Microbreweries: Mom and Pop Tops 99 Bottles of Beer by Julie Strand I ordered a Moustache Ride. My very attentive waitress told me that this was the most popular beer sold in Riverwest’s Stone Fly Brewery. I enjoyed it. I decided I would be back for more when I didn’t have an article to write. I was waiting to interview David Oplinger, producer of 99 Bottles Documentary, a film on microbreweries in Southeast Wisconsin, in which Stonefly is featured. I noted that other beers on tap bear equally interesting names: Pierce Street Porter, Four Wolves English Ale, Brass Knuckle Blonde, and Simon Bagley Stout. Other beers not on tap, but also offered on the menu, are Sixfinger IPA and Brewtown Brown. I opened the menu and read through the appetizers, pub fare and burgers. Surprise: almost half of the menu is vegetarian and some of the choices can even be made vegan. Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a brewery that is so well suited to the diets of its neighbors. When David arrived I got down to business. David is one third of the team making 99 Bottles. In his off time, he is a computer programmer for Quad Graphics and an actor. He said that this documentary is “saving his soul.” The idea for 99 Bottles Documentary was, very appropriately, formed over a pint at Wolski’s Tavern by David and his friends Glen Popple and Jason Williams. Popple is another producer and Williams is the director. I asked David why he wanted to make the film. Was it just another reason to get together and drink some beer? “Microbreweries are the last bastions of blue collar mom and pop industries, where the owners are the brew masters and the mop boys,” said David. “It is an industry comprised of people who love what they do and have a great story. One microbrewery we interviewed for the film had a sixth generation beer maker working there. No one has told the story of microbreweries in Southeast Wisconsin sufficiently.” I asked David what types of questions are answered in the film. Does it answer, for example, what a Moustache Ride is supposed to taste like? He said, “The film asks the questions that go through a beer drinker’s mind, questions that the average consumers have about the industry. Macrobreweries have millions of dollars to advertise and sell their products; these businesses rely on word of mouth. Their products have to be quality for the word to spread.” David, Glen and Jason interviewed 16 microbreweries for 99 Bottles Documentary. “Just choosing which breweries to include was a large task,” David said. Considering I couldn’t even find an accurate number of how many microbreweries are in Milwaukee I can only imagine. Riverwest’s Stonefly Brewery was added fairly late in the filming process; however, Dave, Glen and Jason thought that the addition would enrich the film. “Stonefly is one of the smallest microbreweries that we included in the film. It’s not trying to make a buck, it is a community-oriented business and is really a great example of what the heart of the project is,” he said. 99 Bottles will premiere at the Oriental Theater, 2230 North Farwell Avenue, on Thursday, August 21 at 7 pm. If you would like to read more about the film or be the film’s myspace friend visit 99bottlesdocumentary.com and myspace. com/99bottlesdocumentary Blurb (or should we say belch) from their myspace site: motorcycles • harley Producer David Oplinger, Director Jason Williams and Producer Glen Popple enjoy a round of research materials. “ What is ‘99 Bottles Documentary’? It is a cinematic endeavor to bring to the public some of the culture, history and lore of the brewing craft. Through a wide range of interviews we are building this documentary from feedback of expert brewmasters as well as the average ‘beer enthusiast.”
99 Bottles of Beer
