Documentary Looks At Beer Industry

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 15, 2009 9:15PM

Years ago, we were witness as Miller, Anheuser-Busch, and Coors collected distribution rights or partial ownerships to craft breweries in a high-stakes chess game over control of the beer drinker's dollar. Now there's InBev/A-B, MillerCoors, and a bunch of craft breweries trying like hell to maintain their independence and run successful businesses. Director Anat Baron's "Beer Wars" is being called a "David and Goliath" story, Following Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione and Rhonda Kallman of New Century Brewing, "Beer Wars" takes the viewer into the boardrooms, brewhouses, and follows sales reps on their calls as they fight for space in an already saturated marketplace.

Tomorrow night at 7 p.m., River East 21 (322 E. Illinois), Webster Place (1471 W. Webster) and City North 14 (2600 N. Western) will be screening "Beer Wars." Following the movie is a live panel discussion broadcast to the theaters moderated by Ben Stein with Calagione, Kallman, Samuel Adams's Greg Koch, Association of Brewers founder Charlie Papazian, historian/author Maureen Ogle and Todd Alström of Beer Advocate. The cost is $15, get tickets here.