NBFF 2015: BLOOD, SWEAT, AND BEER

Danny Robinson in Blood, Sweat, and Beer.

Thirsting for the American dream

By John Esther

Films, TV, YouTube, and other media focusing on beer are usually not about serious stuff. Unless it has to do with drunk driving, dometic violence or alcohol poisoning, one tends to associate beer with the fun -- and often the stupid.

That is not the case with Chip Hiden and Alexis Irvin's documentary, Blood, Sweat, and Beer.

A very entertaining documentary, Blood, Sweat, and Beer looks at the serious rising tide of American craft beer brewing. While other American jobs have been outsourced out of the country, craft beer production, brewing and distribution has doubled in growth over the past ten years. Currently there are approximately 2,700 breweries in the United States. Ninety-eight percent of them are small and craft.

Set with this rise in American entrepreneurship, the filmmakers travel to various parts of the country. They make a stop in Colorado where they talk to former brewmeister and current Governor John Hickenlooper -- who has been pivotal and influential in Colorado's brewing successes.

In Pennsylvania, three young men in their 20s are opening up a brewery in the dilapidated borough of Braddock. Once a mighty steel town, and site of America's first library, Braddock has fallen on serious times. But, with the support of Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, they might just pull it off.

Over in Ocean View, Maryland, the story of Danny Robinson is quite different. Already somewhat successful in the food and beverage business, Robinson runs into a nasty expensive, litigious battle when he sells t-shirts with the name "Shorebilly" on them.

In addition to these brewing business highs and lows, wholesalers, brewers and others in the beer business weigh in on the brouhaha facing current brewers as the market becomes more inundated with additional brewers. For most brewers, profits are slim. But they love what they do.

It was also interesting to note the sobering fact that over 90 percent of brewers are male and almost all of them are white (frequently with a beard).

Having written this, it is time for some delicious craft beer.