(Courtesy Samuel Adams)

Brewing the American Dream is the philanthropic arm of Samuel Adams aimed at providing mentorship and capital to food & beverage entrepreneurs nationwide. Each year the Brewing & Business Experienceship arm of the program invites brewers nationwide to apply for the chance to win unparalleled access to brewing and business resources from experts at Samuel Adams, including founder and brewer Jim Koch.

One lucky craft brewer is selected to come to the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, work side-by-side with a team of mentors and collaborate on a specialty beer with Samuel Adams. The winner will also travel to the preeminent craft beer event of the year, the Great American Beer Festival, to shadow and experience alongside Samuel Adams.

For the second year in a row, the Brewing & Business Experienceship was deliberated live at the annual Crafting Dreams Beer Bash in NYC. Five Finalists from across the country were invited to showcase their signature brews and share their brewing and business story with judges and beer lovers.

And the 2023 recipient is Chicago’s Funkytown Brewery.

(Samual Adams Founder Jim Koch with the Funkytown crew)

Proudly Black-owned, Funkytown Brewery was founded by childhood and lifelong friends Rich Bloomfield, Zack Day and Greg Williams who share a passion for their hometown of Chicago and home brewing.

Largely influenced by the Chicago craft scene and 90’s Hip Hop and R&B, Funkytown Brewery started home-brewing in a family garage. The brewery later launched in 2021 with a mission to introduce craft beer to underserved communities and provide a deeper understanding of different beer styles, tasting notes, aromas and colors. Today, Funkytown Brewery aims to serve craft beer deserts and add diversity and representation to the shelves of established retailers.

“We are so proud to announce Funkytown Brewery as our latest Experienceship winner,” said Jim Koch, Founder and Brewer of Samuel Adams. “Not only was their signature ‘Hip-Hops and R&Brew’ a standout among voters at the Crafting Dreams Beer Bash, but their mission of expanding the craft beer community to underserved groups really resonated with us.”

“Winning Brewing the American Dream’s Brewing & Business Experienceship feels amazing at this stage of our business as we are taking the next steps to expand operations and increase awareness of our brand,” said Rich Bloomfield, Funkytown Co-Founder. “We’ve been around since October 2021, so working directly with Sam Adams provides validation, exposure, and mentorship that will help us successfully transition Funkytown to the next level.”

Since Brewing the American Dream began in 2008, Samuel Adams has supported its nonprofit lending partners by providing more than more than $99 million  in loans to more than 4,100 small business owners in the food and beverage industry.

In the months ahead, Funkytown Brewery will join Samuel Adams in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival and in Boston to craft a special collaboration brew.

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(Image credits: Samuel Adams / Brewing the American Dream)