Summary
A passionate portrait of brewing culture that is in need of some changes – and the group of people who are doing just that.
There’s about 9,000 craft breweries across the United States alone. The billion dollar industry is one of the great successes of the last few decades. Yet as popular documentaries Crafting a Nation have demonstrated, the landscape is predominantly led by (bearded) male and overwhelming caucasian brewers.
Which is the narrative that ONE PINT AT A TIME is hoping to divert. Following director Aaron Hose’s earlier short films Brewchurch and A Fresh Perspective — examining a modern church-owned brewery and the first-ever Black beer festival respectively — this feature looks at the vast array of African-American brewers breaking barriers across the country.
“We’re just doing what beer nerds do,” says Huston Lett, co-founder of the Tampa-based Bastet Brewing as he starts a mash out of a home garage. Drawing inspiration from Egyptian history, his attempt to find a home for his business and get the word out on his beer is just one of several stories Hose explores.
With only a fraction of breweries owned or run by women, and less than 1% of them being Black-owned breweries, Hose’s film conveys two things: how marketing and historic structures have perpetuated the idea that African-Americans don’t drink beer, and why this doesn’t have to be the case in the future. Indeed, it goes one step further in drawing a link between the African origins of beer and the historic Black ownership of the product, something Garrett Oliver, beer expert and co-founder of the Brooklyn Brewery, has often made a case for. “This always belonged to us,” he concludes.
Montclair Brewery co-owner/head brewer Leo Sawadago, for example, learned to brew from his very traditional mother, who always considered brewing to be a ‘woman’s business.’ It’s only in the modern era that the narrative has been flipped, making it harder for women and people of colour to break into the industry. Dr. J Jackson-Beckham, a recently appointed Equity and Inclusion Partner for the Brewers’ Association, talks about diversity versus diversification. It’s not enough to just introduce diversity in the workplace, the culture has to change as well.
Leaders of that include Corey Hinton at Soul Brothers Brewing in Georgia and Ale Sharpton, a craft beer authority and journalist. There’s Jon Renthrope of Louisana’s Cajun Fire, the first Black-owned brewery in the American South. Rhytmn Brewing’s Alisa Bowens-Mercado is the first Black beer brand owner of any gender in her state, and tirelessly works to promote her brand. Comedians Day Bracey and Ed Bailey amplify those voices on their Drinking Partners Podcast.
As a fellow beer geek from the other side of the globe, living within walking distance of at least half a dozen breweries, this is ultimately relatable as a story of people who love craft beer and are looking to build businesses in their communities. As the film concludes with the impact of the pandemic and the beer community’s responses to Black Lives Matter, ONE PINT AT A TIME encourages us to no only support these emerging talents, but to seek out the stories and processes behind them. More than anything, I want to drink a whole lot of new beer.
ONE PINT AT A TIME is expected to be released between September and November 2021.
2021 | USA | DIRECTOR: Aaron Hose | CAST: Ed Bailey, Alisa Bowens-Mercado, Day Bracey, Garrett Oliver, Leo Sawadago, Huston Lett, Jon Renthrope, Ale Sharpton | RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes | RELEASE DATE: TBA
