Beer Wars Recap

By Chell

Good morning, everyone!  I hope everyone had a chance to head out and see the Beer Wars movie last night.  Mr. Winestein, Scott, even Mitche, and myself headed over to Mission Valley last night to check out the premiere.  Overall, it was worth seeing, but it could have been better.

The movie started out by introducing Anat Baron, the movies star, director, producer, etc.  She was an executive in the beer industry previously working with Mikes Hard Lemonade.  Not exactly the beer industry, but close I suppose.  It was nice that she made this movie as it was an attempt to point out the issues that small brewers face trying to enter the beer industry and get their beers distributed to the marketplace.

The movie tended to focus on Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Brewery and Rhonda Kallman formerly from Boston Beer Company and currently trying to promote a new beer called Moonshot.  It followed their journey in trying to start a new business brewing beer and then the troubles in the three tier distribution system, which hinders them being able to get their beers to the market.  The movie does an outstanding job of pointing out how the distribution tier, as you would expect, has to cater to their largest customers, which are Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors.  With these three companies controlling the distribution system its hard for small breweries to even get their beer on the truck to make its way to the stores or bars.  The movie also spends some time talking about how these companies, in particular Anheuser-Busch, employs all of the people who decide where on shelves certain beers are placed with their planograms.  The display and placement of a beer on store shelves in relation to its competitors gives them a huge advantage.

Some shortcomings of the movie I think were both in how the story was told and the lack of answers to the problems shown.  I think the story of Dogfish Head fit the story well and showed a growing successful craft brewery who in the grand scheme of competing with Anheuser-Busch is so small they have little say in the larger industry.  Sam is a entertaining guy, and I think was a good inclusion into the movie.  The story of Rhonda and her Moonshot beer is another story.  The movie spent too much time focusing on her struggles, which while interesting was completely out of line with the point of this movie.  Her issue was that she was trying to promote a product that a lot of people weren't necessarily interested in.  This goes on everyday in every industry and has little to do with the focus of the movie on how legitimate small breweries can compete with the big three.

I think we didn't see nearly enough of three of the other craft breweries who were in the movie because they seemed to be pushed to the side.  Boston Beer Company is currently the largest American brewery since the large ones are now owned by foreign companies.  I would have liked to hear a lot more about how they have managed to succeed, to some extent, and how they have navigated their way through the three tier distribution system.

Stone Brewing Company from California, due to some laws that only exist in California, own their own distribution company as a way to avoid the three tier problems.  That story wasn't told at all.  They distribute essentially their own beer, as well as, looking out for other small breweries who need distribution that they want to help out.  I am disappointed that this was almost completely ignored.

New Belgium Brewery was spoken about briefly as well, but much like the Boston Beer Company I would have liked to hear their solutions to how they have become one of the larger U.S. breweries and what they have done to combat the lock that the big three breweries have on distribution.

The discussion panel at the end was interesting.  Ben Stein is always fun, though, the entire thing both before the movie and after seemed a bit awkward and unprepared.  They managed to throw Alstrom from BeerAdvocate under the bus by showing clips of him criticizing MoonShot beer.  I think that was uncalled for and just an attempt to generate some controversy between Rhonda and him.

I give Anat Baron great credit for trying to put this movie together and bring the issues that the craft brewers have into spotlight.  I think one thing the movie missed and was highlighted during the post movie discussion is that no one seemed to have a solution, or even any ideas for a solution.  Should there just be a two tier system, brewery to bar?  Should distributors be forced by law to carry a certain percentage of microbrewery beer on each truck?  Should the lobbying by the large breweries in Washington D.C be stopped?  Seemed like no one had any ideas or answers.  If you are going to spend three years putting together a movie, it seems that there should be a conclusion or call to action of some sort at the end.

If you do get a chance to see this movie in the future when it comes out on DVD, check it out.  It is worth your time if not for anything else to learn a little bit more about the beer industry and how it operates.  Thanks to all involved for trying to help out the craft brewers.  The pictures included were taken at UCLA while setting up for the live discussion at the end.  Enjoy! ~ Chell

Comments (2)

Reply

Agreed

1 Friday, 17 April 2009 09:24

John

I think you hit the nail on the head with 2 points. Rhonda in the movie ...kind of off the point. Needed more real breweries who are trying to grow and distribute and can't.

And the end of the movie, the moral, there wasn't one!

Reply

Sam

2 Monday, 20 April 2009 15:19

Angie

I'm a big fan of Dogfish and really like the parts about Sam. I thought the parts with Rhonda were kinda boring and repetitive. Would have like to see more from some other craft breweries instead. Yeah what happened to New Belgium and Stone. They were barely in it and not at all the focus.

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