What Marz Community Brewing Co. does

Marz Community Brewing Co. is a Chicago-based craft brewery founded in 2013 that operates two taproom locations — the Mothership in the Central Manufacturing District of McKinley Park and Life on Marz Community Club in Logan Square — alongside the affiliated Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar in Bridgeport. The company produces a portfolio of more than twenty beers spanning Polish-style lagers, hazy and double IPAs, wheat ales, kolsch, schwarzbier, saisons, wild ales, and fruited sours, plus non-alcoholic beverages (kombucha, yerba, shrub sodas, house-made seltzers), canned cocktails, and a Chicago-style hard lemonade. Production infrastructure consists of a 15-barrel brewhouse, 15- and 30-barrel fermenters, a 15-barrel foeder, a proprietary canning line, and house-cultured lactobacillus and souring bacteria that anchor the Bubbly Creak sour series and Duchess De Bridgeport Flanders red ale.

Marz's business model is overwhelmingly direct-to-consumer, anchored by on-site draft sales at both taprooms, packaged beer-to-go, and an e-commerce shop that sells branded merchandise (apparel, drinkware, puzzles, frisbees), publications (Herbert Magazine, Lumpen Comics Book, Drink Marz Newsprint Posters, Level Eater Book), and music products (Liquid Dreams 2024 LP), with distribution supported by the Under the Counter Culture sister store offering Chicago-area delivery and curbside pickup. Pricing for alcoholic beverages is not publicly disclosed; ancillary items such as Herbert Magazine 001 retail at $10. Operating geographies are limited to the Chicago metro area, with all three physical venues in adjacent neighborhoods (Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Logan Square).

The company is founder-owned and privately held, operates with approximately 14 employees, has no disclosed institutional funding or parent company, and runs on cash flow. Its competitive position rests on integration with Chicago's art, music, and neighborhood cultural scenes — through partnerships with Public Media Institute, Lumpen Radio, The Buddy System, Sonorama, Hoofprint Workshop, Wink Puzzles, and Level Eater — and on recurring on-site programming (trivia, music bingo, game night, Cantina Night, the annual Super Burger Time event) rather than on distribution scale or cost leadership.

Name

Marz Community Brewing Co.

Legal name

Marz Community Brewing Co.

Website

https://marz.beer

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marz Community Brewing Co. is a Chicago-based craft brewery operating two taprooms (Mothership in McKinley Park and Life on Marz in Logan Square) that produces an experimental portfolio of beers, non-alcoholic beverages, canned cocktails, and cultural merchandise, serving Chicago consumers through direct-to-consumer sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Brewery taproom
• Canned cocktails
• Experimental brewing
• Brewery merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. On-site Taproom Beer Sales: Sale of draft beer and alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption at both McKinley Park Mothership and Logan Square Life on Marz locations
2. Packaged Beer Retail: Sale of canned and packaged beer for take-home consumption at taproom locations and retail partners
3. Merchandise and Swag: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hats), glassware, stickers, drinkware, puzzles, frisbees, and books
4. Publications: Sale of publications including Herbert Magazine, Lumpen Comics Book, Drink Marz Newsprint Posters, and Level Eater Book
5. Music and Recordings: Sale of music products including Liquid Dreams 2024 LP vinyl records

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Marz Community Brewing Co. is a Chicago craft brewery that manufactures and sells an extensive portfolio of beers, hard lemonades, kombucha, shrub sodas and house seltzers from a 15-barrel brewhouse, plus branded merchandise, publications, artwork and music. Sales occur primarily through two company-owned taproom locations (McKinley Park Mothership and Logan Square Life on Marz Community Club), with packaged beer for take-home and an online shop handling merchandise and select beverages.

Product overview

Marz Community Brewing Co. is a Chicago-based craft brewery offering a diverse portfolio of beers, spirits, canned cocktails, and merchandise. The beer lineup includes over 20 distinct offerings ranging from classic styles (Lagers, Hefeweizen, Kolsch, Schwarzbier) to experimental craft beers (Hazy IPAs, Saisons, Wild Ales, Fruit Ales). The company's signature products include Jungle Boogie (flagship American Pale Wheat), Hospitality Lager (crushable 4% ABV session lager), and seasonal offerings like Oktoberfestbier and Krampbiscus. Beyond alcoholic beverages, Marz offers a wide range of branded merchandise including apparel, drinkware, publications, artwork, music, and games. The company operates two taproom locations (Mothership in McKinley Park and Life on Marz in Logan Square) and hosts regular community events including Music Bingo, Trivia, Game Night, Cantina Night, and Puzzled Pint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chicagoland Polish Lager A crisp Polish-style lager brewed by Marz, cold and suitable for any occasion, sold at taprooms and via the online shop.
• Jungle Boogie American Pale Wheat An American Pale Wheat ale with mixed wheat grain bill providing light caramel and amber sweetness, finished with fruity Rooibos tea and Mosaic hops. Marz's flagship offering.
• Hospitality Lager A crushable 4% ABV light lager inspired by workers' clubs in Eastern Europe, celebrating the warmth of welcoming guests to the Logan Square outpost.
• Oktoberfestbier A smooth, clean pale German Festbier with moderately strong malt flavor and light hop character, featuring premium pilsner malt and toasted malted oats from Haus Malts.
• Tropical Tiger Hazy IPA A 7% ABV Hazy IPA brewed with Mosaic, Citra, Amarillo and BRU-1 hops, featuring notes of dank melon, green fruit, citrus and pine.
• Singing to Plants Double IPA A New England style double dry-hopped double IPA brewed with Zappa, Amarillo, Mosaic and El Dorado hops, delivering ultra tropical stone fruit OJ character.
• Gay IPA A double dry-hopped hazy IPA with lactose, brewed in celebration of Pride Month with Strata, El Dorado and Citra hops, providing apricot, papaya, mango and tangerine notes.
• Marz Hefe Weiss A bright, refreshing Bavarian-style hefeweizen with aromas of ripe banana and clove, balanced by citrus zest and fresh-baked bread.
• Marz Lavender Lemon Hard Lemonade A Chicago-style hard lemonade made with a proprietary house lemonade blend spiked with fresh Midwestern lavender and vodka.
• Old Vienna Style Lager A crushable, sessionable lower-alcohol light lager celebrating the 100th anniversary of Filbert's Sodas, made with Canadian Superior Pilsener malt, toasted flaked rice and Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops.
• Citra! Citra! Citra! Triple Dry-Hopped Double IPA A triple dry-hopped double IPA at 8.2% ABV featuring Citra hops packed to the gills, described as super-hazy and super-delicious.
• French Kisses Saison A classic saison with deep straw color, strong floral aroma, fruity and funky apple and citrus notes with mild spices, featuring ginger, citrus and lemongrass.
• Krampbiscus Fruited Ale A fruited ale with cranberries, raspberry and hibiscus named in honor of Krampus, featuring a smooth oat and barley base with big cranberry notes and flaked-oat creamy mouthfeel.
• Marz Schwarzbier The darkest lager ever made by Marz, with hints of chocolate and coffee, almost like a stout but brewed as a lager, with roasted malt and low hop bitterness.
• Double Jungle Boogie Imperial Pale Wheat Ale An imperial pale wheat ale with Rooibos tea, the hop-forward version of Jungle Boogie with far more dry hops added to blend with tea aromas.
• Duchess De Bridgeport Flanders Red A southside sour red ale brewed with proprietary souring bacteria and red currants, Marz's take on a non-barrel-aged Flanders red ale with notes of strawberry, dried fruit and citric hops.
• Chela Negra Black Lager A black lager collaboration with Sonorama, Chicago's sound system and Lumpen DJs, using Vienna and dark Munich malts with Perle and Swiss Saphir hops as a tribute to vinyl records and music culture.
• The Machine American Pale Ale An American pale ale at 5.3% ABV honoring Chicago political organizations, featuring Hallertau Blanc hops with a little malt sweetness.
• Marz Doppelbock (Horn Strider) A light-bodied doppelbock rich in caramel, molasses and raw honey, described as a bread-like ale.
• Marz Kolsch A super-clean, bright and refreshing classic Kölsch at 5% ABV made with Pure Idaho Pils and Munich malt, accented with Tettnanger and Saphir hops.
• Double Splash Double IPA An 8% double dry-hopped double IPA hopped with Mosaic, Amarillo and El Dorado, featuring honey malt for slight residual sweetness and dank notes of fresh berries, citrus and stone fruit.
• Chug Life Adjunct Lager An American style adjunct lager that is crisp, clean and carved-up with semi-sweet malt character balanced by carbonic acid for a frothy, sparkling mouthfeel, dry-hopped with Centennial.
• Yakool Wild Ale A wild ale with strawberries and lactose honoring probiotic roots, brewed with lactobacillus (similar to Yakult) and organic strawberry puree for that classic Yakult flavor.
• Crushed Velvet Hazy IPA A hazy IPA reloaded with Motueka, Galaxy and Citra hops plus Abstrax Mango Terps, described as a resinous, dank grapefruit freakout with fruity mango aroma.
• Taproom Experiences at McKinley Park Mothership and Logan Square Life on Marz On-site taproom service of draft beer, canned cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages at the company's two Chicago locations, accompanied by recurring community programming (Music Bingo, Trivia, Game Night, Puzzled Pint, Cantina Night, Super Burger Time).
• Duchess De Bridgeport Tee A tribute t-shirt honoring Maria Marszewski, owner of Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar and mother of some of the co-founders of Marz Community Brewing Co.
• Herbert Magazine 001 An offbeat, art-forward weed magazine with interviews and art from favorite weirdos, taking a high-ly enjoyable take on cannabis culture, priced at $10.00.
• LOMCC Prints x Nana Nozaki (Limited Edition Artworks) Three large-format silk-screened illustrative works by Nana Nozaki installed at Life on Marz Community Club, sold as a limited edition of 50 each on 100% cotton Coventry Rag paper, 24x36 inches.
• Krampbiscus Glassware Gold-trimmed glassware featuring the Krampbiscus Kramp-y design, sold through the Marz online shop.
• Liquid Dreams 2024 LP A 2024 vinyl record featuring live DJ sets and sessions from Marz's cultural programming, sold as part of the shop's music line.
• Lumpen Comics Book A 170-page soft cover perfect-bound book celebrating contemporary comics culture in Chicago and beyond, featuring work by 57 brilliant artists, published in partnership with Public Media Institute.
• Level Eater Dice Set An official Level Eater custom-engraved dice set in a custom dice pouch (one d20, one d12, two d10, one d8, one d6 and one d4), co-branded with Marz for the Level Eater event.
• Drink Marz Newsprint Posters A set of 11 different broadside newsprint posters created by Marz artist and designer friends, including a Jungle Boogie remix by Louie Capozolli.
• Level Eater Book A limited edition keepsake book celebrating daring and camaraderie in the fantastical city of Portsbridge, featuring artwork and lore from years of Level Eater play, with proceeds benefiting Lumpen Radio.
• Marz Mini Puzzles Three 72-piece puzzles featuring Marz designs (Krampbiscus, Flower Power and Holihaze), made in collaboration with Wink Puzzles.
• Marz Kleen Kanteen An 18oz classic Klean Kanteen that is BPA- and toxin-free, ice friendly and features a carrying loop.
• Marz Sticker Pack A selection of three 4-inch MARZ stickers plus beer labels, pins and coasters.
• Marz Miir 16 oz Camp Mug An insulated 16oz stainless steel Miir camp mug suitable for coffee or tea, with the first-ever Marz-branded Miir design.
• Marz Ultimate Frisbee A custom Discraft brand Ultimate frisbee featuring the Marz Your Face design.
• Double Jungle Boogie T-Shirt A black Hanes Nano brand unisex t-shirt featuring the Double Jungle Boogie design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Jungle Boogie consistently ranks among top wheat beers in the country

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Buddy SystemcoreOthersMarz Community Brewing Co. is a Founding Member of The Buddy System, a collaborative organization or initiative. Details of the partnership scope are not fully specified in available sources.
• Public Media InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Media Institute is the publisher of Lumpen Comics Book and organizer of Level Eater events. Marz collaborates on merchandise and events supporting this nonprofit cultural organization.
• Hoofprint WorkshopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoofprint Workshop printed limited silk screened editions of the LOMCC Prints x Nana Nozaki artwork (50 copies each of three prints).
• SonoramaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Sonorama, Chicago's sound system and Lumpen DJs, on Chela Negra beer. Sonorama designed the label crest embodying their love for music and vinyl records.
• Wink PuzzlesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarz collaborated with Wink Puzzles to create three mini puzzles featuring Marz branding: Krampbiscus, Flower Power, and Holihaze.
• Lumpen RadiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLumpen Radio is Marz's sister radio station, part of Public Media Institute. Cross-promotional relationship with shared community focus. All proceeds from Level Eater Book benefit Lumpen Radio.
• Under the Counter CultureminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister shop for online sales of Lumpen Comics Book and other merchandise with curbside pickup or home delivery for Chicago residents.
• Level EatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Media Institute's annual Dungeons & Dragons event. Marz collaborates on merchandise including dice sets and books. Usually hosted at Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pipeworks Brewing Co. Independent Chicago craft brewery known for heavily artistic, experimental can designs and a wide rotating lineup — closely matched to Marz's experimental, design-forward identity.
• Half Acre Beer Company: Independent Chicago craft brewery operating a production brewery and taproom, with a similarly experimental/flagship-led lineup (e.g., Daisy Cutter). Directly comparable in scale, geography, and DTC-focused model.
• Empirical Brewery: Chicago craft brewery with taproom and a portfolio spanning IPAs, lagers, and sours. Comparable small-scale urban craft model and DTC taproom emphasis.
• Off Color Brewing: Chicago craft brewery specializing in quirky, style-bending beers and operating a taproom. Comparable in creative/experimental positioning and small-batch production philosophy.
• Revolution Brewing: Chicago-based craft brewery with multiple taproom locations and a broad portfolio of beers including IPAs and lagers. Comparable multi-venue DTC footprint and Chicago craft positioning.
• Hopewell Brewing Company: Chicago craft brewery with a taproom and a similarly community-oriented positioning. Comparable in size, neigborhood-taproom model, and the balance of classic and experimental beers.

Broad incumbents

• Lagunitas Brewing Company: Large U.S. craft brewery (now part of Heineken) with national distribution and a wide portfolio. Comparable craft-category overlap but materially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Goose Island Beer Company: Chicago-originated craft brewery now owned by AB InBev, with national distribution and broad reach. Comparable as a Chicago craft brand but operates at vastly larger scale and through wholesale channels.

Regional players

• Penrose Brewing Company: Geneva, Illinois craft brewery with a taproom and a Belgian- and experimental-leaning lineup. Comparable in scale and style experimentation, but serves Chicago's western suburbs rather than the city core.
• 3 Floyds Brewing: Independent craft brewery based in Munster, Indiana, with a flagship-heavy lineup (e.g., Zombie Dust) and reputation for bold, experimental IPAs. Comparable craft positioning and flagship-led approach, but operates outside Chicago proper.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/marzbrewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marz-community-brewing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marz Community Brewing Co.