Directed by: David Swift, Scott Owen Written by: David Swift, Scott Owen Genre: Doc |
Beers Of Joy
You 'know' what it is. An age old brew that's always been there. To refresh you on a hot day. To help relax you when things are tough. Beer. Beautiful, lovely beer. But how much do you really know about beer? How many styles have you tried? Can you taste the different things it's brewed with? Do you know how to properly serve it? Did you know... a small, elite group of people exist who are literally brew masters? Cicerone's. From serving, that is level 1 - to Master Cicerone, at level 4. Very few of these masters exist because getting to that level is incredibly hard. Beers Of Joy focuses on 2 candidates for the Master Cicerone certification. It also follows a Chef who uses beer to cook a fabulous old school meal; and shows us all his preparations and studies to do-so. Beers Of Joy also lets us follow a woman who travels to Germany and Italy, researching ancient brewing techniques for her own brewery. David Swift and Scott Owen guide us as the stories of these people unfold, so grab your favorite brand of beer, have a seat and relax. Beers Of Joy is on tap.
If I learned anything following 2 of the featured people in this documentary it's this. Making beer is hard. Maybe that's not 'quite' right. Maybe it should be making 'good' beer is hard. Making exceptional beer is harder. As Joe and Ryan prepare their taste buds and study hard for the Master Cicerone exam, just watching them is painful. Watching them study that is. The entire process was enough to make me... well - want a beer. Watching these segments actually made me want to experiment. Switch from my regular mass produced brand and try something new. I've always thought beers are mainly the same. An ale is an ale and a lager is a lager. Obviously I don't know what I'm talking about and Beers Of Joy made me realize that. A night of taste testing is in order. I also happen to live close to a local brewery. Lucky me! The 'Cook a meal' segment with Sean was also fun to watch. Much like my favorite cooking shows, with some real history thrown in for good measure. It was a good segment to finish off the movie, as it showed good times all around. And finally, Tonya. The traveling brew-master looking for ways to make her brand as good and unique as it can be. There's some real history within her segments and they were a great contrast to the other 3 beer adventurers. With a little history, some 'bet you didn't know that' moments and an all around good feel, Beers Of Joy felt like a documentary with a little 'more' to offer. It looked really good, sounded really good and didn't feel overly long or drug out. You don't need to be a beer lover to enjoy this movie. It's about people as well. Their stories, their ups and downs. Highly recommended. Thanks for reading this review and be sure to follow this film online. Links are included. |
