Being Black and a female did not stop Ayla Bystrom-Williams from beating out 13,000 competitors to win this year's Miller Lite Tap the Future competition in Chicago. Her company, Honeymoon Brewery, co-founded with her business partner/ boyfriend, James Hill, won the competition's $200,000 award.
They are planning to use the funds to lease a building, purchase equipment, and expand their brewery in Sante Fe, New Mexico where they are based.
How she did it?
It took Ayla seven years to perfect her brand, combining kombucha tea with beer to produce a tasty, healthy brand. Healthy, because it uses less sugar than other beers. As she explains, “My passion for hops, health and happiness... led me to a career in craft beer.” She is passionately looking forward to the official company launch in 2017.
What makes their beers so different?
Not all beers are the same! Honeymoon Brewery uses fresh, select, local ingredients such as mountain spring water, roots and herbs, local Amalia and Neo Mexicanus hop varieties, as well as native wild bacteria and yeasts. Their goal is to create a palate of unique, complex, and refined brews that can not be duplicated.
Their product line include: Kombucha Wine, Kombucha Beer, Kvass, New Mexican Sour Ale with local fruit profiles, New Mexican Herbed Bitters with Chapparral and Sage, and Roasted Dandelion Root American Stout.
Ayla says her beers are "revolutionary." She also says, “Winning the Miller Lite Tap the Future competition is a tremendous honor."
For more details about Honeymoon Brewery, visit www.honeymoonbrewery.com
For more details bout the Miller Lite Tap the Future competition, visit www.mltapthefuture.com