It’s been 10 days since the big night. I wanted to let everyone else have their say, before jumping in. The good news is that there has been a great deal of positive feedback from people who saw the film. But it is the beer bloggers who have raised issues. So I have mixed feelings about addressing their feedback; is this really what I want to engage in? But ultimately, I’d like to articulate my thoughts and move forward with everyone. To the actual issues the film addresses.
Spoiler alert: If you have not seen the film then you may want to stop reading and make up your own mind at a future screening or from the DVD.
Let me start by admitting that the film is not perfect. Most documentaries are flawed. When you start out without a script and are creating a narrative structure, things aren’t as seamless as in a film that has an inherent beginning, middle and end. I chose to make a mainstream film about a topic I’m passionate about. And like the independent brewers in the film, I’m an entrepreneur. The challenge of making a feature film that’s both entertaining and enlightening while providing an emotional connection for the audience is no easy task. I can’t apologize if the film wasn’t what you were expecting. Like a brewer, I realized my vision with the ingredients I had at hand. And it didn’t help that it was nearly impossible to get the brewers to speak honestly about the obstacles they face with the camera rolling. I understand why but it made my job as the director much tougher.
Let’s get to it. The top 5 recurring issues brought up by bloggers’ critiques of the film (some made by people who have not even seen it) are:
- The filmmaker doesn’t drink craft beer (or beer at all) and doesn’t know anything because mike’s hard lemonade is not a beer. The filmmaker’s presence irritated me.
- Rhonda (or the Moonshot lady) should have been cut out of the film. She is not a craft brewer and her beer is shit.
- There should have been more breweries represented from [insert region here].
- The film is dated. Everything is good now. Craft beer is growing so the distribution issues are moot.
- It is preaching to the choir.
Let’s address these from my perspective.
- I never hid the fact that I’m allergic to alcohol nor my background. So yes, I can’t drink and I’m not a member of the craft beer club (maybe that’s a positive since I’m objective about the beers themselves). And let’s not debate mike’s any longer. It is sold in the beer cooler and distributed by beer wholesalers. So I may not be an expert on how beer tastes but I do have the experience of running an entrepreneurial company in the beer industry. You may not like mike’s or what it stands for but that doesn’t diminish my understanding of the way the industry operates.
I’m not sure how to address what some have portrayed as my “irritating presence.” I made a choice to tell the story from my point of view. The feedback from screenings was always that the film needed a narrator to tie it together and that my character worked fine.
- On to Rhonda. I didn’t pick her because she’s a woman. Or because Moonshot is a “marketing gimmick” like mike’s. Or because she’s a craft brewer. Because she clearly is not. I chose Rhonda because she had a compelling story that was different than Sam’s. Following 2 craft brewers while interesting to the beer geeks would have made for 2 parallel stories at a time when craft beer’s trajectory is rising. Frankly — not that interesting. Especially in a feature film. Hopefully one of the myriad of TV series pilots about craft beer will make it to the airwaves and that’s where you’ll satiate that appetite.And I always knew that I’d get this reaction from the beer community. But in test screenings with umpteen mainstream audiences, her story is the one that got them feeling something. Some loved Rhonda and some hated her. But that is the test of a great character in a film – the ability to evoke emotion from an audience. And yes, I tried taking her out but without her, there was no movie. If Sam is the soul of Beer Wars, Rhonda is its heart. And if you pull yourself out of what you know and look at her as a character in a movie, I think you’ll agree that her story is powerful. She had it all. The Queen of beer. Chose to start over again. On her own this time. And despite the obstacles, she kept on going. You have to wonder why she chose to compete with mainstream beers when she could have jumped on the craft bandwagon. What drives this woman? Will she make it? Try to look at her story objectively (like others have) and maybe you’ll see that she has just as much in common with other independent brewers trying to realize their dreams. Maybe the reason that Moonshot doesn’t succeed is that it’s running counter to what consumers want. As to taste, I can’t comment but I never saw anyone spit it out. It may not be for you, but does that mean that anyone who doesn’t make a craft beer should fail? Isn’t the point that we should let consumers decide? And to do so, give them the choice?
- I had 90 minutes to tell a story. There is no way to show even a fraction of all the amazing breweries in America. I had to make choices early on. I selected some of the better known breweries to highlight (Yuengling, Boston Beer, New Belgium and Stone) and Dogfish Head which in 2005 was still tiny and was just starting to get some heat. Sure, there are many others. I even filmed at breweries like Schlafly in St. Louis but ultimately everything had to fit into the bigger story. And so, yes, I made creative choices and I stand by them. The breweries I excluded (over 1400) were absent from the film because their story was either similar to others already represented or because they simply did not fit into the narrative structure. Again, hopefully a cable network will buy a TV show that showcases all these fabulous breweries. It was just impossible to introduce any more complexity into the structure of this film.
- I’m really not sure how to address this. Ironically, this comment was out there before the film was even screened. Rather than repeating myself, I’d like to direct you to a comment Greg Koch made in response to a blog post about this very issue .And speaking of Greg, I must say something here about his integrity. Here’s a guy who knew that the film wasn’t specifically about him and yet he not only agreed to sit on the panel (even though he wasn’t the “Star”) but he graciously supported the film by encouraging people to see it. And all this before he ever saw one single frame. If I make a sequel, I’m making it about Greg.
- I made the film to appeal to the widest possible audience. That’s why I chose to create (and pay for) a one night event to be simulcast to 440 theaters. I thought that being in mainstream theaters would bring out a wider audience. It’s why I got into business with Fathom Events and not independent art house theaters. I still don’t know how many people actually attended the event so let’s hold off on this discussion until I have all the facts. Suffice to say that I am sorry that many of you never got to see the film and/or panel because of technical issues at your theater. I’m trying to do my bit by giving you first dibs on the DVD at a reduced price.
Todd Alstrom was right when he said that the Internet makes everyone a critic. And while I welcome the strong opinions on the film, I really hope we can move on to discussing what really matters. As to film reviews, they were provided by the Los Angeles Times and CNN, with more to follow. And these mainstream media players seemed to get the film and the message.
So please, let’s continue the discussion but make it about consumer choice. The question before us is, do we accept the status quo of being at 5% or is there room to grow from there and reach more beer drinkers? I encourage you to think about Greg’s words as they echo the reason why I made this film in the first place.
And hopefully we can spread the conversation to a wider audience once I announce additional screenings and DVDs. Isn’t that the whole idea? To bring the issues out to a mainstream audience and get them to care about their beer choice and having access to it?
So let’s talk. Openly and honestly about the future and what it can be.
Tags: criticism, event, Greg Koch, Rhonda Kallman, story
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[...] Read her response here. [...]
Here’s my take;
1. I don’t know about your “irritating presence”, but it IS possible that your non-beer drinking position could be seen as a negative. Having said that, I suppose one could also view it as a position of strength since it may lend a certain objectivity.
2. I feel the real weakness of Moonshot being included is simply this; the irony of using Moonshot (a product based solely on marketing rather than artisanal substance) to highlight the struggles of craft beer (products that ARE artisanal and substantive), against BMC (products that are based solely on marketing rather than artisanal substance), cannot be underestimated. In fact, it’s the most perfect example of irony I can ever recall seeing! I find it difficult to see past that, and in that respect it was a VERY unfortunate choice perhaps born out of your (the filmmaker’s) lack of knowledge (see #1).
3. Only so much time, you should not be faulted for that, but again highlighting Moonshot (unworthy) tends to exaggerate this perceived problem.
4. Craft beer represents somewhere between 4-8% of the market (depending on who you believe and how you calculate such numbers), so to say distribution problems are over is simply not true.
5. Preaching to the choir perhaps, but 95% of Americans don’t care about their beer anyway.
I liked it
Anat. Keep on doing what you do. You are to be admired. Your responses are legit.
Everyone I’ve heard from that is not connected to the beer business “gets” your fundamental messages.
Those in the beer biz are “insiders” often critiquing the things that are not the fundamental underlying story of entrepreneurs, attachment, passion, small, challenges.
If craft beer and brewers are going to be sustainable beer drinkers will have to care. If not – then it’s time to turn back the clock 40 years again. Everything that gets a positive discussion going about the challenges of being a small and independent craft brewer is going to be essential for the future of beer choice and diversity.
Thanks Charlie. I wanted to address all the negativity. And now I’m moving on. I want to get the message out to as wide an audience as possible. And luckily there are a lot more of “them” out there.
Anat,
I salute you for bringing these topics to a large audience, particularly to the consumers who are impacted by these circumstances and who, in the long term, will benefit or suffer by them even though it is they who should be making the choices. I also salute the stars of the film and panelists who took the time to tell their stories. In my book, they’re all “stars” even if the film was entirely about them.
However, I feel compelled to add my comment about distribution because I think that in some ways the film and the commentary that follows it is somewhat stereotypical and tends to cast all distributors in the same light. Where craft beer is concerned I’d argue that there are distributors who get it and those who don’t, much the same way that there are brewers who embrace craft beer and those who stubbornly cling to their mass produced products.
Greg Koch (Stone Brewing) is also a distributor and I respect his opinions and I don’t really disagree with him when he knocks distributors for not promoting craft brands, but it seems very apparent to me that there are distributors beating a door to craft brands that wouldn’t even acknowledge a craft brand 5 years ago. For example, this year’s Specialty Wholesalers Conference that precedes the Craft Brewer’s Conference was sold out and had a lengthy waiting list. The attendees are distributors of all sizes from all parts of the country who share the common desire to be successful with craft brands. Five years ago, there were far fewer attendees at this conference and it seems to grow markedly every year.
Greg Koch rightly points out that there are many venues that do not embrace craft brands, such as arenas, stadiums and the like. I would suggest that while this is true it is not the preferred situation for many of us in the distribution business who would like to have the craft brands that we represent in those venues. In fact, we’ve tried unsuccessfully here in Indianapolis to get craft beers into our sports venues but it’s tough to compete against the big brewers whose advertising dollars and marketing money is typically able to “lock up” those places. So from our point of view, it is usually the big brewers we have to fight in those circumstances and not a lack of desire from distributors. Ultimately those venues make the choice as to what products they are going to carry and not surprisingly many of them maintain their allegiance to those big brewers who can pay big money for those placements.
The bottom line in my eyes is that distributors aren’t trying to hold back craft brewers. As I say, some get it, some don’t. And every day there are more who get it and less of those who don’t.
Rather than attacking distributors as a whole, I think it would be more insightful to look at some who do promote craft brands and see how hard they have to work to overcome some of the barriers that “Beer Wars” highlighted that favor the big brewers. Many of us in the distribution business are in the fight on the craft side.
If you’d care to spend some time with us, we’d love to host you in Indianapolis sometime!
Cheers!
Bob Mack
World Class Beverages
It’s my interpretation that his movie was about the big BMC beer machine versus the “little brewer”, a true David vs. Goliath battle. That being said, little brewers do not exclusively mean craft brewers. If looked at from that perspective, the inclusion of Rhonda makes sense as she is another little brewer like so many other craft brewers. Even though I will not be purchasing Moonshot, the problems and issues Rhonda faces are the same, if not tougher, than those of Sams or (insert your brewer du jour here).
Sure the movie had it’s issues, what movie doesn’t? At least Anat had the courage and vision to make this movie. At the very least, the conversation has been started on a level outside of the brewery or homebrew club meeting. Hopefully Anat, or some other film maker, will pick up the torch and add to the story. At a time when we should be supporting each other many have been looking to divide.
I think the criticisms about preaching to the choir is pretty absurd. Duh. Obviously beer elitists are going to be front and center to see it. It’s like when Star Wars prequels came out, the people who got to see it during the first week were people who already knew how all the shiz went down to begin with. They were seeing it because it’s a cultural event and it’s thrilling to see your favorite characters on the big screen.
As for the Rhonda criticisms, it’s true that Sam is everyone’s hero but you don’t have a movie if the narrative reads like: Boy Has Dream, Boy Does Well, The End. You need someone to suffer through a shit-storm just to have some sort of story. Sam’s the portrait, Rhonda’s the story. (I’ll admit that if it were three hours of listening to Sam talk about whatever the eff he wants, I probably would have loved it even more, but then you could say goodbye to any audience member that isn’t already a nerdaholic).
Three-Tier/dated criticism: The only reason it seems dated is because we’re in the middle of the next great depression, and craft beer is counter-cyclical, so it’s coincidental that we’re in the middle of a boom… but who cares even if it IS dated, they still make documentaries about Hitler, and he’s been dead for at least 20 years now….
Anat,
Highlighting the issues and obstacles small companies have in breaking through the barriers to business is always worthwhile. It’s the same story in many fields but small brewers face additional issues imposed by the federal and state governments. Fixating on a contract brew not being a valid example misses the point of your film entirely.
Burlington Vermont missed the first 15 minutes but the theater was crowded. Looking forward to the DVD
Bob:
I agree that all distributors are not alike. I was in the business and we had some fantastic distributors while I was running mike’s. My film’s message isn’t that all distributors are bad or that the three tier system should be abolished. Rather that it’s time to take a look at what is and isn’t working (not for A-B and MillerCoors) but for the other 5% and see if changes can be made to get more choice out there. You have to admit that franchise laws in many states do nothing to help small brewers but make them into second class citizens.
I’m not suggesting that the playing field will ever be level. This is the nature of capitalism. But maybe by starting a conversation, things will begin to change.
2 things:
1) Rhonda was disliked because her story just wasn’t that compelling on anything but a very personal level. By which I mean she seemed likable enough, she certainly seemed to work hard, she had a very nice family, etc, but her business model was terrible. Sure, _she_ was likable, but why should I be rooting for her business to succeed? She’s trying to compete against big businesses using their own business model. It doesn’t take a marketing genius to figure out that that’s going to be difficult to succeed in. Craft beer is succeeding because its business model is poking at weakness in the big brewers – namely lack of taste. I can see how, being in the malt liquor part-beverage business, you might have found Rhonda’s story very compelling and relevant. But most viewers of the movie – consumers and lovers of beer – don’t have much sympathy for products based only on marketing and image. It’s entirely not the business model of the craft beer industry, and as such it’s not very compelling in a movie about Beer. Her fight is the same as someone trying to sell tissue papers and competing against Kleenex – basic capitalism big guy/little guy story.
2) It’s not so much that you left out breweries from certain regions – with 1400 breweries you were going to miss out on a lot of very deserving breweries, that’s just the way it goes. It’s more that you deliberately skipped breweries that are clearly succeeding – even with all the odds stacked against them. Why not profile Sam Adams, or Sierra Nevada, even if you couldn’t get interviews from Jim Koch or Ken Grossman? Why not comment on breweries like Red Hook which are partially owned by Budweiser and are linked to their distribution chain? These seemed like pretty glaring omissions, and ones that even the most casual of beer drinkers who watched your movie would have picked up on. Clearly the system isn’t _so_ broken, if companies like these have succeeded so well. As the saying goes, the best argument against a cause is a bad argument for it.
I’m not arguing that all’s well in the beer world, and that status quo is the right thing for beer. But I don’t think that your film – by focusing for too long on Rhonda and by demonizing the three tier distribution system/big brewers without offering any sort of viable alternatives – hit the mark in making that point.
I will say that your film has been awesome for promoting discussion among the interwebs and locally about craft brewing, distribution, and big brewers – and for that I thank you.
Lastly, the internet may make everyone a critic, but criticism should be expected and welcomed when you’re asking the public to view your work (and especially when you ask the public to pay to see your work). I’m only posting in the remote hopes that your next movie takes into consideration some of the public comments and it will do even more to promote the cultivation of an industry I love.
Thanks,
Ryan
@ Ryan: re: #1 in your comment – PRECISELY!
I haven’t read all the comments, but I did go see the movie (in the land of the evil empire in St. Louis, in fact). The movie was not about or intended to be focused on the evolution of craft brewing. The movie was true to its title, “Beer Wars”. It is a documentary story of corporate dominance by a select few in the brewing industry. For that point, the movie was right on target. The craft brewers feel the brunt of most of that battle, but it is not exclusively craft brewers that InBev A-B, Coors/Miller are trying to muscle, but even other competing beverages, such as Rhonda’s Moonshot. The point is the struggle to get in the markets (bars and stores) that are so heavily influenced by the few. The aggressiveness of their tactics can seem excessive, but it is not a new story either. Even though most of A-B’s competition in the 1950s through the 1980s were brewers that made similar beer styles, the aggressiveness to own more and more market share was the same. That was a period when so many regional breweries succumb to the power of the growing big players, even Schlitz who was huge for a long time. This was more of a marketing oriented film than the glory story for the underdog smaller brewers. There are so many stories that can be told about brewers in the past and present and in different parts of the country. If someone else who was disappointed with the theme of the movie would like to tell another story, I’ll be glad to plunk down a few bucks and hear that story as well. The same story can even be said about fresh fruits and vegetables found in local grocery stores in the height of the season when local farmers have products. The produce section still is filled mostly with items from all around the globe, again its controlling the distribution and having the ability to place their goods in the market. The story is not new, but I think Beer Wars presented it very well, I highly recommend this movie for what it is (or if you live in St. Louis, buy it and get it delivered I a plain wrapper so your neighbors won’t know!).
I found the movie to be very entertaining and enjoyable. I had a great time that night, before, during, and after the movie, and that’s what I was hoping for. So for that, thank you Anat. I had a blast!
Since seeing the movie, I’ve really been debating the whole three-tiered thing. Being a capitalist myself, I’m generally against anything that limits a producer from getting their product to the consumers that want it. Therefore, I’m traditionally against the three-tiered distribution system and find that it adds a layer of complexity and cost that we could probably do without.
However, I’ve stared reading “Tasting Beer” by Randy Mosher, and he has a very interesting perspective on the debate in the first chapter of his book. He says,
“One great argument in favor of the three-tier system is that it keeps the retail system out of the direct control of brewers. For a peek at brewery control of retailing, one need only look to England. There, brewers historically controlled the vast majority of pubs, either through direct ownership or through loans… but it usually limits the beers available to a handful of a single brewery’s products.
“After the Monopolies Commission forced English breweries to divest, control was snapped up by a small number of large multinational corporations that tend to do business with the largest breweries and keep consumer choice limited. If you’ve ever tried to get a locally brewed product in an American chain restaurant, you know what I mean.”
I had never really thought of it that way. The big boys will always use their money to try and influence whatever their point of contact is with the market, whether that’s wholesalers or directly to retailers.
This, indeed, is a complex issue, and we should be careful of making sweeping generalizations, saying it’s all good or all evil. I don’t have any solutions, but as with most things in life, the answer lies somewhere in between.
As a piece of filmmaking I thought it was just OK. The graphics and animation used to provide brewing industry background and sales information were very clever, well-imagined, and effective. But overall it played long and hit the same emotional notes over and over again, stretching to find content to fit the David vs. Goliath narrative theme. Granted, that’s where the dramatic power lies, but there just isn’t enough story presented to sustain the feature film length. It tried to be Michael Moore, but might have been better off more like Huell Howser.
Sam’s Dogfish Head story fit the major theme very well, particularly when the big guys filed their spurious litigation, and he’s a helluva entertaining character to boot. But Rhonda’s struggle to find financing for a product somewhat tangential to and marginal in the craft brewing industry–while certainly worth a subchapter–just isn’t compelling or on point enough to keep coming back at us. It feels like a pathetic heartstring tug after awhile. Annoying, actually.
All craft brewers and consumers know the score: the mega marketing dollar spending behemoths control 95% of the beer industry. The little guys have no illusions about their chances for success against that, and it’s likely never to change much. The interesting battle, if you can even really call it that, is over a percent or two of the beer drinking public. It boils down to a difference in lifestyle and purpose: the craft brewers tapping into a more youthful, renegade zeitgeist, and the Big Three pressing on with their Madison Avenue-driven oligopoly. At some point it just feels like a movie about apples and oranges.
I think a better approach for the movie would have been just to track the phenomenal growth of the craft beer industry–certainly against all odds–making the most out of the many diverse and compelling success (and perhaps a couple failure) stories out there. So many great beers and brewers, whose anecdotes would have provided ample fuel for the entertainment fire. I really expected to see a LOT more variety, which after all is the glorious and miraculous achievement of the craft brewing industry. We now have local breweries again…for the first time in 50 years. Hooray!
But that’s my 20/20 hindsight. I understand a filmmaker doesn’t have unlimited travel and shoot budget, that she can’t afford to roam the entire country forever to make a film like this, and that it’s hard to have the guts and wherewithal to change course midstream. But it felt to me that Anat, god bless her effort, was married to a theme and tried to make her footage fit that, rather than let good footage tell the story it wants and needs to tell. Finally, though, I’m grateful that the movie exists at all, as is, rather than not at all.
Overall, I liked the film.
To me the real, unanswered question regarding Rhonda’s business was: do people want a beer like that? Obviously she is a hard worker, but without understanding the market size or the consumer desire for that kind of product, you take a big risk. My guess is that there is not a big pent-up demand for caffeinated beer. No matter how hard you work, if you are making something that people don’t need, you are asking for trouble.
I thought the movie put out a message and got the conversation rolling. Beer bloggers have taken it upon themselves to become movie critics and fail. On the follow up post I did on our blog, only a small portion was aimed at the movie.
Also it was said that the target audience isn’t the craft beer drinker, it is those that are not drinking craft brew. A movie to bring them over to the “dark side”, the dark side of BEER that is!
Keep up the good work, also looking forward to the DVD so that I can pass to my (gay) friends that drink Corona!
http://www.corebrewing.com/2009/04/beer-wars-movie-event-recap/
Happy drinking,
-Gile [Look for 'Gile The Angry' to hit the liquor store shelves in the coming years]
Anat – I tend to agree with you on franchise laws and of course, that’s a huge topic and a can of worms at best. They should be part of the conversation but I know that there are some distribs who find them to be difficult and I know that the craft brewers don’t like them. I think there is some value in franchise laws but I think they go to extremes in too many cases.
That being said, thanks again for bringing the conversation to a new level. I don’t mean to nitpick what you’ve done but I am excited to participate in the conversation that you started and at the end of the day, I am grateful that we can agree or disagree, but either way we can share a great beer in the process!
By the way, does anyone comment on the overall production values of this film, or are all the comments directed at the content? I thought the film was extremely well done and very enjoyable to watch from a film production perspective. I know that you must have had a great crew working with you, but you pulled off a very nice looking finished product!
This movie was of interest to me because I have invested in a craft brewery, have worked on an award winning documentary and I am interested in the politics of booze having studied the wine and beer industry, pre and post Prohibition. I found this movie riveting in its coverage of the spectrum of big beer’s political influence and the powerlessness of the craft industry in the three tier distribution system. I say “Well done!” Local criticism of the movie came from the distribution side that was present at the film. Big Surprise! It’s payola like the record industry in the fifties and sixties but the enforcement is not there because they are such big political contributors. We have to press legislators to wrest control from those boys because they do not play fair, believe me I know.
Anat:
First of all I’d like to thank you for taking the initiative to make this film. It was a wonderful event and I hope you’ll stay active in the industry.
The Rhonda argument has been the most interesting for me, and I’ve talked about it in detail in my review of the event on my blog (http://jandrae.com). The excerpt below summarizes my point.
“When the customers see that love, feel that love and most importantly, taste that love, they respond and build the brewery into something that can reach a little further. When that love is replaced with cheap, flavorless adjuncts like marketing gimmicks the consumers will not respond and you will always be crushed by the big guys who can do those gimmicks bigger, faster, and better (e.g., Budweiser’s B^e vs. Moonshot). The inclusion of Rhonda may have been Anat Baron’s own appeal to a mass audience, but it told her story perhaps better than she intended.”
First off I was really excited about this movie and couldn’t wait to see it. 80% off it was very boring and not worth the $15 ( first movie I ever asked for a refund ). It is not hopless. Find someone who is interesting to us Beer geeks to tell the story and foucus on REAL Beer with flarvor and somthing to offer not Moon shoot. It’s not that people hate you but for this we need someone WE can relate to. Beer geeks are not corpporate minded, which is where I see you. You should have given equal time ti Stone as they have done more for Great beer than anyone. Stone not only makes Kick Ass Beer but the distripute everything worth drinking.
I have seen what Bud and Miller are trying to do and am disgusted by beers like Hop Hound which reminds me of something Duff would put out to get to the under age crowd. Which is where I put Moon Shoot. something for 18 year olds to drink and stay up all night. Maybe instead of trying to get Kids drinking they could have made a Good ale and added coffee or what ever.
I really hope if you don’t redo this to appeal to Beer Geeks ( who are the ones interested in beer ) then some one else will make it right.
Truth is people who drink Bud DON’T CARE they drink while watching tv or what ever. their drinking is to enjoy what activity is going on and they will drink what ever garbage that is handed to them. I do other activities while I enjoy my beer for a reason to enjoy a Stone, Dogfish head, or a Home Brew. If you don’t appeal to those who love beer than who are you trying to sell this movie to????? If I drank Bud I would have stayed home to watch the game. The theatre I was at only had disappointed Beer geeks
one more note. before the movie started there was a buzz in the room everyone was happy and joking. make this movie to please the only people interested in a movie about beer!!!!!!!
Anat,
Thanks again for having the patience,guts and humor to make “Beer Wars”. I was glad to spend the money and time to see your movie.
If only we could have enjoyed a beer or three while watching it…
It was great to see the other people that I told about your movie show up to support your work too.
I think the reason you are catching some flak from “home brewers” was due to the way many of us found out about your movie, which was through the AHA “From the Tap” newsletter. My first impression when I heard about the movie was “cool a movie about craft brewers competing to brew the best… And hey Charlie P.was in it too!” Maybe too many of us created our own expectations from that…
Charlie P. – Now there’s a star for your next movie.
The moonshot beer story I would have to agree was not something I did not want to spend time watching. After the movie we all agreed that it was a product we wouldn’t purchase. I should also add that we understood why she was in it. Although Rhonda obviously show passion for what she does and worked hard to push her idea, her story showed a layer of what it takes to try and get your “product” out there. Something that is taken for granted in the internet age…
I’ve never tried a DogFish beer, but will soon. Jim Koch would have been a character to see more of…
The way your movie was presented I think has given some us more insight on (or re-enforced) how much our government, marketing, the three tier system, and big companies take our choices away.
Thanks again and hope to hear about your next film!
I enjoy this site, it is worth me coming back
Ms. Baron
Just finished watching “Beer Wars.”
Bravo — for no other reason than you put on film what we “Beeks” (beer geeks) trumpet to others every day; “Bud, Coors, Miller, etc. ain’t beer. Come with me — I’ll buy you a BEER and show you what you’re missing and by the way, here’s another reason to stop drinking that crap. It ain’t about the beer, it’s about the money. It’s ALWAYS about the money so if you’re gonna spend your hard-earned cash, why not spend it down the road at Dick’s Brewery or Pike’s or Salmon Creek.” (Forgive me, I’m a Washington state resident & our Pacific NW Beer is un-matched by anyone…except maybe Dogfish but don’t tell anyone I said that. I’ll deny it in court.)
Anyway, having spent several years in the “biz”, congrats on your film. And if others don’t like it, well — as you said, that’s what art is all about and fuck ‘em.