Yes, it finally happened. There is a Beer Jesus. He arrived in Germany in the form of Greg Koch, Stone Brewing‘s co-founder, to teach the locals the American way of brewing innovative beer. Well, at least it’s Germany, where frankly it is volume mostly before taste, although Bavaria has always done well in terms of getting some taste into their beer. The film, just released, is the story of Koch, who was nicknamed “Beer Jesus” by the a Berlin tabloid newspaper.
The Beer Jesus from America documents his adventures in Germany and the culture clash that occurred as he went about his mission “to oppose the most beloved industrial beer in the world and join Europe’s craft beer revolution”, as the blurb recounts. Brewers in Germany are under the constraints of the 500-year-old beer Purity Law . Struggles with bureaucracy to cultural differences and stubborn traditionalism, are the grist of this film, directed by Matt Sweetwood (Beerland, Forgetting Dad).
“The Beer Jesus from America takes us on a journey with Greg as he builds his European craft brewery from scratch in a sleepy corner of Berlin, Germany, where he faces seemingly endless challenges that threaten to end the entire project. We see all the blood, sweat, tears, and beers that go into the making of the brewery, and, along the way, understand the importance of dreaming big and believing in your vision,” says the press release.
