Experts Debate America's Beer, Breweries

Beer Wars LIVE to Feature Brewers, Experts, Ben Stein

Mar 9, 2009 Louise Harris

Independent beer makers will allow Americans a behind-the-scenes view of what makes a good product through a new movie and panel discussion.

National CineMedia’s Fathom Entertainment is sponsoring Beer Wars LIVE. The simulcast event will take place in 430 movie theaters nationwide on April 16, 2009.

The event will feature a documentary, Beer Wars, followed by a panel discussion with independent brewers and beer industry experts. It will explain what determines the success or failure of brands. Actor Ben Stein will host the event. Movie-goers also will be taken inside the beer business.

Speakers for the discussion include

• Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder and chief executive officer
• Rhonda Kallman, founder and chief executive officer of New Century Brewing Company and co-founder of Boston Beer Company, which makes Samuel Adams
• Greg Koch, founder of Stone Brewing Company
• Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association
• Maureen Ogle, beer historian and author of Ambitious Brew: the Story of American Beer
• Todd Alstrom, BeerAdvocate founder

Perspective of Struggles Shown

The panel will offer attendees an inside perspective of the obstacles independent brewers face in a corporate-dominated world. They will answer questions from audience members at the Royce Hall in Los Angeles where the live event will take place and shown on movie theaters.

Anat Baron is the director, producer and writer of Beer Wars documentary. He will join the other panelists. The movie will show how the beer industry is indicative of what’s happening in America in general, Baron said in a press release March 4, 2009. Entrepreneurs all have difficulty in raising money, taking risks, getting their product to consumers and managing growth, he added.

Showing the moving includes AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Enterainment Group. A list of specific movie theaters showing Beer Wars LIVE is posted on NCM’s Web site.

Only four states are not represented in the simulcast. However, some states, such as Idaho and Maine, only have one theater showing the event. The District of Columbia also is showing Beer Wars LIVE.

Get Tickets to Beer Wars LIVE

The event begins at 8 p.m. EDT, 7 p.m. CDT and 6 p.m. MDT. Movie theaters in Pacific time zone will show it at 8 p.m., but it will be a tape-delay. Tickets are available from movie theater box offices on the day of the event or on NCM’s Web site.

Ducks in a Row Entertainment, an independent production and distribution company, is co-sponsoring the simulcast with NCM. It distributes its products through nontraditional channels.

The copyright of the article Experts Debate America's Beer, Breweries in Documentary Films is owned by Louise Harris. Permission to republish Experts Debate America's Beer, Breweries in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Mar 27, 2009 7:16 AM

Guest :

One "small" correction... Anat Baron is female.

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