GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The story of craft beer in Grand Rapids didn't begin with the extremely popular breweries that are now peppered throughout the streets.
It is a story that is nearly 200 years old and eventually culminates in Grand Rapids being named "Beer City, USA".
This is the story that filmmaker Keith Patterson is telling with his four-part documentary aptly named, "Beer City, USA".
Patterson was born and raised in Grand Rapids before he moved to Los Angeles to work as a television producer and post-production supervisor. Now, he's back in Grand Rapids, raising a family and working on this project.
"I was just looking for a long-form story to tell about the history of Grand Rapids. And, you know, we're beer city. It's something that makes us really unique. It's something that we do really well. And yeah, it's got a cast of colorful characters and compelling historical stories. So it's really kind of a no brainer," Patterson explained.
The documentary series will be released in four TV-style episodes titled "The Beer Boom", "Home Brewing", "Collaboration" and finally "Beer City, USA".
The series of documentaries will follow the city's craft beer industry from its inception in the 1830's, to the city becoming a tourist spot for beer aficionados. But, besides the history, the documentary also explores the cast of characters that helped Grand Rapids become known for its craft beer scene.
"There's some stories about founders about, you know, they flirted with bankruptcy for a decade, before they really took off. I think that's really compelling. And also, you know, if you go back in history, the formation of the Grand Rapids brewing company back in 1893 is super interesting, because six of the largest breweries in Grand Rapids merged together to combat the outside influence of Anheuser Busch."
The film also focuses on the stories of some of the big-name breweries in West Michigan like Founders, Bell's and New Holland, as well as dozens of smaller local craft breweries and taprooms.
The documentary is currently still in production but Patterson hopes to have the filming finished by the end of 2024 for a release in 2025.
Patterson says they are also launching a public fundraising campaign through an Indiegogo campaign and through corporate sponsorships.
"We've raised $100,000, so far from corporate sponsorships, with a goal of $300,000 to finish our series," Patterson said.
You can find more information about their Indiegogo campaign, here. And you can find information about corporate sponsorships on their website, BeerCityUSA.tv.
"It's just been really fun. I mean, the breweries have been super welcoming. We've also just, we've also shot a couple of major festivals, like the Winter Beer Fest, back in February. We just shot the Pro-Am Festival at Calder Plaza just a couple of months ago, and it's just a fun, vibrant community, people who really care about the craft. And, you know, we wouldn't be 'Beer City, USA' without the general public really embracing this culture in our community," Patterson said about the production process.
You can watch a trailer for the documentary series, here.
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