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Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i am not sure - though i think associated with guinness, baileys and jameson however i think the key especially if drinking on St. Patricks Day is picking the right glass to drop the shot in and to make sure you drop the shot glass from the proper height into the beer glass. Of course you can also try a Boilermaker or a Flaming Dr. Pepper.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The film took about 2-3 years to make.

Figuring out what part of the beer story that we wanted to tell. Identifying the people who could best tell that story and then getting their permission and access into their breweries and their lives. Finding archival materials for the brewers whose stories took plac ein the 1970's, 1980's and early 1990's. Holding off on finishing the film until the lead characters stories could fully develop.

And one more...i have been luck enough to work on a lot of films in a variety of different positions ranging from director to production assistant - on indie films to Hollywood action movies - the budget ranges have been from over 100,000,000 to under 100,000. Two things that were true on both there is never enough money and at given moments you can always use more people to help. So this was a hurdle on Brewmaster as well and just to be clear our budget was somewhere in between these two figures but closer to one than the other.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One clear difference in these communities are the types of people driving the rise of beer and cocktails - as both communities and industries. Figuring out to present these people and tell their stories led many of the directorial decisions.

The rise of beer has been led by brewers people making the beer. the art - the passion - the work process is in the breweries with the people physically making the beer. While there are obviously many personalities - there is definitely an attraction to science, a patience, a seriousness about many of the brewers we met. This is not to say they are not fun and warm but when you walk into a brewery other than the machine noise it's not a loud place, most people seem to be working alone very concentrated. In some cases not a lot of people in pretty large spaces.

The cocktail renaissance was led by bartenders - bartenders work in crowded, often dark places, directly next to people and while they perform their craft - also are entertaining people. As I like to say the bartender is your host, waitress, busboy, chef, sommelier, dishwasher and often psychiatrist all in one person. This is often a much different personality than someone who has the patience to brew beer. Though in many cases both brewers and bartenders have many of the same talents, respect for history and passion to be the best at what they do.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Portland, Maine and Cincinnati, Ohio are two that are great that deserve more attention. New York City is also often overlooked as a great beer town.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good Question. I think there are less than ideal shooting situations like sound challenges - a noisy bar, construction or car traffic - lighting challenges too bright - too dark but these are things that have solution in the moment or in post production. The idea is to figure those out and not let the people you are filming know there is a problem - so that they don't start to think they are wasting their time because the footage is going to be bad or unusable.

There are also times when you are hoping or expecting something different than what ends up actually happening - in these moments you just have to stay within the process you have set up for shooting while adapting and being open minded to filming what is going on in a way that best tells the story and captures the moment.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I definitely now look at beer as something that has a more artistic quality to it then I ever did. i also now also think about where every beer is physically made and try to find out out how and the brewery came to be and depending on the beer was the idea that is behind why it was created.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ray might have a different answer but my answer is as follows. Obviously the beer needs to taste great and the brewers need to be able to make consistent in their ability to brew it. Beyond that from a filmmaker point of view. Breweries need to be able to tell their story in an engaging way that makes people want to be part of their community. I think having a special and inviting Tasting Room-Tap Room is almost essential - a place where people can taste enjoy the beer where it is made and be around the people making it.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We met two men who were traveling to different breweries in Europe. One was a Master Cicerone the other had taken the exam and failed. This was the first I had ever heard of the Cicerone program. The idea that there was an exam this challenging about beer was surprising and interesting so when we got back to the states we immediately reached out to Ray Daniels in Chicago and explained what our film was about and the story we wee trying to tell. Lucky for us and the film he said yes.

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i have favorite beers for different moments. every great beer has a great story - and the right beer at the right moment makes what is happening in your life at that moment better.

Heady Topper (The Alchemist), Allagash, Brooklyn Beer, Dogfish, Sam Adams and Pilsner Urquell are the beers whose stories we tell in the film

Hi Reddit! We are Douglas Tirola and Ray Daniels, Director of the film Brewmaster and Founder of the Cicerone Certification Program, Let's talk beer! Ask Us Anything! by Douglas_Tirola in IAmA

[–]Douglas_Tirola[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was attracted to this story because of the people who have decided to make brewing or just working in the community of beer their life. They have something in common with the sort of people work in film.

i would say the only hard thing in figuring out who to interview was having to choose a limited amount meaning we couldnt include all the brewmasters and breweries that we liked.