Samuel Adams Taps Entrepreneurial Spirit overtaking Austin: Hosts Brewing the American Dream Pop-Up Pitch Room Competition to Celebrate Food & Beverage Innovators in Austin, TX

The Pitch Room was hosted by an expert panel of judges who heard 2-minute business pitches from five Austin-based food and beverage small businesses including Joe's Microgreens, Banner Distilling, Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix, FOND Bone Broth, and GFY Kitchen. After posing questions and providing critical, real-world advice, the judges selected Catherine Stiles, founder of Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix, as having the best pitch based on the quality of the presentation, creativity, passion and product viability. Stiles won a $10,000 business grant, a media package from Foursquare, and will receive extensive business mentorship from of the team at Samuel Adams. Tapping into Austin's celebration of interactive technology, drinkers at the event and nationwide were invited to virtually vote on Facebook Live for the "People's Choice Award", a $5,000 prize which Stiles also took home.

The expert panel of judges for the Pitch Room included:

• Jennifer Glanville, Samuel Adams Brewer, named "The Most Creative People in Business" by Fast Company
• Koel Thomae, Co-Founder of Noosa Yoghurt
• Lockhart Steele, Co-Founder of Eater.com and VOX Media Editorial Director
• Justin Breton, Head of Marketing Partnerships at Foursquare
• Jae Kim, Founder of Chi'Lantro in Austin, TX and recent Shark Tank winner

Samuel Adams Brewer Jennifer Glanville on the Pitch Room:
"From amazing BBQ food trucks and taco stands to fellow craft breweries, the Austin food and drink scene is fueled by some of the most passionate people," said Jennifer Glanville, Samuel Adams brewer. "I was honored to be a judge alongside industry innovators, and award Catherine Stiles Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix $15,000 to help her grow her business. Catherine is creating an inventive business, providing jobs, and making a local impact not mention, Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix is absolutely delicious."

Pitch Room Winner Catherine Stiles of Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix: 
"I was on cloud nine and so humbled by the entire Pitch Room experience. As an entrepreneur, just having the validation that someone finds your business interesting by being selected to the final pitch round was a thrill in-itself," said Catherine Stiles, founder of Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix. "To have won both the judges selection and the People's Choice Award, was beyond my comprehension. I am so very thankful for the experience - the monetary prize will be a wonderful boost that will help with the growth of Barbecue Wife as well as the invaluable mentorship from the Samuel Adams team. I am so excited for the next step of Barbecue Wife Bloody Mary Mix with the Samuel Adams team and appreciative of the entire judging team for supporting entrepreneurs." 

About Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream – Inspiration & Impact
Samuel Adams is celebrating 33 years of brewing and despite the craft brewery's success, Founder & Brewer Jim Koch hasn't forgotten how hard it is to start and run a successful small business. That's why he created Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, a philanthropic program that provides the two things he wishes he had when starting Sam Adams: real-world business advice and a loan.

Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream was launched in 2008 in partnership with Accion, the nation's leading nonprofit microlender. Through the support of Brewing the American Dream, Accion has lent more than $15.5 million to roughly 1,200 businesses nationwide. Just as important, Samuel Adams has coached or mentored over 7,000 businesses and created or saved more than 4,900 jobs. Nearly $1 million of this capital has been lent to 40 U.S. brewers nationwide. To learn more please visit: http://www.brewingtheamericandream.com.   

About Samuel Adams and The Boston Beer Company
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly named Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in recognition of one of our nation's great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager would soon become a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.

Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 60 styles of beer. It relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients. Using the traditional four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. The Company has also pioneered another revolution, the 'extreme beer' movement, where it seeks to challenge drinker's perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and is one of world's most awarded breweries at international beer competitions. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its primary focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America's leading craft beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market. The Boston Beer Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

Samuel Adams, Sam Adams, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, and Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream are registered trademarks of The Boston Beer Company.

SOURCE Boston Beer Company