Most people think of beer as a comforting beverage enjoyed after a long day at work. Beer is about relaxation, leisure, even fun. Beers are consumed after hours in social settings such as bars, restaurants, and hotels, places away from the daily work grind. And yet, people whose careers are inside the beer industry in America fight heated battles for market dominance. In other words, behind the veneer of friends and leisure lurks a tough and cut-throat business world, that of the pale lager industry. "Beer Wars" takes us behind the scenes into the often shrouded world of beverage production and marketing. One of the first things the documentary teaches at that what most people think of as "plain beer", such as bottled by Bud and Miller, is a kind of beer called "pale lager", sometimes called watered-down lager, which is the most flavorless and cheapest beer to produce. Most Americans think beer is just beer. The microbreweries came into existence in part to combat the notion of "generic beer", a.k.a. pale lager, as advertised by the big three beer producers.
The documentary shows how these battles for market share and market dominance are often fought on fields in which most consumers don't realize combat is taking place. A brand being placed at eye level in the refrigerator at a small market can mean improvement in sales while being placed on the bottom shelf away from consumer eyes could also be its death knell. Unless a consumer already knows what he or she desires, those brands which stand out are the ones often picked by buyers. The film incorporates interviews and brief histories of not only the large breweries but some of the smaller micro-breweries which began popping up in the 1980's and 1990's to combat the big corporations.
If there is anything the documentary demonstrates, it is that Anheiser-Busch, now Anheiser-Busch Inbev since the merger, doesn't only desire market dominance, which it has had in spades since the 1990's. They want complete market control, not unlike a dictator who desires every citizen to pledge complete unconditional loyalty. In one poignant scene, the micro-brewery Dogfish Head receives a letter from Anheiser-Busch's legal department stating one of their brands' names is too similar to a new Bud product, and they should desist or else face a lawsuit. Nevermind Dogfish's product came out ten years before Bud's.
Although I largely enjoyed the documentary, I felt there were a few holes. One of the most interesting aspects of the beer industry is the rise to dominance of the big three, Bud, Coors and Miller, which apparently rose to market supremacy beginning in the 1970's and climaxed in the mid-2000's. They are now under slight threat from the microbreweries who have been slowly gaining market share. However, the documentary doesn't thoroughly explain how the big three grew into these giant behemoths, except to say they bought up small breweries and engaged in fierce market advertising which "forced" consumers into buying their brands. Certainly, marketing has great influence, but I am skeptical of the idea that consumers were somehow forced to buy certain products. It does appear that many consumers were left with little variety until the rise of the micro-breweries beginning in the mid-1980's with SamAdams/Boston Beer Company, although Yuengling Brewery is the oldest surviving brewery doing business since the 19th century.
Other parts went a little long in the sentimental department, such as showing a day-in-the-life of some of the people running the small breweries. I wanted to see more about the actual beer wars and the competition and less of their kids, as cute as they were. I also wanted to hear a little more from bona fide beer connoisseurs, not just random people on the street, which was getting a little too much like a Michael Moore show. Also, there were going to be congressional hearings concerning the modus operandi of the brewing industry, and I wanted to hear more about what was at stake and whose side people were on.
Still, overall a good documentary about an industry which permeates most people's lives but isn't discussed very much. And that may be by design. The beer companies, particularly the big ones, don't want to divulge much of what goes on behind the scenes. While the microbreweries were eager to talk, then CEO of Anhauser-Busch August Busch IV appeared little interested in being interviewed. It is interesting that the people with the most power are often the ones least willing to appear on camera, as if they have something to hide. In this sense, this reminded me a little bit of Moore's "Roger & Me" in which Moore tries to get an interview with GM's CEO but to no avail.
The documentary shows how these battles for market share and market dominance are often fought on fields in which most consumers don't realize combat is taking place. A brand being placed at eye level in the refrigerator at a small market can mean improvement in sales while being placed on the bottom shelf away from consumer eyes could also be its death knell. Unless a consumer already knows what he or she desires, those brands which stand out are the ones often picked by buyers. The film incorporates interviews and brief histories of not only the large breweries but some of the smaller micro-breweries which began popping up in the 1980's and 1990's to combat the big corporations.
If there is anything the documentary demonstrates, it is that Anheiser-Busch, now Anheiser-Busch Inbev since the merger, doesn't only desire market dominance, which it has had in spades since the 1990's. They want complete market control, not unlike a dictator who desires every citizen to pledge complete unconditional loyalty. In one poignant scene, the micro-brewery Dogfish Head receives a letter from Anheiser-Busch's legal department stating one of their brands' names is too similar to a new Bud product, and they should desist or else face a lawsuit. Nevermind Dogfish's product came out ten years before Bud's.
Although I largely enjoyed the documentary, I felt there were a few holes. One of the most interesting aspects of the beer industry is the rise to dominance of the big three, Bud, Coors and Miller, which apparently rose to market supremacy beginning in the 1970's and climaxed in the mid-2000's. They are now under slight threat from the microbreweries who have been slowly gaining market share. However, the documentary doesn't thoroughly explain how the big three grew into these giant behemoths, except to say they bought up small breweries and engaged in fierce market advertising which "forced" consumers into buying their brands. Certainly, marketing has great influence, but I am skeptical of the idea that consumers were somehow forced to buy certain products. It does appear that many consumers were left with little variety until the rise of the micro-breweries beginning in the mid-1980's with SamAdams/Boston Beer Company, although Yuengling Brewery is the oldest surviving brewery doing business since the 19th century.
Other parts went a little long in the sentimental department, such as showing a day-in-the-life of some of the people running the small breweries. I wanted to see more about the actual beer wars and the competition and less of their kids, as cute as they were. I also wanted to hear a little more from bona fide beer connoisseurs, not just random people on the street, which was getting a little too much like a Michael Moore show. Also, there were going to be congressional hearings concerning the modus operandi of the brewing industry, and I wanted to hear more about what was at stake and whose side people were on.
Still, overall a good documentary about an industry which permeates most people's lives but isn't discussed very much. And that may be by design. The beer companies, particularly the big ones, don't want to divulge much of what goes on behind the scenes. While the microbreweries were eager to talk, then CEO of Anhauser-Busch August Busch IV appeared little interested in being interviewed. It is interesting that the people with the most power are often the ones least willing to appear on camera, as if they have something to hide. In this sense, this reminded me a little bit of Moore's "Roger & Me" in which Moore tries to get an interview with GM's CEO but to no avail.