Brewmance
My friends will know that I am not a drinker. It’s nothing against drinking for me- there are just few beers or alcoholic drinks I’ve discovered that I would consider imbibing in on the regular. I do know plenty of people who do drink, and even some people who brew. That’s what made me interested in watching Christo Brock’s documentary about the craft beer industry in America. What interested me was that these people create something, and hope to find an audience for it. That’s something I know a lot about, and honestly, what I’ve done and what they’ve done are not dissimilar.
I would imagine a lot of craft beer makers are aware of the histrionics of American beer production, and the evolution of the craft beer industry, so that is more for the novices such as I am. There’s a lot of knowledgeable people in this documentary, from podcasters to brewers to authors and historians, and they fill in that history well for us. What engages us in “Brewmance” are the stories of two start-up craft beer companies- Liberation Brewing Co. in Long Beach and Ten Mile Brewing Co. in Signal Hill- as they get ready to make their debuts. Anyone who’s ever tried to build something from the ground up- especially a business- will feel the tension as the men behind these two race to make their openings, and a strong first impression.
The people behind Liberation (Michael Clements, Eric McLaughlin and Daniel Regan) and Ten Mile (Dan and Jesse Sundstrom, Aaron Sundstrom, Joann Sundstrom, Kelly Sundstrom and Emma Taylor) are engaging and people we genuinely want to see succeed. That’s because what they are doing is something they love, and they are taking a leap of faith that they can accomplish it. There are missteps along the way, and obstacles they have to work around, but ultimately, they have taken their first steps towards their dreams by the end, and regardless of how much success they find after that, that is worthy of celebration in and of itself.
