“Blood, Sweat and Beer,” a new documentary from filmmakers Chip Hiden and Alexis Irvin, premiered in Milwaukee Monday at the Brenner Brewing Company as part of Milwaukee Beer Week. The film is in the middle of a nationwide tour, screening at major city beer festivals like Seattle, Pittsburgh and Detroit. “Blood, Sweat and Beer” examines the journeys of two startup Northeastern brewing companies, following them through their determined preparations to make an impact in the world of craft beer.

The Shorebilly Brewing Company operates out of Ocean City, Maryland. Danny Robinson, the brewery’s founder, is in the midst of a legal battle after being sued by another Ocean City clothing company with the Shorebilly name. With a potential name-change ordered by the court lingering, Robinson must plan a new direction for his business and adjust to the financial troubles.

We see the stress of managing a financial lawsuit, as well as the difficulties of balancing a relatively new craft beer brewery. Robinson’s case exemplifies the overwhelming nature of the craft brewery business, but his passion for the business drives his relentless efforts to brew beer for the public.
Braddock, Pennsylvania, located in what is known as the Rust Belt, is a town that once thrived off the booming steel economy. Its steel mills brought with it high populations and a flourishing community.

Since the collapse of the steel industry and the crack cocaine epidemic of the ‘70s and ‘80s, things have not been the same. To say the town is economically hurting is an understatement. Braddock is barely surviving on its population of just more than 2,000 people. Even most of Braddock’s bars and liquor stores have gone out of business. The 2010 U.S. Census cited 38 percent of Braddock’s buildings as abandoned.
Asa Foster and Matt Katase, both 23, decided a few years ago the community needed something new. The two decided to create their own business, The Brew Gentlemen Beer Company. Foster said people needed somewhere to go, so he and Katase hoped that a brewery could spark life into the town. Two young adults, still running off a ramen noodle diet, work together to create investment plans, maintain a brewing process, and with the help of a former Anheuseur-Busch employee, look to inspire other entrepreneurs to help restore Braddock to the thriving community it used to be.

The film also interviews craft brewers from all over the world. One of the main topics discussed is the industry’s trends over the past few years. The beer industry as a whole is decreasing its sales, yet the craft beer industry seems to be improving each year. These interviews in the film tell us how truly impactful the craft breweries are to the beer industry in general. Brewers even go as far to describing the current time period as craft beer’s “golden age.”
“Blood, Sweat and Beer” captures the quintessential American work model. Ambition and passion are two vital elements of creating a business in America and the craft beer industry requires a high level of both.

When the brewers are put to the test, they are forced to, as Danny says, pour their “blood, sweat and tears” into their companies. Whether it’s overcoming competition from the big breweries, or simply a lack of receiving the public’s attention, craft brewers from all over the world are facing some of the toughest tests for entrepreneurs. Hiden and Irvin capture this idea and show the audience firsthand what goes on behind the brews.
“Blood, Sweat and Beer” is currently available for digital and physical pre-orders at bloodsweatbeermovie.vhx.tv. The film is expected to be released in fall 2015. Hiden and Irvin offer  a promo code to Marquette students for the digital download:

Promo Code (20 percent off the digital download): beerme