieties dominating America at the time.

It took a year and every penny he’d saved to retrofit his live-work space and find the right equipment. The first commercially available brew was a keg of Boulevard Pale Ale, which John carted in the back of his pickup truck to a local restaurant.  The next big leap was investing in a small, used bottling line.  His business plan called for someday brewing as much as 6,000 barrels per year – aiming high!  But by the third year, sales passed 7,000 barrels and by 2004, Boulevard was turning out over 100,000 barrels annually and still growing.

Time for a steam upgrade

With growth came the need for a bigger building, new equipment, and more steam.  Boulevard had come a long way using another brand’s 125 horsepower (BHP) boiler, but by 2006 it was time for an upgrade.  On his early travels in Europe to learn the brewer’s craft, John found many breweries using steam generators made by Clayton Industries, Inc. 

Mark Begert, Senior Sales Engineer for Clayton Industries said, “A conventional boiler is like a tea pot, but bigger.  It heats large volumes of water in a tank all at once, takes one to two hours to start making steam, and then when temperature drops it spends energy to re-heat.  It doesn’t react quickly to the fluctuating steam demand that is part of the batch brewing process.  Not only is it inefficient in terms of floor space, time, and energy costs, but a conventional boiler can also have a steam explosion – a risk to both workers and property.”

Boulevard’s expansion led to more adventure with the soon-popular Smokestack Series – an ongoing brewer’s challenge to innovate toward bigger, bolder beers.  They continued to grow.

Expansion draws interest from Belgian giant

By 2014, news of Boulevard’s success drew the attention of a Belgian icon of John’s -- Duvel Moortgat, whose way with hops first stirred John’s hopes to brew.  It was a proud moment when the legendary company’s fourth generation son and president, Michel Moortgat, invited Boulevard to join the Duvel Moortgat family.

Brewing more beer meant another expansion, and a need for more steam.  Given the problems with the last boiler, this time the plant engineer took a tip from Duvel, who had exceptional experience with Clayton’s line of steam generators.

Begert explained: “Boulevard chose our SEG504-1, a 500 BHP design that has one third the footprint of their previous 400 BHP boiler.  It’s almost the opposite of the teapot idea.  Clayton’s steam generators are a once-through, forced water flow design that combines a steel helical coil heat exchanger, a positive displacement feedwater pump and a mechanical steam separator to produce steam on demand.  It takes very little time to heat just the water you’re going to use – typically 15 minutes maximum, so it’s a rapid start up, and far more fuel efficient, too.  And it’s safe – there’s no chance of a steam explosion.”

Dali worked with an outside brewery equipment manufacturer on Boulevard’s first expansion, which earned him an invitation to join the company the following year.  During the second expansion he was on the team that brought the new Clayton online. 

Dali explained, “Early on, when we began to put our new equipment through the paces, we used only 30% of its capacity.  Now we’re utilizing 50% to 70%.  Long term we’ll add another 500 BHP Clayton and get rid of the old 400 BHP that gave us headaches.”

Steam touches every part of the brewing process

Constantly innovating, Boulevard now brews new lines of craft cocktails and “spiked and sparkling” seltzers, both made with fruit and other premium ingredients that require special handling, and steam is an essential player.  Dali noted, “If you’re using fruit you have to flash-pasteurize it, which requires the heat treatment.”

“Steam touches every part of the process,” he said.

ABOUT BOULEVARD BREWING COMPANY: Kansas City, Missouri-based Boulevard Brewing Company was founded in 1988 by John McDonald and has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Their mission is to produce fresh, flavorful beers using the finest ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques. The company produces fine ales and lagers available 365 days a year, and highly anticipated seasonal offerings such as a Belgian-style Witbier and Early Riser Coffee Porter. Since 2014, Boulevard has been part of the 4-generation family-owned Belgian brewing icon Duvel Moortgat USA. Boulevard beers are available in over 41 states and 11 countries. For more information, visit www.boulevard.com/.