The Love of Beer

Man, my commute from Hillsboro to Portland Wednesday was horrible. It always seem like this happens when I want to be somewhere at a specific time. Last night, “somewhere” was Saraveza. Alison Grayson was screening her new documentary ‘The Love of Beer’ in their Bad Habit room; a flick celebrating the women in the Pacific NW beer industry.

Some random guy and film creator, Alison Grayson

My fiancée and I arrived at Saraveza a shortly after 6pm. The movie was being shown at 7, but there was a tasting being offered prior for an additional five dollars. The extra five bucks proved to be a wise investment. Sarah, of the Saraveza fame was pouring samples of some incredible beers. Several were from her own personal collection, including a rare beer from Walkingman that was given to her as a Birthday gift a few years ago from Jacob Leonard, Walkingman’s former head brewer who now plays for Widmer. Thanks for sharing Sarah!

Some of our awesome taster friends

The tasting wrapped up a little behind schedule, but all was good, because it appeared that everyone was thoroughly enjoying their beer. In retrospect, we thought it was the perfect prelude to the film. That being said, someone did eventually come forth and say “should we start the movie”. That’s when Alison commanded our attention up front and gave the full house a brief introduction to her film, ‘The Love of Beer’.

The documentary began with brief highlights of different woman in the Pacific NW beer industry and was paired with some unique camera work that captured the eye and drew you in. Alison then profiled each of the women in detail. She did this in a way that kept a flow to the film and the viewer focused. She would let someone tell a portion of their story on how they ended up in the industry and then moved on to another topic or individual profile. So basically, you ended up being exposed to the same person throughout the film, but it was planned in a way that would not allow you to become tiresome of their talk. Alison also did an excellent job with the camera. The hop farm footage took “artistic master piece” to the next level.

As ‘The Love of Beer’ website implies, the movie is not for feminism or equality. The film was done to show us that the craft beer movement is seeing a change. Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head stated in the film that the beer industry has predominantly been a sausage fest, but that he sees women in the field as a welcome change. Some of the key players profiled in the film and that are producing that change included brewer, Tonya Cornett from 10 Barrel, Teri Fahrendorf, Founder of The Pink Boots Society/2^nd female Brewmaster in the United States and Sarah, of Saraveza. Other local notables making appearances were Chris Crabb of The Oregon Brewers festival and Lisa Morrison, a.k.a. The Beer Goddess.

To conclude, I will say seeing this film is a must if you love beer or just want to see a well-made documentary on the subject. It will further expose you to what is happening in our thriving Pacific NW beer culture; a culture that has some pretty talented and intelligent woman making their mark in the industry.

Alison and Sarah feilding questions after the film

The Love of Beer trailer from Lingering Illocutions on Vimeo.