Justin here with a look at the documentary, Beer Wars, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Beer is one of my great pleasures in life. In terms of a time and money investment, it’s up there with movies, comic books, and music. The hobbies that I like the most are ones that reward knowledge and curiosity. No doubt everyone who is a regular reader of this blog had some sort of epiphany moment where they realized that there are good movies being made that don’t get shown in the megaplexes. At some point you found out that there’s a whole canon of awesome movies stretching back to the dawn of cinema to discover. It’s like going through nerd puberty. Beer is, of course, the same. The Bud Lights and Coors of the world are the equivalent of the Paul Blart or Nick and Nicky movies. There’s as much diversity in beer as there is in movies.
Beer Wars doesn’t so much highlight the different kinds of beers and independent breweries, but examines the different challenges that independent brewers have when going toe to toe with the huge macro brewers. Beer Wars is more about business than brews, but it’s damned fascinating. If you’re the kind of person with even a passing interest in good beer, then you should watch this movie. If you’re the kind of person who is interested in how big corporations in any industry fight off the smaller, more interesting competition, than you need to see Beer Wars.
The movie is written and directed by Anat Baron, the former president of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Coincidentally, Baron is allergic to alcohol and doesn’t drink at all. Her intense fascination with the beverage industry combined with years of experience fighting for market share make her perspective really vital. Through the course of the movie, Baron interviews old colleagues like Kim Jordan, founder of New Belgium Brewery; Greg Koch, founder of Stone Brewery; and Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery. Each relates their different goals and struggles. The common theme seemed to be a focus on product and people above profit.
The most interesting parts of the movie, however, are about Inbev/Annheiser-Bush and Miller/Molson/Coors. From the 1940’s onward, these giants bought up the competition and strived to make their beers as inoffensive and homogenous as possible. By manipulating a ridiculous distribution system and flooding the market with products, they are able to secure a maximum amount of shelf space and force independent beers off the radar of consumers. Those two companies spend millions of dollars each year in marketing to push their shitty beers while independent breweries often have no marketing budget.
A large portion of the movie chronicles the struggles of a newly minted indie brewer trying to get bars and liquor stores to carry her new beer. Ultimately she becomes so exasperated that she tries to sell out to Budweiser. The movie promotes the idea that it’s practically impossible for the little guy to compete.
While I thoroughly enjoyed Beer Wars and learned a lot, it wasn’t without its flaws. There were a few too many “man on the street” type segments with Baron berating the sports bar scene about their drink choices and I wish they had covered the difference in ingredient sourcing a little more.
Craft beer has gained some serious traction in recent years. Even at my local dinky small mountain town liquor store I can get a tasty beer from New Belgium or Sam Adams. I hope as more people discover the immense diversity and pleasure of these drinks that Beer Wars becomes just a snapshot of a weird time and place in American culture.
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