“Crafting A Nation is a feature length documentary and new media project about how American craft brewers are rebuilding the economy one beer at a time.”
The Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow is one of the greatest gifts bestowed upon us movie lovers. If you are not familiar with the series, a Drafthouse crew takes a mobile unit and hosts 35mm screenings of movies in famous places (associated with the film) all over the world. Past screenings include; A Fistful of Dollars at Cortijo el Sotillo, Spain, The Lost Boys in Santa Cruz, CA, It Came From Outer Space 3D in Roswell, NM, Jaws at Martha’s Vineyard, MA, The Shining at the Stanley Hotel, Escape from Alcatraz on Alcatraz, CA, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Kingsland, TX. The epic list goes on and on. So when a RR comes to town, you take note.
This Rolling Roadshow was a more intimate affair marking the screening of a new documentary about the ever-growing craft beer industry in America. The location was Jester King Brewery in the Hill Country outside Austin, TX, a brewery that not only provided a beautiful setting for the event but also ended up featured in the film.
We open with an elegant recap of the brewing process before delving into two aspects of the movie. The first is the emotional backbone, as we follow the story of two brothers trying to realize their dream of starting up a brewery. Intertwined with this are interviews and footage showing breweries that have been established for weeks, months, and years. Dipping into their tales foreshadows what problems the brothers may encounter in their future, or perhaps what their business may become one day. These include breweries in Austin, TX; Saint Louis, MO; Minneapolis, MN; Boston, MA; Milton, DE; the Bay Area and Chico, CA; Portland, OR; amongst others. More familiar names include; Dogfish Head, Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada.
The brewers featured share their knowledge and experiences in establishing not only their business but also the ethos behind their beer. It was interesting to hear how many were built up in the shadow (in one case literally) of larger ‘big brand’ breweries and how that influenced them. As mentioned the story of the brothers starting up Black Shirt Brewing is at the core of the film. Our time with the brothers occasionally meanders into overly sentimental territory, but is tempered showing how much hard work and passion is needed to achieve their dream. The film dipped into tales of adversity and sadness but also success and joy.
Above all the recurring theme in the film is one of community. Often due to alcohol laws, someone starting a brewery will need to engage and win over local residents for planning permission. This fosters a bond that usually continues onward. Some engage local farmers to build symbiotic partnerships where spent grain is used as feed, while farmers grow hops, which return to the brewery and continue the cycle. Some of the bigger breweries even develop recycling and renewable energy sources to the extent that they feed back into the local community. As a Brit, I know the importance of the local pub and the sense of community it fosters in a neighborhood. There is no real equivalent in American society that reaches the same level. The greater distances and sprawling nature here doesn’t allow that tight buildup of population nor does the weather contribute to such a gloomy atmosphere (requiring the imbibing of such large quantities of alcohol as it does back in the UK). What I have come to find, and what this film shows effectively, is that the craft brewing industry is one of the closest things to mirroring that sense of community in America. The beer crowd in Austin is one I am familiar with and very thankful to be a part of. Crafting a Nation shows numerous places around the US where brewing and bonds fostered with local people and businesses lends to a great community spirit.
I spoke briefly with Courtney Cobb, (Producer) a few days after the screening about the structure of the film and learned that originally there two breweries were followed, but the sheer volume of footage and balance of the film did not make a cut of that possible. This shows just how many more stories there are out there. What we have is an interesting snapshot of a handful of breweries at different stages of their growth. At this time of writing, there were over 2,400 breweries in the US and that number is growing quickly. The struggles faced day to day by the few featured breweries include pressure from ‘big breweries’, taproom operation, distribution and state law differences, (and plumbing!) — it goes on and on. One of the biggest examples told was of Texas and its antiquated beer laws, of which there have been some changes of late thanks largely to the very people featured in the film. The Jester King crew and Scott Metzger of Freetail Brewing in San Antonio highlight the lack of parity in laws compared to the wine industry and how much of a challenge brewers in Texas face. Real fascinating thing to watch being a resident here and seeing how people deal with it. Simple things such as the fact that, until recently, a brewery in Texas could not serve a consumer on-site whereas a winery can. What Crafting a Nation shows is that making beer is not just a simple process. Not only in the ingredients and approach but also the process of getting one up and running. There are many needless obstacles in the path of entrepreneurs wanting to create beer, provide jobs, and feed back into a community, and I hope this film raises some awareness and appreciation of this fact.
If you do not possess much knowledge of brewing or the craft brewing industry you will find this documentary very eye opening. Even if you are in the industry you’ll find something interesting, inspiring, and funny — the owner of the Moonlight Brewing Company becoming a new hero of mine in particular. These are exciting times for craft beer in America and Crafting a Nation catalogues it. A cheap 6-pack of a watery beer in a novelty color-changing can appeals to many, but there is much more out there. The average American lives within 10 miles of a craft brewery. Find it. Taste what they have. Speak to the owners and brewers and appreciate their craft and passion. Drink local.
The event was hosted at the Jester King brewery in the Texas Hill country just on the outskirts of Austin, TX. The crew here produce some very special beers, representing a traditional farmhouse brewery and classical approach to brewing. In their own words, they “seek to embrace nature and local terroir in our brewing, giving our beers a true sense of place.” They not only provided a beautiful setting for the screening, but also some fantastic beers to drink. As a Austinite I was already a fan of the inventiveness and lengths to which these guys go to produce some special beers. The brewery was a perfect location for this film, with people imbued with a great sense of contentment, sitting under the stars with friends, a glass of beer made just a few feet away. There will be more Roadshows held this summer at Jester King, the next one being I Declare War, which was one of my favorite films at Fantastic Fest last year, so I urge you to check it out.
