The 2010 SNOB Film Festival opened with a craft brew tasting event featuring six local, independent breweries followed by a showing of the well-known documentary, Beer Wars. In 2012, this successful event returned with another craft brew tasting and new craft beer documentary. This year, SNOB is bringing back the event with a documentary that was released this year, Beer Hunter: The Movie, The Michael Jackson Story. Not the king of pop . . . the man who helped start the craft beer revolution. This film goes far beyond the beer and pes into his personal life and secret struggles.
Because of the past success of the opening night craft brew event, SNOB has expanded the space to the Concord Co-op on South Main Street this year. They will be hosting a free tasting from six local indie craft breweries from 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov 7. Following the tasting will be the film, Beer Hunter: The Movie, with a panel featuring world know brewer Tod Mott. Mott was the original brewer and inventor of Harpoon IPA and has worked at numerous breweries. He also created the legendary “Kate the Great,” which is available in limited released every year. Mott’s latest project is his own soon-to-be opened brewery, Tributary Brewing Co. in Kittery, Maine.
And get this: SNOB is so into beer, a beer has been created in its honor. Hooksett’s White Birch Brewing Company will be sampling an extra special bitter which was made especially for the SNOB Film Festival. Look for White Birch’s ESB on tap at The Barley House, Penuche’s Ale House, True Brew Barista, Red River Theatres, Constantly Pizza and The Granite Restaurant in Concord and at Cask & Vine in Derry, Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton and The New England Taphouse in Hooksett.
For those who love craft brews and movies, here are a couple of films showing at the festival that you might enjoy.
Grabbers (94 minutes – Jon Wright), showing Nov. 8 at 10 p.m.
On Erin Island, an idyllic fishing village off the coast of Ireland, charming but somewhat work-shy Ciaran O’Shea is tasked with greeting Lisa Nolan, a straight-laced young officer who has arrived from the mainland. Not that there is much for them to do, aside from dealing with the occasional drunk, and that’s usually O’Shea himself. But strange doings are afoot: the crew of a fishing boat disappears and a local lobsterman catches a strange tentacled creature in his trap. Soon it becomes clear that they must do something drastic to save the village . . . and head to the pub.
Drinking Buddies (90 min – Joe Swanberg), showing Nov. 9 at 8 p.m.
Luke and Kate are co-workers at a Chicago brewery, where they spend their days drinking and flirting. They’re perfect for each other, except that they’re both in relationships. Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, while Kate is playing it cool with her music producer boyfriend, Chris. But you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer.
Drinking Buddies is by writer-director Joe Swanberg and was filmed at Revolution Brewing Co. in Logan Square in Chicago.
