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REVIEW: Beer Wars – The Movie

April 19th, 2009 Leave a comment Go to comments

beerwars

Sickpuppy and I went to one of the 2 theaters in Pittsburgh showing for Beer Wars. From what I heard on twitter both theaters were relatively empty and either that shows a lack of craft beer support or the lack of promoting the movie. I’m willing to bet it lies in promotions/marketing since everyone we asked, who wasn’t glued to Beer Advocate, had no idea it even existed. No signage in bars, distributors and virtually nothing from local beer mailing lists.

That said, here are my thoughts…

  • Moonshot beer still sucks balls. I’m not joking. We had it a couple years ago when Rhonda came to 3 Sons and told her then it was a gimmick. There is NO reason for caffeine in alcohol besides to make the Jager Bomb pounding neckless roid freaks drink it. Her story could have been as effective if cut in half.
  • It was centered on Dogfish Head and Rhonda. Stone had virtually no presence and it was’t their fault. I would have loved to learn more about Stone.
  • Beer Advocate came across like pricks. Truthful, but pricks. See what editing can do kids. Should have been more with the bros. talking about craft beer and the internet influence.
  • Sam Adams has a good presence in the movie and there is a good piece on Yuengling.
  • Charlie Papazian is the greatest advocate for craft beer and I wish there was more of him. You could hear his passion and dedication the few times he was given to speak.
  • $15 was too much for this movie. I would spend it however on the DVD.
  • I thought as a documentary it was very well done and I enjoyed it. In fact it made me want to brew as someone who currently doesn’t and also learn the business.
  • Ben Stein was the absolute worst choice for panel moderator. OK second worst. I think someone from M.A.D.D. would have topped the list. Plus, only 2 questions from online? weak.
  • Movie reinforced for me that Dogfish Head is one of the most innovative breweries.
  • Miller and Coors seemed more laid back while Budweiser came across as the evil empire. I’m not saying it isn’t true, just how it came across. I was waiting for Michael Moore to pop out.
  • Beer drinkers should know the government bullshit behind the 3 tier system for getting the beer to the consumer.
  • If you’re new to craft beer this movie is a must watch to see what exactly craft beer is and the struggles the brewers face.
  • The ending seemed abrupt and thought it could have been more fluid.

We’ll go into this more on our anniversary show but my overall grade would be a C. Maybe its me but more should have been done in the area to promote it. Wholesalers, businesses and distributors should have been involved. Also check out what our friend Thom had to say about the movie. He joined us at Pittsburgh Mills for the showing.

cheers!

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Categories: Craft Beer, Drink
  • http://www.theferm.org/ SirRon

    Great synopsis… i agree 100%.

    cool website too… i’m adding this to my feed list.

  • http://douglasderda.com douglas

    Thanks Ron!

  • http://mylifeasafoodie.com Phil

    Marketing for Beer Wars most likely suffered because of the lack of a budget. Independent films generally rely on word of mouth, and (as was the case with The Blair Witch Project) a viral marketing campaign. The internet is the #1 way to get the word out there about a movie. I think by adding a Facebook/Twitter presence, the filmmaker did all she could to promote it, given the relatively small marketing budget it most likely had. Marketing is expensive, as Anat would know first hand.

    All of that aside, it seems clear to me that this movie was made to be geared toward the Craft Beer crowd. It was a movie practically made just for them. We’re all fanboys of Dogfish Head, Stone, and the like. To see them on the big screen is a thrill for us. The $15 price tag to see this movie (and the accompanying panel discussion) is no more than the cost of a bomber of a craft beer. We don’t seem to have an issue plunking the money down for that, so to spend that amount to see a movie about the beer we love seems to be a no-brainer. I think that was the thinking behind this.

    For the sake of the filmmaker and distributor, I hope the discussion surrounding the movie’s premiere will garner more interest in it. Then, when it does enter theaters with a broader release, it will show a profit and generate a lot more interest in craft beer and the distribution barriers that seem to be holding it back.

  • http://douglasderda.com douglas

    In PA you’re not spending more than $9-10 on a regular basis. When I drop $15 for a bomber I have expectations. If this movie was a bomber I wouldn’t buy it again but would drink it if someone bought it for me.

    There was a facebook/twitter presence but unless you’re hip to social media you didn’t get the memo. There should have been a pdf of a movie poster/flyer that people could print and post in their business form their website. Local beer communities should have done more instead of just show up and bitch. I talked about it on our podcast, sent out emails to all lists and posted on all social networking outlets we have access to.

    The distributors and wholesalers dropped the ball on supporting the movie but was it really their responsibility? Discuss… I say yes.

    more later…

  • http://beerwarsmovie.com Anat Baron

    We went out to the beer industry and asked for their support. It didn’t happen. Our website had flyers and posters and even an entire “Event in a Bottle” mechanism to help get the word out. We sent out letters, posters and emails but in the end, the beer folks stayed home. Or so it seems from the reports I’m getting. I still have no official numbers from the theaters.
    I do appreciate everyone who did come out. And I welcome the feedback. It’s just a shame that the focus is on Rhonda and the problems of the film instead of the issues it raises. I am now focused on getting the film out to a mainstream audience who may actually want to discuss the bigger picture.

  • http://mylifeasafoodie.com Phil

    Anat, as long as people are talking about your film, I see it as a positive. Friends of mine in the film industry tell me that even bad press is good press — as long as they’re talking about it. I think the people that are down on your film simply didn’t get the message you were trying to deliver, and that’s no fault of yours. Your audience on this night was perhaps not suited to such a story.

    I wonder if your movie, when viewed by a broader audience, might begin to shed more light on the issues of distribution that are hurting the craft beer industry. I should also say that no matter how bad the feedback might be right now, you can rest assured that DVD sales of Beer Wars will be through the roof when you decide to produce and release it. The documentary “American Beer” has done quite well for itself in DVD retail sales.

  • http://douglasderda.com douglas

    Anat and Phil thanks for the replies. They are seriously appreciated!

    The focus has been on Rhonda because her story was drawn out. I think her part could have been cut in half and still told the same story. Todd from Beer Advocate is right. She’s selling a gimmick that is not respected in craft beer circles. When she is constantly focused on we (at least us in the theater I attended) thought “Well no shit she’s failing. Her beer is a gimmick and that doesn’t fly with us.” Bad idea that continues to fail.

    I appreciated the tier system for distribution. I did take away that and the hard work that DFH, Sam Adams and New Belgium do but wished there was more on Stone. One thing that is hard to do for you though is cover all the bases. I’m not saying that you interview all 1400+ breweries but other aspects of the beer culture. There is a cult like following for beer blogs and podcasts (like http://www.shouldidrinkthat.com ) plus their influence along with sites like Beer Advocate.

    As a major release I think this will do well with the novice and noob craft beer people because it will be an eye opener to craft beer.

    In regards to the local promotion, Pittsburgh was seriously lacking and part of that is motivation. The hard core geeks knew and talked about it but distributors and wholesalers seriously failed. Yet those Dist. and wholesalers had NO problem showing up at grassroots events to bitch about turnout. Most cases they are blind to promotion beyond what’s worked for 30 years. In the case of this they should have helped as a way to stir up business instead of bellyaching. A lot of these need local beer businesses to get knocked down a peg and realize they’re not as big as they think they are. I heard Bocktown had a great party going on but that was it.

    This could be a whole post within itself at the rate I’m going. Pittsburghers have a tendency to bitch about how shitty things are but when it comes to do something it’s “screw that man I ain’t fuckin wastin my time.” What’s when we come full circle. Same goes for my hometown of Erie so I’m sure its not just a Western PA thing. You do only enough to get by.

    I applaud your efforts Anat and would love to have you on Should I Drink That to talk about it. Email me if you’d be intrested. You can reach me via this form. We’re recording our 3rd anniversary show soon and think speaking with you would be an excellent chance for you to speak to thousands.

    cheers!