OTT is OOC
"Why is the government up in my beer?" Local craft beer lovers spotlighted innew movie
Leslie SpraguePhoto via Leslie Spraque/Facebook
Jester King Craft BreweryPhoto via Basil and Brew
Beer Culture: The Movie
Tom Kolicko of Free Mind ProductionsPhoto by Mackinnon Photography
Ron Extract of Jester King Craft BreweryPhoto via Jester King Craft Brewery
The grounds at Jester King Craft BreweryPhoto via Beer Town Austin
When Open the Taps first launched in Houston last summer, co-founder Leslie Sprague hadn't the slightest that the grass-roots group of pissed off craft beer consumers would become the ultimate industry advocacy group in Texas. Or that she'd find herself shuttling to and from the capitol to meet with state legislators, immersing herself in the processes of politics, or that she'd end up, along with her co-founders, in a feature-length documentary.
But that's exactly where the founders of OTT recently found themselves: On camera and on-the-record at Jester King Brewery near Dripping Springs, discussing the craft beer culture in Texas for filmmaker Thomas Kolicko. Kolicko is the man behind last year's Beer Culture, a documentary investigating the flourishing craft beer economy in Colorado.
Now he's started work on Crafting a Nation, a follow-up that will examine the economic impact of the national craft beer movement.
"Crafting a Nation tells the story of how the American craft brewers are rebuilding the economy . . . one beer at a time."
Although the doc skips over Houston entirely in favor of examining long-seated craft beer communities in San Antonio and Austin, Houston-based Open the Taps founders Cathy Rascoe (the woman behind Monsters of Beer and Houston Beer Week), Sprague, Ted Duchesne and John Speights rep the Bayou City.
Sprague met the crew for the first time at Austin's Whip In last Friday night after Kolicko contacted her a few months ago about being featured. Since that initial invite to the filming at Jester King, the brewery won a lawsuit that made significant strides in making the microbrewing business easier for the little guys.
(Also interviewed for the doc was Jim Houchins, the lawyer who represented Jester King in the case that resulted in U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks declaring several portions of the alcoholic beverage code unconstitutional.)
"They did mini interviews with each of us and filmed the landscape" Sprague tells CultureMap. "They were really blown away by the culture. Like, giving away kegs? Basically, the brewery is breaking even," she says of Texas' prohibition against selling brewery beer on-site.
Kolicko's crew filmed a time lapse of the day-long tasting event as well as the sunset over the brewery, Sprague says. "They wanted to know what it was about beer culture in Texas that compelled us to form this group. And our basic answer was the legislature had failed us."
And despite the community nature of craft beer drinkers, Sprague thinks the film will find audiences outside the microbrew community. "It's not just about beer; it's about industry and regulation and restriction. It's a consumer issue, but it's an everybody issue, too."
"Why is government up in my beer?" asks Open the Taps founder Leslie Sprague.
Next up for Open the Taps is preparing for the upcoming elections and legislative season. Sprague says the delay is bittersweet, giving the group more time to prepare, but also more time to hurry up and wait. The group is working on questionnaires to distribute to members to prioritize objectives as well as to representatives to determine where each stand on issues affecting the craft beer industry.
"It works out this year because it's an election year and almost every office is up for re-election," Sprague says. "And because it's a presidential election this year, there will be more voters out."
Now up to almost 300 members (including some out-of-staters and even one Canadian), Open the Taps has a host of upcoming events and plans to add a landing page to its website where voters can educate themselves on where elected officials stand on craft beer-related issues.
To keep up with Texas craft beer happenings follow Open the Taps on Facebook and Twitter.
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