This was originally shown at the Alamo Draft House in April 2008 as part of the Dogfish Head Off-Centered Film Festival.
It’s about fucking time. BREW MASTERS starring Sam Calagione starts tonight on Discovery Channel.
I first met Sam at the Great American Beer Festival in September of 2005. I told him then that he was going to be a star. He seemed embarrassed. But it was easy to see from our very first interview that here was a guy who was the real deal and a natural in front of the camera.
I got to know Sam over the 3 years it took to make the film. He allowed my crew into his home, his business, and into his head. I shot over 35 hours of footage with him in multiple locations across the country. And the rule of thumb worked – about one minute per hour made it into the film. There are so many gems that didn’t fit into the bigger story. Someday I hope to open the “vault” and share.
And Sam has been very gracious since the film came out. He showed up on premiere night in Los Angeles to be with a panel of his peers and at film festivals since then to help promote the film.
And yet he gets flak from “beer geeks” for being overexposed. Seriously, it’s time to stop. Yes, he’s a rock star. Celebrate it. He’s the guy Discovery picked to be the face of BREW MASTERS. And since it’s a positive message he’s espousing, he’s having no problem getting media attention. And that can only help craft beer.
I hope the show does well. I hope Discovery gives the wider TV audience a chance to well, discover it. I haven’t seen any episodes yet but since the show’s producers are also behind Anthony Bourdain’s NO RESERVATIONS, I think it’s safe to go in with high expectations.
So break a leg Sam. I hope you remember me when…
Tags: beer geeks, Beer Wars, Brew Masters, craft beer, Discovery, Dogfish Head, Sam Calagione
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#1 choice for a brewery to work for!
Its not that Sam is overexposed, but that he comes off as a serious narcissit. We all know he is a very talented brewer and heavily respected in the community for his ability to push the limits of beer, but “The Painkillers” pretty much portrays him as someone who will do anything for attention,
Sam comes off on the show as someone who thinks of himself as much more than just a craft brewer, but deserving of national attention for nothing more than his good looks. Resorting to tight t-shirts and gimmicks to get people interested in craft beer make us no better than the tactics taken by big brewers in the past.
David – Have you ever met Sam or anyone who knows Sam? Or do you jump to these ridiculous conclusions simply out of an amazing unknown sixth sense?
Ah… the old “sell out” spiel begins! How predictable.
I first became aware of Sam (as a personality anyway) through the movie and thought “Wow, this guy is going to blow up”.
About a year later I was visiting a friend (and true craftsman) who built his own timber frame/straw brewery by hand here in the midwest. This guy is dedicated to craft but he is also very very small and very very quiet about the operation. Over one of his test batches he mentioned that Sam took the time to speak with him one-on-one only a few months ago (and pretty much gave him free consulting).
That fact kind of sealed the deal for me that Sam is probably the best one to represent the industry to the masses. Unfortunately the world runs on marketing and good looks. That doesn’t, however, mean that they deserve to be attacked for their success.
Anyway, all I have to go on are his actions as told by a trusted and honorable friend, but it appears that Sam still has a heart and is willing to help the little guy- in fact he goes out of way do do just that.
Could you ask for a better spokesman? Maybe, but as long as Sam remains “hot” in the eyes of a still very ignorant general public, armchair beer fans would be hard pressed to find another more popular and yet still dedicated ambassador to the community from which he was born.
Then again, what do I know. I’m a web designer, not a brewer and still drink Stella on occasion
Booo…
In Beer Wars, Sam came across and genuinely passionate about brewing and hell, the man does brew damn good beer. He seemed confident in his product (which any GOOD businessman should) and appears excited when talking about it. Anyone that labels that arrogance probably does so because they’re wishing they had such a cool job.
Any criticism of Sam is unwarranted. He is a true advocate for Craft Beer and it’s culture. I believe everything he’s doing is to further the cause and not be made a “beer celeb.” I personally can’t stand most of what Dogfish Head brews, but support him in the rest of his endeavors.
My beef with Sam is that his show was contrived. The series seemed to have little to do with beer and brewing and focused on how the brewers were such quirky, hip people. I want to hear about the BEER, and not in the form of some lame-ass white boy rap. Goodbye, Dogfishead – I’ll stick with my San Diego micros.