Two years ago I met Bryan Naro and Meagan Frappiea and brought you their story of how they were making a beer documentary called Brew Hampshire – about the craft beer scene in New Hampshire. Now, after two long years, the movie has finally been released and last week I was lucky enough to be able to screen Brew Hampshire for American Craft Beer.

Brew Hampshire starts with a picturesque wintery snowy scene in 2010, when New Hampshire had only 18 breweries and builds to the explosive industry it has become today.  The viewer is immediately able to see that the craft beer scene in New Hampshire is growing at an expediential rate and has crafted its own identity.

The film presents the many faces of New Hampshire’s brewing community – the brewers, the retailers, the beer podcasters, the tour guides, and (of course) the fans. You get a real feel for the brewing industry in that beautiful region, for the people and the passion that drives them.

The brewers you meet in the first few scenes of Brew Hampshire are featured throughout the film. The film focuses on the co-owners from Able Ebenezer Brewing, and you follow them from their humble beginnings brewing beer in a cabin in the woods, to the much-lauded operation they’ve become today.

Brew Hampshire also showcases, what many in the Northeast have long known, that New Hampshire has a distinct sense of community and that that this “special identity” bleeds into every beer that they brew.

As a craft beer journalist, I’ve screened many beer documentaries and Brew Hampshire is, by far, one of the best.

To be a great documentary, a film has to keep you entertained and needs to teach you something. Brew Hampshire does just that.

If you are in are into the craft beer scene and especially if you live in New England you will want to see/ buy Brew Hampshire. I don’t think you will be disappointed.