Lights! Camera! Craft Beer!
CraftBeer.com, which went live last November, has more than 20 videos (and that number is growing) about craft brewing.
One of our favorites is about the Craft Beer Class of 1996:
The videos are free, but you’ll have to buy your own beer and pop your own popcorn.
For the Love of Beer
“For the Love of Beer” is the name of the film being produced by Oregon-based documentarian Allison Grayson. It focuses on the women in the beer community, including writer Lisa Morrison; Sarah Pederson, the owner of Saraveza; and Tonya Cornett, the brewmaster at Bend Brewing.
Take a look for yourself. . If you like what you see, you might want to send Grayson a few dollars to enable her to complete the documentary:
Have Beer, Will Travel
Meet David Wright, a 31-year-old from Bristol, England. After drinks, on a dare from friends, he agreed to be videoed drinking a beer in front of the Clifton suspension bridge in his hometown. One thing led to another, and Wright ended up visiting 77 of the UK’s most famous locations–and filming himself popping open a beer in front of each.
Here’s the finished product, which took more than a year to complete:
Watch the Winning “Short Pour” Film
In addition to beer from more than 70 breweries, yesterday’s Monterey Beer Festival served up The Short Pour Film Fest. This was a showing of short films that included live action and animation, music videos, and original commercials, along with clips of television shows, movies, and documentaries about beer.
The winning entry was an eight-minute film titled “The Original Swagger Stagger”. It stars Sayre Piotrkowski, Cicerone at the Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco, who takes his friend “Broke Ass” Stuart on a one-day walking tour. There are six stops: Magnolia Pub & Brewery, Toronado, City Beer Store, The Monk’s Kettle (of course), Anchor & Hope, and 21st Amendment.
Something to SAVOR
Tonight is the night for SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, which takes place in Washington, D.C. More than just a beer festival, SAVOR combines a presentation of a sweet and savory foods with a tasting of craft-brewed beer from independent breweries.
The Brewers Association has put together a short (just over six minutes) film from last year’s event. It’s a high-quality production that features some of the biggest names in craft brewing. Thanks to the BA, it’s yours to enjoy:
Another Michigan Craft Beer Documentary
Last week, we told you about a group of travelers who filmed their whirlwind trip of all of Michigan’s breweries. This week, we got news of another. Josh Smith of the Kalamazoo Gazette tipped us off to miBeer, a mini-documentary about Michigan craft beer.
The 11-minute film, which can be viewed online, was produced by Jon Whiting, a master’s student at Michigan State University. Jon really got bang for his buck. According to his website, “The entire feature was shot with the idea of optimizing price to quality in a professional setting. Production of the feature was completed using a $1000 Sony HD Handycam, $300 Samson wireless microphone system, and clamp on shop lights from the hardware store.”
You can view miBeer here:
Rheingold Beer…in Egypt?
Once upon a time, Rheingold was one of New York City’s mainstay beers, along with Ballantine and Schaefer. An entire generation of Mets fans can recite, from the deep recesses of their memory, the jingle that begins “My beer is Rheingold, the dry beer…”
Which brings up this question: what on Earth was Rheingold beer doing in North Africa during Rommel’s sweep through the desert during World War II? Pete Brown explains: it was the tipple of moderation for Captain George Anson, the alcoholic hero of Christopher Landon’s novel Ice Cold in Alex.
“Alex” stands for Alexandria, Egypt, where for some reason, one of the local bars served Rheingold. But first, Anson had to get himself and three other people into town before the Germans caught them. They made it to Alex and earned their beery reward–sorry to spoil the ending–but Landon’s description of the bar scene was later adapted into what Brown calls “possibly the most iconic beer drinking shot in the whole history of cinema.” Which you can see for yourself on Pete’s blog entry.
Michigan Beer on the Silver Screen
Two months ago, a group of eight Michiganders went on a truly epic road trip: they visited all of Michigan’s breweries in eight days. That’s a lot of breweries–more than 70–and a lot of miles on the road. Maryanne and Paul have first-hand knowledge: they visited all the state’s breweries for their book, Michigan Breweries, but it took them a lot more than eight days to complete their travels.
Part of the travelers’ motivation was the fun of a road trip, but they also wanted to make a point: most Americans associate Michigan with unemployment, and aren’t aware that the state produces some really good beer. They were also armed…with movie cameras. The film version of their journey, Locally Buzzed, is due out late this summer.
Here’s the trailer:
Hat tip: Rob Gorczyca at Michigan Beer Buzz.
Michael Jackson Documentary to Debut at GABF
It’s hard to believe that more than two years have gone by since Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter, passed away. Many of us who write about beer have a Michael Jackson story to tell. (Maryanne and Paul’s involves a Jackson-tutored vertical tasting at the New Belgium Brewery when we were in Colorado for the 2003 Great American Beer Festival. And yes, we still have the festival program bearing his autograph.)
Now comes word that a documentary about The Beer Hunter will debut at this year’s GABF. It was directed by John R. Richards of The Wine Travelers series fame, and produced by his production company, Maroon Studios. The website for The Beer Hunter: The Movie describes the film:
Filmmaker J.R. Richards traveled extensively with Michael throughout the United States and Europe, filming Michael as he got the story behind the world’s greatest beer and whiskey. Through this footage and interviews with leading brewers and beer enthusiasts, we are treated to an intimate picture of Michael: his enigmatic personality, his extraordinary life, his remarkable contributions, and his secret struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.
. Here’s a preview of what festival-goers are going to see:
By the way, proceeds from the film will go to the National Parkinson’s Foundation.
Best Beer Wars Review We’ve Ever Seen
Erik, who blogs at Top Fermented, got his hands on a DVD version of the documentary Beer Wars. After watching it, he wrote a thoughtful, balanced, and at times opinionated 1,855-word review.
The bottom line? The amount of hype surrounding this film created impossible expectations. Erik explains:
It had such an onslaught of publicity that I think it needed to be Gone with the Wind to live up to the expectations of critics within the beer industry, much less traditional media. With all of the buzz, it needed to absolutely blow your mind to be treated with anything except let-down afterward. It’s really a shame. There’s a good story here and there are good messages, but because it wasn’t Citizen Kane it didn’t get the attention it deserved after release.
Erik also thinks that Beer Wars was actually several documentaries in one, and would like to see someone follow up with these: (a) the story of the craft beer industry, and a comparison between craft brewers and the Big Guys; (b) an expose of the tactics of the less scrupulous members of the distribution industry, compared to distributors who carry craft beer and try to play by the rules; and (c) a compare-and-contrast of the Big Guys’ versus the Little Guys’ lobbying.
An excellent review, so good that it earned two thumbs paws up from Ludwig.