“One Pint at a Time,” a documentary highlighting Black breweries and brewers around the country, won Best Documentary Feature Premier at the Heartland Film Festival and director Aaron Hose received a $2,000 cash prize.
The film, which screened at Kan-Kan Cinema on Oct. 10, shares the obstacles many Black-owned breweries face, as well as the creative steps many owners had to take when the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close their doors.
“In many ways, the film got more interesting after COVID,” Hose said during a question-and-answer period after the screening.
The beginning of the movie lays out how Black brewers have fared throughout history. Despite originating in Africa, many American brewers have followed the traditions of European recipes, and craft beer generates tens of billions of dollars each year in the United States. Black-owned breweries, however, make up less than 1% of the roughly 9,000 breweries in operation throughout the states. In response, many Black brewers are working to change the narrative about who makes and drinks beer.
The first brewer audiences are introduced to is Huston Lett, founder of Bastet Brewing Company in Florida. Gathered with some friends in his garage, filmmakers are led through an average brewing day for the small brewery. Audiences also meet Alisa Bowens Mercado — founder of Rhythm Brewing Co. in New Hampshire — and Jon Renthrope, who is struggling to find a building to house Cajun Fire, his brewing company in New Orleans.
Despite the obstacles presented in the movie — including historical inequities in support for Black-owned businesses — “One Pint at a Time” takes audiences behind the scenes of the first Black beer festival, “Fresh Fest,” in 2018. Here, Black brewers compete for the top prize and gain name recognition, and hopefully new customers, along the way.
Being released in 2021, the film couldn’t shy away from discussing the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom calls between the crew and brewers showed the strained conditions many were working under, with some struggling to get licensed to deliver their products when customers couldn’t come into the brewery.
“One Pint at a Time” will screen virtually at the NewFilmMakers Los Angeles Docuslate Film Festival at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 5. For tickets, visit www.onepintfilm.com.
And then in May 2020, the murder of George Floyd sent shockwaves through the country.
To raise awareness and money for funds supporting police brutality reform and legal defenses, San Antonio’s Weathered Souls Brewing started the Black Is Beautiful initiative. Partnering with breweries around the country — including several featured in “One Pint at a Time” — participating breweries followed the same recipe (Weathered Souls’ stout) and used the same labels reading “Black Is Beautiful.” All of the proceeds went to local organizations in the brewery’s hometowns.
“It became a different movie when George Floyd died,” Hose said. “Before, it was just a movie about breweries, but it became about community.”
Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper.
