“Beer Wars” Review

Where do you stand in this David and Goliath battle of the beer world?

“Beer Wars” is an independent film released in 2009 by first time filmmaker, Anat Baron, who ironically is allergic to alcohol. However, that allergy did not stop her from successfully running Mike’s Hard Lemonade, a beer company founded in 1999 by Anthony von Mandl. Baron boasts that her motivation to work in the beer industry was not about drinking the beer itself. It was about taking on the big corporations that want to demolish the little brewers. As she says, “It is about much more than beer. At stake is the American Dream.” The big picture focus of this film is to raise awareness of the power that big corporations have in this country. From mass marketing, lobbying power in congress, payoffs/incentives to distributors/retailers to selfishly crushing the small start up companies that pose as miniscule threats to their massive company profits. It’s all part of the corporate game in America and other countries for that matter. This film exposes the ins and outs of the beer industry in America and pinpoints specific marketing strategies used by the top beer companies such as Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller to forcefully push their products into every store and home in America and to push out craft brewers. This film evokes a lot of emotion, especially anger and resentment, for the consumer as you start to realize just how much power these major beer players have over your daily choices. After watching this film, you will most likely pause and think before you place your next order in your local bar or before you buy your next 6 pack at your local grocery store.

The film reveals that the top 3 beer companies in this country as of 2009 were Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller. Those 3 companies made up a staggering 78% of the US beer market. Baron points out how alike these beers look, smell and taste. She stages a blind tasting for beer drinkers to see if they can easily pick out their favorites. Not one person shown in the film accurately picked the beer that they stated that they drank most frequently. Each participant in the blind tasting seemed surprised how similarly the beers tasted. The film also stated that 85% of beer in this country is classified as a light lager. Those lagers are mild and by many standards would be considered weak and plain, lacking any distinctive flavor. One beer connoisseur went so far as to say that most Americans had never really tasted true beer yet, as those light lagers were not a true representation of real beer. The top three beer companies spent a staggering $1.5 billion marketing to sell those light beers to Americans. That is a massive amount of money considering that their products are so similar to each other that no one could tell them apart in blind tastings. It makes you wonder what really drives the consumer’s choice. Why would you choose one light beer over the other if taste is so similar? One beer drinker stated that it was out of habit. Humans tend to stick to what they know and what is familiar.

Every psychologist knows how much social psychology is involved in marketing and advertising. Most of us have taken a course in social psyc and studied the old bait and switch tactics, good cop versus bad cop, and the old car dealership trick where they leave the room “talk” to their boss into lowering the price when they are actually going out to get a cup of coffee then come back and pretend the boss said it was a no go. We have all fallen prey to many of these tactics in our life. But they are easy to see through once you study the many methods of persuasion they rely on. Just watch an episode of Mad Men and you can see just how manipulative the ad game can be. Most of these companies don’t have the consumer’s best interest in mind. It’s all about the money. Often times advertising is not about focusing on the actual merits of the product or service, but instead is focused on what they believe would win the consumer over or win their trust. Unfortunately, these corporations don’t let the product speak for itself. Instead, they may gloss over the actual details of their newest product and focus on selling an idea of what they think the American dream is as they link their product with pictures of sports cars, mansions, and most often scantily clad men or women. How many times have you watched a commercial and been confused as to what the commercial was about and then realized that they never showed a specific product? They may flash the company name once or twice as models bounce around your tv set, but did you really learn anything about what they are selling or what you should expect from their product?

I think that many viewers will be shocked when the film uncovers the specifics of beer wars including how the big corporations monopolize the market and shelf space in stores; the 37,000 beer laws that exist on the books in most US states; and brand recognition which is of course bought with the millions and millions of dollars that these big beer companies have at their disposal and not from respect gained by the effectiveness or quality of the product. Have you ever noticed which beers are displayed at eye level in your neighborhood stores? Beer companies fight over the prime space in the major grocery stores, liquor stores and convenient stores.

Essentially the big guys control the shelf space; therefore, they are silently manipulating your choices from the get go. Budweiser may take up 3 or 4 full shelves in the middle of the display at eye level while Dogfish Head or New Belgium has only enough space for a few 6 packs on the bottom right of the cooler display, which could very likely go unnoticed especially if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to peruse the entire cooler. Think about how many beer commercials you see a day – how many of those are from the big 3 beer companies (Budweiser, Coors or Miller)? As Sam Calagione, the owner of Dogfish Head, bluntly puts it, “Don’t listen to the stupid ads on the television. The ads don’t know what you like, you know what you like.” This is so true. They may think they understand you and know what you like, but that is not necessarily true. Do you even really know what you like? Have you truthfully given yourself the chance to try a large sampling of all the beers that exist on the market? You won’t know what you really like until you try something different and can compare each of those beers to each other. Only then can you start to explore the complex flavors that some of these craft beers offer.

There is so much diversity in beer these days. It can be quite exciting to sample new beers because you never know when you are going to come across a completely new style of beer that rocks your world. The mass produced beer companies are banking on the fact that people are very habitual creatures who stick to daily routines without much variation or experimentation. It’s as if they are encouraging their customers to not evolve and to not step out of their comfort zone. While most humans do find comfort in familiarity and are resistant to change, humans are not robots! Humans need variety to keep things interesting and to spice up their life. That is the main reason that craft brewers are challenging themselves to come up with new and exciting flavors and styles on a daily basis. Believe me it’s not for the money! Dogfish Head (shown below) only makes up 0.0002% of the market share for beer. The owner revealed that he is 9 million dollars in debt and is constantly taking risks with his family’s savings and had to put up their family home as collateral on a bank loan just so he can follow his dream. And his small brewery is one of the success stories. They do it because they love making good beer and it’s their life’s passion. Essentially, they believe in what they do.

These days companies have gone beyond commercial ads, and they are sponsoring sporting events such as the Olympics, the super bowl and even political debates. They also get around the fact that most Americans fast forward through commercials on their DVRs by product placement. Products are now featured within tv shows and films as if your favorite characters are endorsing those specific products. Who wouldn’t want to eat the exact same cereal as Michael Phelps or drive the same car as Tom Cruise in a movie like Mission Impossible?

Beer Wars makes you think. It causes you to analyze what is really driving your impulses in the checkout line. Baron stated, “I made this film because I wanted to get it out to as many people as possible. I want people to think about the everyday choices that they make. And to let them know that they do have power — it’s called the almighty dollar. I never expected to lure Bud, Miller or Coors drinkers away from their favorite cold one but I did hope that craft beer drinkers would help spread the bigger message of the film. And I still believe that will happen if we focus on the big picture.”

Luckily, craft brewers and home brewing are growing, despite the efforts of Big Beer to demolish the little guys. It may be a slow gradual increase, but it all depends on what the consumers find valuable and how the consumers choose to show their support. If consumers choose to drink locally and support those small businesses then there is a chance to make a lasting impact in this industry.

Baron’s film follows her as she visits smaller breweries such as Yuengling and Dogfish Head who have found a way to be successful and that have challenged the big 3 for part of the market share. As she follows each of these small brewers you get a sense of their soul and their life’s passion. It’s stories like these that are heart warming and inspirational and that create loyal fans that are willing to throw their support behind a product that they really believe in. Baron even follows Rhonda Kallman who first had the idea for a caffeinated beer before Anheuser Busch stole her idea and marketed their own version of a caffeinated beer. This film chronicles her struggles to break into the beer market and land accounts for Moonshot, the first caffeinated beer.

I encourage every individual to watch this independent film as it is a very enlightening and eye opening feature. You will never look at beer the same way again. I used to be an avid Bud Light drinker for many, many years starting in college as a poor struggling student; so I, myself, have given who knows how much of my own money to Anheuser Busch without ever questioning why I chose that beer. It was cheap and accessible, which are the main draws when you are on a very low budget. However, a year ago my husband and I started frequently tasting and sampling beers at local establishments and through a bar called the Flying Saucer. This has opened up a whole new world for us. We have sampled at least 100 new beers in that time if not more. Once you begin to explore new flavors through beer you just can’t go back to the light, plain lagers. I just can’t stomach Bud Light now that my palate has started to evolve. It’s as if I had never really tasted true beer before I decided to branch out and explore new and diverse flavors.

Of course, the next step for a serious beer lover is to start brewing your own beer, and that is an endeavor that my husband and I have embarked upon just recently. It’s the ultimate way to gain control over the beer you drink. With home brewing, there are no ads to dictate what you should drink; no distribution laws to limit access; certainly no restrictions on what flavors and spices you choose to include in your own unique brew; and no restrictions regarding the percent of alcohol that you brew since it’s for home use only. Home brewing seems to be the new revolution in beer. Home brewers are even forming their own home brewer associations to share their recipes, their unique brews and their personal brewing experiences with other brewers.

It’s obvious that individuals are in search of more flavor in many aspects of their life and beer is no exception. Beer Wars highlights that sales in the beer industry are revealing that domestic, mass produced beer is on the decline and craft beer is on the rise. This is a very gradual change, but there is a definite shift occurring in the industry. Microbreweries are opening up every month and that is something that could really change the beer industry one brew and one customer at a time.

Baron’s film chronicles how big corporations like Anheuser Busch stoop to stealing ideas from small brewers in order to take over every niche in the beer world. For them it seems to not be about making good beer, it seems to be about how to squash all threats to their profit margins. They use money to cutoff avenues for small brewers to grow as a business, to distribute their product and to market and advertise. Luckily, social media is an avenue that can’t be controlled by power or money. Baron highlights the fact that everyone has a voice on the internet. This is enabling small brewers the opportunity to reach new customers without the interference from the big beer conglomerates. The smaller breweries are masters at establishing close relationships with their customers and creating very loyal fan bases. This is something that does not occur with the mass produced beers. For small brewers, their drive is based on a labor of love more than money. Sam Calagione points out that the big companies “can talk at the consumer but not with the consumer.” In one scene of the film, Calagione is being interviewed on site at Dogfish Head Brewery, and he spontaneously takes a call in the middle of the interview from a consumer who just decided to call the toll free number on the 6 pack to say how much she loved the beer. He took the time to talk to this consumer and even gave out his email for her to communicate further with him. He remarks that every day they come in to the office to find 7 or 8 messages from customers just calling to commend them on their unique brews. It’s the little gestures like these that really distinguish the small breweries from the giants.

It’s disturbing to see how many smaller beer companies that Anheuser Busch has taken over in the past few years increasing from 26 brands to 80 brands by the date of the film in 2009. It’s becoming harder and harder to spot the obvious Anheuser Busch products as they have taken over brands like Bass, Hoegaarden, Rolling Rock, etc. A sampling of their products are shown above. And as Baron shows in the film Anheuser Busch creates company names like Green Valley Brewing to promote organic brews to appeal to the environmentalists and to appear to be a grass roots small business when in fact the product is made at the Anheuser Busch plant in California. It’s actions like these that should raise red flags with consumers as to what are the real intentions of this company. The film also shows outrageous moves by AB to sue fellow competitors like Dogfish Head for the use of the words “punkin” and “chickory” in their brew names. Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish Head, remarks that the lawsuits are geared towards the terms being too generic on Dogfish Head’s part as he points out the absurdity of this coming from a company that sells a beer called Natural Light. Could it get more generic than that? Calagione finds the suits ridiculous and power driven. He knows these lawsuits are for the sole purpose of causing the smaller companies to pay out majorly through lawyer fees. It’s a real low blow and is not what healthy competition is supposed to be about. If you have spent any time around any craft brewers you know how much they all support the growth of other craft breweries, as this promotes more diversity for all consumers and pushes each brewer to continue to challenge themselves to create more creative concoctions. There is a real comradery among craft brewers and that seems to fuel the creative process as well. In that scenario everyone wins.

Beer Wars also describes distribution laws such as the three tiered system which is making it much harder for the small players to break into the beer market. These laws restrict brewers from distributing their own beer to retailers in most states. It requires a third party distributor to be involved which is easily controlled by the money of the heavy hitters (Anheuser Busch, Coors and Miller) in the beer world. It is very easy for these companies to shut out the smaller brewers by controlling the distributors. This also is a challenge for the beer consumers as their access to their preferred beer is restricted; so the consumers and small brewers are missing out due to this archaic and unfair system. This calls for a necessary change in this distribution system to make it a more even and fair playing field. It seems to make more sense to just let the beer speak for itself instead of money and power influencing the consumer’s decisions and opinions about what they drink or choose to drink. If the beer is good enough it will sell itself. One consumer in the film stated, “They (Anheuser Busch) have to shell out major bucks to sell beer that tastes that bad.”

If this topic is one that interests you or motivates you, please help spread the word about this small independent film. Educating others about the internal workings of the beer industry could in fact produce more change in the industry itself as each consumer becomes more informed about how their choices are being influenced on a daily basis on a subconscious level that they may not ever think about. More informed choices can lead to a better quality of life as each individual takes personal control of each decision they make. Put the power back in the hands of the consumer!

Ways you could help – if you have a local brewery in your area, try out their unique brews. If you have a local bar that offers a wide variety of craft beers, try a sampler or flight of beers you have never tried before. If you like what you taste, spread the word about that positive experience with friends or on social networking sites. The key is to throw your support behind what you value! For instance, as I am writing this film review about beer, I am drinking Copperhead Red Ale from my local brewery in Memphis TN called Ghost River. So far today I have tweeted and included this beer selection in my facebook status to show my support of this fantastic brewery. Yesterday, I toured Ghost River after being on a waiting list of 4 months, and we sampled 3 of their most famous beers, learned about their history and brewing process and bought growlers to go. Afterwards, we chose to eat and drink at the owner’s brewpub in Memphis called Boscos where we got samplers of all 8 unique beers brewed all on site and continued to drink our favorites there all night. It made for a wonderful outing, and we felt good about supporting a local business. It’s that easy and simple.

Now, if you are true fans of any of the top beer companies, that is fine too. Just make sure to take a minute and ask yourself why you like that brand, why you chose that brand in the first place and maybe even challenge yourself to do some sampling to compare your favorite beers to some of the lesser known, more experimental brands to see how they stack up. You might be surprised at what you find. Worst case scenario is that maybe you try some beers that you decide you don’t really like and you are out a few bucks for the night. Best case scenario could be that you find a new favorite that blows your mind. Bottom line is to start to question what really drives your choices when choosing a brew and to put yourself in the driver’s seat when making a purchase instead of falling prey to some of the world’s best marketing schemes.

“Life’s too short to drink light beer” ~ Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head

If you want to view this film here are several ways to order or view Beer Wars:

In the U.S., Beer Wars is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bresnan, Verizon FiOS, AT & T U-Verse, Dish Network and DirecTV. It is also available for download on iTunes, Amazon Video On Demand, Xbox 360 and PS3.

In Canada, the film is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Rogers Cable, Cogeco, Videotron, Sasktel and Shaw.

The film will also be available through Netflix either through streaming or DVD. And you’ll be able to buy the DVD from Amazon.

If you live outside the US, you can buy the DVD on this link below
http://beerwarsmovie.com/shop/

All of this information on ways to order Beer Wars was taken from the website
http://beerwarsmovie.com/tag/dvd/

Anat Baron shown below, filmaker

4 stars - Eyeopening, enlightening and infuriating at the same time. You will never look at beer the same way again.