MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN- MobCraft Beer is partnering with Craft Beer Professionals, Lifting Lucy to observe and celebrate Juneteenth. This June 16-19, MobCraft Beer, located at 505 S. 5th Street in Milwaukee, will be serving two draft beers from Funkytown Brewery in their taproom with $1 of each beer sold being donated to both Lifting Lucy and MKE Black. In addition, 15% of all taproom sales on Monday, June 19 from 7:00-10:00pm will go directly to these two organizations. The evening will also feature a marker’s market of local, Black owned businesses including Jamaican Fair Trade Coffee, Emmanuel’s Mix, and Cottonmouth MKE.
This event will take place during the opening reception of the Craft Beer Professionals CBP Connects conference being held this year in Milwaukee June 19-21. Held in a different city each year, the CBP Connect conference brings together brewery owners, taproom managers, brewers and craft beer industry professionals for educational sessions and networking opportunities. The opening reception will take place at MobCraft Beer on Monday, June 19 from 7:00-10:00pm.
Andrew Coplon of Craft Beer Professionals states, “We are extremely excited to be hosting our event in Milwaukee! Craft Beer Professionals from across the country will be uniting for the opportunity to learn and grow stronger together.” Coplon continues, “To celebrate Juneteenth, our partners at Lifting Lucy and MobCraft have organized a vendor market at our welcome reception at the MobCraft taproom. We are excited for our attendees to meet new businesses while being able to support the wonderful causes of Lifting Lucy and MKE Black.”
Funkytown Brewery will be the beer focus of the welcome reception with two draft beers available during the event. The brewery was founded in 2021 by childhood friends Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams in their hometown of Chicago, IL. In November 2022, they partnered with the Pilot Project at 1128 N. 9th Street in Milwaukee, a taproom that serves as a launch pad for start-up breweries. Currently, Pilot Project Milwaukee offers five beers from Funkytown Brewery on draft.
Elise Strupp, Events Manager at MobCraft Beer says, “The Juneteenth giveback night will feature a mini-makers market featuring all local, Black owned businesses. The goal of the market coinciding with the Craft Beer Professionals opening reception is to connect brewery representatives across the country with small Black owned businesses in Milwaukee. Each vendor sells a product that could be used in beer or sold in a taproom. I am excited to get these groups together to do our part in supporting and growing the underrepresented communities within the beer industry.”
A portion of the taproom proceeds will benefit Lifting Lucy, a Nashville, TN based organization that focuses on empowering underrepresented communities within the brewing industry, particularly Black, Indigenous, and other women of color (BIWOC). Their mission is to break down barriers and promote progress for BIWOC in beer by partnering with philanthropists, breweries, nonprofits and other stakeholders.
“We are immensely proud to join forces with MobCraft Beer, Craft Beer Professionals, Funkytown, and MKE Black for this Juneteenth event,” saysTranice Watts of Lifting Lucy, “Collaborating with these exceptional partners allows us to showcase our mission of empowering Black, Indigenous, and all Women of Color in the brewing industry. Their unwavering commitment to producing high-quality craft beer while making a positive impact in the community perfectly aligns with our vision. Through this partnership, we can amplify our efforts, create more opportunities, and continue leading the way towards a more inclusive and equitable future in the world of beer.”
Proceeds also go to benefit MKE Black, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and supporting Black owned businesses in the greater Milwaukee area. MobCraft has partnered with MKE Black several times in the past, including the Lager & Listen series, a regular open panel discussion designed to elevate the voice of people of color within various industries in Milwaukee. Each Lager & Listen series was moderated by Henry Schwartz, President and CEO of MobCraft, along with Ayrton Bryan of MKE Black and featured a rotating series of prominent leaders of color in Milwaukee.
MobCraft and Jamacian Fair Trade Coffee also partnered on the creation of Black is Beautiful Stout, a concept beer created by Marcus Founder of Weathered Souls Brewing and brewed by over 1,100 breweries across the world. MKE Black was also a collaborator in and beneficiary of MobCraft’s original Black is Beautiful beer.
About MobCraft Beer
MobCraft Beer was founded in 2013 by Henry Schwartz and Andrew Gierczak. It is the world’s first crowdsourced brewery. MobCraft’s locations are 505 S. 5th Street in the Walker’s Point neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI. Throughout the year the crowd submits and votes on beer ideas. At the end of the vote, the winning beer is brewed and available for all to enjoy. These crowdsourced beers are served in the taproom with MobCraft flagships, beers from their Wild & Sour Program and more.
