Chicago’s Black-owned breweries unite for 6-week residency in the West Loop, including collaboration beer: ‘It reminds me of a revolutionary time’
For the next six weeks, Illinois’ growing number of Black-owned breweries will be centered at Haymarket Pub & Brewery.
In celebration of Black History Month (and slightly beyond), the veteran West Loop brewpub will host a residency starting Tuesday and running through March 13 for four of the state’s few breweries with at least partial Black ownership.
Among the beers available will be Chicago Uncommon Ale, made in the easy drinking California common style (think: the iconic Anchor Steam), made collaboratively between the breweries — their first together — as well as Haymarket and several other local professional Black brewers. Chicago Uncommon Ale will be tapped Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. at a Super Bowl viewing party.
During the residency, Haymarket will have up to eight beers available from the four breweries: Funkytown Brewery, Moor’s Brewing, Black Horizon Brewing and Turner Haus Brewery.
Black Horizon, based in Willowbrook, is the only one that has its own bricks-and-mortar operation, which makes the residency the rare opportunity for Funkytown, Moor’s and Turner Haus to have a home of their own. Black Horizon, Funkytown and Moor’s will also stage events at Haymarket during the six weeks.
Mike Gemma, Haymarket’s director of operations, said the idea was born from wanting to support Black brewery owners, who have traditionally been underrepresented in a beer industry with nearly 9,000 businesses nationally and about 250 in the Chicago area. In an October 2021 demographics analysis, the Brewers Association found 93.5% of owners among 500 randomly selected breweries were white and just 0.4% were Black.
“With Black History Month upon us, we thought about what stories do we want to tell, and this seemed like the perfect fit,” Gemma said. “We’re excited about the surge of Black-owned breweries, and it’s been wonderful to meet (the owners) and hear their stories.”
Funkytown, which makes beer at Pilot Project Brewing in Logan Square, has had strong early returns since launching in October, including winning Brewbound’s pitch slam and a $10,000 prize.
Moor’s, which launched last Juneteenth, has also seen strong early success; its beer is available in 130 accounts, including some Binny’s stores, Wintrust Arena and Next restaurant. It launches this week in some Jewel-Osco stores, co-founder Jamhal Johnson said.
Johnson said the residency and the collaboration beer are “encouraging” for the future of Black brewery ownership.
“Haymarket putting this program together gave us all the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other and get to know each other’s history and motivation,” he said. “Everyone has their own story and vision and it reminds me of a revolutionary time. I’d compared it to when hip-hop started. Hip-hop in its purest form was just a cool thing to do and it turned into this multibillion-dollar industry.”
Moor’s makes three brands at 18th Street Brewery in Hammond; a session ale, an IPA and an imperial porter. All three beers will be available in cans during the residency and in carryout four-packs. Johnson said he hopes to open a brewery and taproom this year on the South Side, perhaps in Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Woodlawn or Jackson Park.
Also on tap for the residency will be Harold’s 83 Honey Ale, a beer developed by two Black Chicago brewers to honor Chicago’s first Black mayor, Harold Washington: Jay Westbrook, who is active in Chicago beer through his company, Black Beer Baron; and Sam Ross, a brewer for Goose Island Beer Co. Harold’s 83 Honey Ale is made by Haymarket, and a business partnership between the brewery, Westbrook and Ross.
Beers available during the residency will range from lower-alcohol lager, pale ale and cream ale, to boozier double India pale ale, imperial stout and imperial porter.
Events are set featuring Moor’s on Feb. 5, Feb. 10 and Feb. 18; Funkytown Feb. 17 and Feb. 25; and Black Horizon March 11. Details will be available on social media accounts for Haymarket and the breweries. Westbrook and Ross will also host an educational event about the basics of beer Feb. 23 with Mickey Bryant, founder of Black and Brew Chicago, a nonprofit organization dedicated to diversifying the craft beer industry.
At least one more Black-owned brewery has popped up in recent months: Vice District Brewing, which closed in 2019 after shuttering a South Loop brewpub and production brewery in Homewood, relaunched in October. Vice District has produced one beer, a blonde ale made by Ravinia Brewing last fall that has been available only at 16th Street Bar in the South Loop. Among the owners of the brand is state Rep. Curtis J. Tarver II, who is Black.
