Quote:

---

Ozark said:
Exactly, Haus. John McDonald started restoring that old building on South Boulevard in 1988 and he turned it into a traditional-style brewery. He delivered his first keg of beer to a local K.C. restaurant in 1989 with his pickup truck.

We moved The Home Brewery to Missouri in 1990, so our businesses kind of grew up together after that - though mine missed ever amounting to the $100 million mark by about 99-point-something percent.

John is truly one of the good guys - he's got a love of brewing and he's been all about quality beer ever since I've known him. Long ago, I helped brew some batches there - mostly learning by running the ignorant end of a scoop shovel and moving grain around. I've helped judge homebrew and microbrew competitions at Boulevard, and I've guzzled secret in-house brews after hours in their tap room whose quality you just wouldn't believe.

John McDonald is about my age, and though I haven't talked with him for years I guess he's gotta be wanting to finally retire. If he sold the business he built for a good price, I'm glad for him - he sure deserves it.

Don't worry, for every microbrewer who sells out to Engulf and Devour, Incorporated (sorry, I watched a Mel Brooks movie the other night) there'll be other young bucks, like maybe yourself, who'll start new high-quality craft breweries. Building beyond what us old guys figured out and did in the early days you'll make beer that's even better. I betcha.

---

Damn nice post, Sam.

Personally, I'm staying on the drinking end and they can sell my body to science.

griffin