Tomorrow, industry leaders gather at the Marina del Rey Marriott for Brewbound Live! Don’t miss two days of actionable insights, networking, and discussions on staying relevant, surviving craft’s challenges, and unlocking growth opportunities.

The 2024 Brewbound Awards and Rising Stars will be revealed at 11:40 a.m. PT Wednesday. Tickets and livestream access are still available—view the agenda and join us!

Brewbound Insiders are getting an update on Funkytown, the Blacked-owned Chicago-based craft brewery that won the 2021 Brewbound Pitch Slam. 

Funkytown has set its sights on a taproom location in Chicago’s West Side, and has made a deal to acquire a vacant building near the United Center, a neighborhood that is set to see more than $7 billion in development investment. 

Insiders are also:

• Reading a report on City Brewing negotiating a $50 million loan and why it could file for bankruptcy;
• Learning about brewery closures in California and Wisconsin;
• Getting details on industry vet and marketing executive Neal Stewart’s next career move;
• Diving into Circana’s weekly scans for the week ending December 1;
• And checking out who won BevNET’s Cocktail Showdown on Sunday.

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access.

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Chicago-based Funkytown Brewery’s mission is to bring more people into craft beer. 

Now it’s creating a physical space to be the homestead of that mission. 

Funkytown has made a deal to acquire a building near the United Center that the Black-owned craft brewery plans to transform into a taproom and beer garden. 

The location is on the West Side of Chicago, which is set to become a new community hotspot thanks to The 1901 Project, a $7 billion privately funded project meant to transform the underdeveloped area into an economic and community hub. 

The United Center is home to the Chicago Bulls NBA team and the Blackhawks NHL team, drawing millions of visitors every year, but the surrounding area has notoriously lacked other attractions since the 1968 riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The 1901 Project includes the building of a new music hall, a community park and green space, and a retail and lodging area. 

To help fund the project, Funkytown has opened a seed funding round with the goal of raising $5 million. The building itself will cost the company about $2.85 million. Should the funding come through, Funkytown plans to open the taproom by late fall 2025. 

Insiders can read more from Funkytown co-founders Rich Bloomfield, Zach Day and Greg Williams, including details on the founders’ vision for their space, and “brewery mistakes” they are trying to avoid.

The Brewbound team returns from Thanksgiving breaks to discuss the pre-turkey day news dump, including Molson Coors’ agreement to purchase the intellectual property of Cruz Blanca and why the Mexican-inspired, Chicago-produced brand is now on the clock.

Jess, Zoe and Justin also break down the results of the Brewers Association’s board election and why this one was a bit out of the ordinary. 

The conversation then turns to Olde Mecklenburg’s recent global collaboration, Americans’ dream of brewery ownership (at least in five states), Rogue’s new Pacific Northwest IPA and Krampus’ reappearance in Jess’ spooky town. 

Listen here or on your preferred podcast platform.

The full agenda for the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference is now available, featuring more than 30 speakers from beverage-alcohol suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, data providers and advisory firms.

Industry leaders will meet at the Marina del Rey Marriott for two days of business conversations, networking and relationship building on December 11 and 12. Tickets are still available, but time is running out to register.

The conference provides actionable takeaways to help you prepare for success in 2025 and beyond. Topics include:

• Opportunities in the on-premise channel;
• Wielding a focused portfolio;
• Staying relevant to younger generations;
• Meeting consumers in non-traditional occasions;
• Strategies for surviving craft’s choppy times;
• Understanding changing drinker demographics;
• Making beer accessible to underrepresented groups;
• And much more.

View the full agenda.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to book one-to-one meetings with retail buyers from Whole Foods Market, Applebee's and ExtraMile Convenience stores, as well as decision makers from Breakthrough Beverage California, the Reyes Beverage Division and California Beverage Solution (Stone Distributing, Markstein Sales and Heimark Distributing).

Brewbound’s Pitch Slam competition will also return to provide exposure for up-and-coming brands.

Ample opportunities will be provided to network with industry colleagues at our parties, including a pre-event party at JuneShine on December 10 and an opening night party at Firestone Walker on December 11.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024 >>