“Beer Wars”: A (Six)pack of questions
I posed six questions via e-mail to Anat Baron, the producer, writer and executive producer of the documentary “Beer Wars,” which folks in Bloomington can see next Thursday, April 16, at Showplace Theater 11, east, beginning at 8 p.m. Folks in other places can find theater locations from the movie Web site, http://beerwarsmovie.com. That’s Anat’s photo at right.
I asked for a preview copy of the documentary, hesitant to plug something that costs $15 without knowing more than what a couple of well-made trailers would show me. I got a polite rejection from the production company, Ducks in a Row. Advance copies weren’t being made available, I was told, so as not to spoil the spontaneity of the live panel discussion at the conclusion of the documentary. Or something like that. I’ve apparently trashed that e-mail.
So here’s a quick outline of the film from the Web site: The documentary goes behind the taps of the U.S. beer industry to show the difficulties independent craft breweries face in a marketplace dominated by humongo, multinational conglomerates. The story is told primarily through the experiences of two craft beer pioneers: Rhonda Kallman, co-founder of the Boston Beer Co. and founder and CEO of New Century Brewing; and Sam Calagione, founder and president of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. A veritable who’s-who of the craft brewing industry are listed as interview subjects in the production notes. Following the documentary, theaters will be dialed in to a live panel discussion about the film and the industry, featuring Kallman; Calagione; Greg Koch, founder of Stone City Brewing; Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewer’s Association; Maureen Ogle, historian and founder of Ambitious Brew; and Tod Alstrom, founder of the Beer Advocate.
Baron’s answers to my questions follow, although, as you will see, she thought a few of the queries would be better put to the craft brewing “celebrities” who will participate in the panel discussion. I haven’t figured out how to send questions as noted below, but if I do, please let me know if any of them got through to the panel. I am still on the fence about spending $15 to attend in person. For that kind of change, I think I should get a cold one to enjoy while watching the show.
Stay tuned after the last question to see a clip from the “Beer Wars” Web site.
1. The ticket price at my local theater for “Beer Wars” is $15. That’s the price of a 12-pack of Sam Adams. What will I see or learn that is worth a 12-pack?
You’ll get to see the inner workings of the beer industry and stories of two small brewers who are trying to make it. I doubt you’ll thirst for knowledge after watching the film.
2. How will the live panel discussion work? Will people in theaters have a chance to send questions to the panel via texting or twitter or some other means?
The panel will begin as soon as the film ends. The panelists who are all in the film will be up on stage sharing their thoughts on the film (which they’ve watched for the first time THAT NIGHT) and the issues it raises. We’ll be asking for questions starting this week via our Web site, Twitter and Facebook.
3. I am sometimes overwhelmed by the choices I have now at beer outlets, especially with the variety of regional and craft beers that have appeared on shelves in recent years. How can independent breweries say they are handicapped when they clearly are getting their product into stores?
It all depends on your state. The issues arise when trying to get onto chain supermarket shelves. And appearances can be deceiving. Some of the beers that look to be coming from small brewers could actually be beers made by the big brewers.
4. What adjustments to the three-tier system do independent brewers advocate? Do they want rules that give them an advantage over multinational brewing companies (which Miller, Bud and Coors are now), or simply a level playing field, where they still could be out-muscled by the big guys?
I think that you need to watch the film for that answer. Ultimately they want to be able to control their destiny.
5. According to the Brewers Association, estimated sales by craft brewers in 2008 were up 5.8 percent in volume and 10.5 percent in dollars. Craft beers only had 4 percent of the overall beer market, but it was a healthy 4 percent. What are some other numbers that craft brewers worry about?
I think the bigger issue is that craft brewers are 4 percent and yet there are 1400-plus of them. The question is how do they grow and bigger a more substantial percentage of overall sales? I don’t speak for craft brewers, so please ask Charlie Papazian these questions.
6. Craft beers have a pricing problem. The problem is that craft beers consistently are 20 percent or more above the Big 3’s flagship products. If they really want to compete, what are craft brewers doing about the price differential, especially in the current economic climate?
Again, I don’t speak for craft brewers. I’m happy to speak to the film I made, but I don’t think it’s fair for me to speak on their behalf.
2 comments
This comment is a little late, but congratulations on withholding your plug for this movie. A friend and I checked out for $15 and came out sorely disappointed. In short, she seemed to hint around the large evil beermakers were conspiring to hurt the small breweries. However, suggest and hint was all she could do, as there was no real evidence of anything illegal or really anything unethical. A lot of it seemed to be a complaint that 95% of Americans don’t know the difference between good beer and bad. While I don’t disagree, I hardly needed a documentary to tell me that.
Once I went to a small brewery. I observed almost the whole process of preparing the beer. And then it turned to be so good. Later I watched a Discovery TV-show How it is made. I downloaded it a the the torrents files search engine http://www.picktorrent.com . From that documentary I saw the process of producing beer at a large plant. I did’t like it at all. At once I remembered that cosy brewery I visited.
As for me I’m for small breweries. They have their own atmosphere.