Beer Wars

This documentary gives a view on the American beer industry. We get lessons on how the industry works and also insights on how tough it is for companies at different stages. We follow Moonshot which is (was at the time) a caffeinated beer that was slowly trying to break into the market in the New England area. Dogfish Head is a more established brand of beer but is still a minor player behind the big three (now big two after a merger of coors and miller).

The biggest things I learned from this movie is that there is an outdated 3 tier system for beer suppliers, distributors and consumers. The system is controlled by the breweries who own the distributors so the checks and balances are not working and no one is there to regulate the breweries as was intended.

Also, Anheuser-Busch comes off as a douchebag company in this movie. They seem bent only on dominating the market and making money. You really end up rooting for Dogfish Head over these larger breweries.

I guess the point is try micro-brews whenever you get the chance. There are many varieties of beer besides Bud and Bud Light. Get adventurous at bars.

Labels: Movies

- posted by Doug @ 7:28:00 PM