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Beer Wars is a 2009 documentary film about the American beer industry. In particular, it covers the differences between large corporate breweries, namely Anheuser-Busch, the Miller Brewing Company, and the Coors Brewing Company opposed to smaller breweries like Dogfish Head Brewery, Moonshot 69, Yuengling, Stone Brewing Co., and other producers of craft beer. Also covered is how advertising and lobbyists are used to control the beer market, implying that these things harm competition and consumer choice.
Throughout the film there is a theme that the smallest breweries have next to no chance to compete due to the sheer volume of advertising and outdated beer distribution laws. The original laws demanded a three tier system to separate the powers of selling beer. The law demands that the beer brewer cannot deliver directly to the retailer, supposedly creating a separation of powers resembling the US government's legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The film claims these laws are now inhibiting growth of smaller brewers and therefore allowing the largest brewers (Coors, Anheuser-Busch, and Miller) to maintain an oligopoly on beer.
The film was written, produced, narrated, and directed by Anat Baron, former head of Mike's Hard Lemonade. The film is now available on DVD.
Original Release
04/16/2009
US Release
04/16/2009
Links
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Norman Adami | Self - CEO, Miller |
Roberta Baskin | Self - Center for Public Integrity |
Jeff Becker | Self - President, Beer Institute |
Simon Bergson | Self - Founder, Manhattan Beer Distributors |
John Boehner | Self - House Majority Leader, 2006 |
John Bryant | Self - Odell Brewing |
Betty Buck | Self - Buck Distributors |
August Busch III | Self - CEO, Anheuser-Busch, 1974-2002 |
August Busch IV | Self - CEO, Anheuser-Busch, 2006-2008 |
August Busch Jr. | Self - CEO, Anheuser-Busch, 1946-1974 |
Directors
Writers
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Norman Adami | Self - CEO, Miller |
Roberta Baskin | Self - Center for Public Integrity |
Jeff Becker | Self - President, Beer Institute |
Simon Bergson | Self - Founder, Manhattan Beer Distributors |
John Boehner | Self - House Majority Leader, 2006 |
John Bryant | Self - Odell Brewing |
Betty Buck | Self - Buck Distributors |
August Busch III | Self - CEO, Anheuser-Busch, 1974-2002 |
August Busch IV | Self - CEO, Anheuser-Busch, 2006-2008 |
August Busch Jr. | Self - CEO, Anheuser-Busch, 1946-1974 |
Sam Calagione | Self - Founder, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery |
Peter A. DeFazio | Self - Representative, Oregon |
George Hacker | Self - Center for Science in the Public Interest |
Steve Hoch | Self - The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania |
Kim Jordan | Self - Founder, New Belgium Brewing Company |
Rhonda Kallman | Self - Founder, New Century Brewing Company |
Greg Koch | Self - Founder, Stone Brewing |
Jim Koch | Self - Founder, Boston Beer Company |
Bob Lachky | Self - Executive VP, Anheuser-Busch |
Dennis Long | Self - President, Anheuser-Busch, 1979 |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Anat Baron | Executive Producer |
David Person | Producer |