The weekend\u2019s St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities drew diverse crowds into the city ahead of the holiday on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Among them was a bar crawl at Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar on the Near South Side on Saturday. Black revelers clad in green poured into the Black-owned watering hole, which played hip-hop classics and offered beer from the Black-owned Moor\u2019s Brewing Company.<\/p>\n
The lagers, porters, session ales and IPAs were served in colorful cans that feature a depiction of Hendrik Heerschop\u2019s \u201cThe African King Caspar,\u201d a 17th-century painting of one the three wise kings in the Bible who bring gifts to the baby Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a way to educate,\u201d Moor\u2019s Brewing Company<\/a> co-owner Jamhal Johnson said of the artwork. \u201cIt\u2019s a conversation piece. It\u2019s unapologetic.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning into cultural celebration is one way Moor\u2019s and Funkytown Brewery<\/a> \u2014 the city\u2019s two Black-owned breweries \u2014 set themselves apart in a volatile industry that is seeing increased brewery closings nationwide. In Chicago, at least five have shuttered or announced closures this year<\/u><\/a> amid rising operational and production costs and a decline in the U.S. drinking rate.<\/p>\n By contrast, Moor\u2019s Brewing and Funkytown Brewery have remained resilient due to contract brewing, or producing at other breweries in lieu of opening a brick-and-mortar location right away. They have also built a following by pairing their beer with cultural experiences and events, and targeting a diverse consumer base. The owners say they are hopeful this approach will sustain them when they eventually open a physical space.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re encouraged,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cOur brew company is the anchor. But at the end of the day, we\u2019re a brand. We can do art, we can do sports. That\u2019s the future. That\u2019s where it\u2019s going. And I just feel like the rest of the industry hasn\u2019t caught up yet, but it\u2019ll bounce back.\u201d<\/p>\n Founded in 2021 by Johnson, Damon Patton and Anthony Bell, Moor\u2019s Brewing currently has a contract with Homewood Brewing. Contract brewing, or producing at other breweries in lieu of opening a brick-and-mortar location right away, is one of the reasons Moor\u2019s has stayed in business amid a recent wave of brewery closures.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p>\n Kenn Cook Jr.\/For the Sun-Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Nationwide, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the market, according to a report by the National Black Brewers Association<\/u><\/a>. But many are outpacing their counterparts; in 2023, Black-owned breweries that produced less than 1,000 barrels grew 9% faster than similar-sized breweries.<\/p>\n Chicago has seen the opening and closing of a couple in recent years. Vice District, which operated locations in South Loop and Homewood, shuttered its taprooms in 2019. Turner Haus Brewery in Bronzeville announced last year<\/u><\/a> that it was pausing regular taproom hours and pivoting to an events-only format.<\/p>\n Founded in 2021 by Johnson, Damon Patton and Anthony Bell, Moor\u2019s Brewing currently has a contract with Homewood Brewing. Last year, Moor\u2019s Brewing briefly operated a taproom in the now-closed Diversey House in Logan Square.<\/p>\n Funkytown Brewery was founded five years ago by Rich Bloomfield, Greg Williams and Zack Day. It has spent the last five years operating at beverage incubator Pilot Project Brewing in Logan Square. In 2027, it will open its own facility on the Near West Side thanks in part to a $3.7 million Community Development Grant from the city.<\/p>\n Greg Williams (from left), Zack Day and Rich Bloomfield are the founders of Funkytown Brewery.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In most cases, contract brewing is not only a strategy but a necessity, as Black-owned businesses struggle to gain access to capital, industry connections, distribution and marketing opportunities, as reported by the national nonprofit Brewers Association.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to getting loans or investment, it\u2019s always been significantly harder for Black people,\u201d Bloomfield said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of Black and Brown people in our network, but craft breweries aren\u2019t in our neighborhoods, and craft beer has never been marketed specifically for us to feel included in that space. And it\u2019s a hard industry to navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n Working with Pilot Project Brewing allowed Funkytown Brewery to test the market while cultivating a sense of belonging for Black and brown customers, including women, who are not always embraced in the market, Bloomfield said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was never just purely about the beer itself,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the culture that we\u2019re able to create. It\u2019s about community and creating a sense of belonging. We believe that we have a new, contemporary voice in the beer space that is exciting, and that speaks to underserved demographics and Gen Z. It combines community, art, music, sport and culture together to create a better experience for folks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted people of color to understand the opportunities within that industry,\u201d said founder Mickey Bryant. \u201cNot just taste the beer, but [learn about] the science, the agriculture and the community connection.\u201d<\/p>\n Bryant said Black participants have felt more engaged when they learn about Black representation in the industry, and how Black-owned breweries work with Black-led community gardens, Black artists and others in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to help people understand how [breweries] benefit everybody,\u201d she said. Jamhal Johnson, co-owner of Moor\u2019s Brewing, pours a beer from the tap behind the bar at Williams Inn Pizza & Sports Bar on the South Side.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p>\n Kenn Cook Jr.\/Kenn Cook Jr.\/For the Sun-Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Collaboration is key for Black entrepreneurs interested in making a mark in the industry. Such is the case for Terrance Owens, who, in 2025, partnered with five others to launch Brutalist Brewing<\/a>, which is advertised as Chicago\u2019s first worker-cooperative brewery. The company currently operates out of Pilot Project Brewing. <\/p>\n \u201cI think so many breweries that close, a lot of them overreached, because it was just a money grab,\u201d he said. \u201cAt one point, every brewery was making money until the bubble burst. I just want steady, reliable growth. None of us are looking to become billionaires off this business. We\u2019re looking to make a product that we all care about, and to be able to support our families.\u201d \u201cWe all help each other whenever we can by putting each other\u2019s beers on tap,\u201d said Charles St. Clair, who co-owns the business with Alex Stankus and Kevin Baldus.<\/p>\n St. Clair and Stankus said they have been able to navigate industry challenges by sourcing materials domestically and catering to their local community by curating events and activities, and producing beer according to their changing tastes.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to see it bloom,\u201d St. Clair said of the market for brick-and-mortar Black-owned breweries. \u201cThe interest is there. It\u2019s just not financially feasible right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nBlack-owned breweries still face systemic challenges<\/h2>\n
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And all of the local Black brewers have found value in working and brewing together. That includes Black Horizon Brewing Company, a Black-owned, brick-and-mortar brewery in west suburban Willowbrook.<\/p>\n