Downtown Cincinnati

A documentary film currently in production exploring Cincinnati's brewing history.

Cincinnati’s colorful and rich beer brewing history is the subject of a new documentary video project currently being shot in and around Cincinnati. Its producers intend to broadcast the finished program on a television network upon completion.

The Cincinnati Beer Story is a fascinating exploration into the beer brewing tradition of the city of Cincinnati. The story is being told by way of interviews with prominent historians, descendants of pioneer brewers, and beer brewing experts, and is enhanced by archival photographs, film clips, reenactments and vintage radio and TV beer commercials.

The Cincinnati Beer Story is a memorable journey beginning with the emergence of the first breweries in the early 19th century initiated by pioneers such as Christian Moerlein, Gottlieb Muhlhauser, and John Hauck, and how these enterprising individuals grew their respective companies into a massive, lucrative industry employing thousands of workers and contributing greatly to the establishment of a vibrant local economy until the advent of Prohibition brought everything to a screeching halt.

The journey continues into the golden era of the 1950's and 60's when Cincinnati Reds baseball contributed to the growth and popularity of local breweries such as Hudepohl, Schoenling, Red Top, Wiedemann, and Burger, and then explores the decline of these great companies due to the rise of heavily marketed national brands such as Budweiser and Miller. The journey is completed with commentary regarding the emergence of local microbreweries and the future of Cincinnati beer brewing.

The documentary project is the work of a group of like-minded Cincinnatians who are working together to produce a high-quality program and get it in front of TV viewers. Executive Producer, Mark Sweeney, operates SweeneyNow Video LLC, a Cincinnati video production company. He gathered a team of experts, each of whom brings unique talents and knowledge to the project. The group includes authors, historians, TV and film production types and beer industry insiders.

Shooting began in summer of 2010 and will be completed by the end of 2010. The documentary will be released in the Summer 2011. To keep the project on track, the group will host a pair of fundraisers later this year and has established a web site www.thecincinnatibeerstory.com so the public can follow the documentary’s progress. “Fundraising for film projects can be challenging but without outside investors, it would be difficult to maintain the level of production quality this topic deserves,” said Sweeney. “We’re confident that the story is strong and will attract the additional partners we need to complete a first rate production and stay on schedule.”

Cincinnati-based Voyageur Media Group is providing technical and creative consulting for the project. Voyageur has produced award-winning documentaries for public television, museums and libraries. Radio personality, Gary Burbank has agreed to lend his vocal talents to the project along with other respected media talents who have expressed interest in taking part.

Would you like to get involved? Want more information? Contact Mark Sweeney at marksweeny909@mac.com, Paul Abrams at guynamedpaul@yahoo.com, or send an email to info@thecincinnatibeerstory.com.

Cheers!