By Michael Walsh
It becomes evident quickly into the first episode of Discovery’s Brew Masters that Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery and founder Sam Calagione were positively the right choice to be the brewers featured inside and out.
Living true to their creed of “Off-centered stuff for off-centered people,” Calagione and the rest of the Dogfish Head team step into the entertainment spotlight effortlessly, as if the brewery seems born to be featured on an off-centered weekly television program made for off-centered people.
The show’s season premiere documented the brewery’s attempt at creating a specially brewed ‘Bitches Brew’ beer in partnership with Sony to mark the 40th anniversary release of Miles Davis’ legendary album Bitches Brew. The episode details the intricate process of brewing craft beer, beginning with an inspiration, idea and recipe and ending with the public unveiling that often goes pass our minds without thought as we sip on our favorite hand-made craft beers. Aside from the actual process of beer-making and the problems that a brewery can run into, the show also proves that that Calagione was meant to be a star.
Calagione takes absolute advantage of having the cameras in his home away from home. Staying with the theme of music, Calagione unveils his brew-inspired rap duo, The Pain Relievaz, to the world. Songs like “Pinchin’ Pennies” and “Makin’ Bitches Brew” bring humor to a show that could otherwise be very rudimentary and boring had Discovery chosen a brewery with less personality that was less focused on the joy and love involved in craft brewing and more focused on the business aspect. Calagione tries to impress Sony executives with his project but a record deal seems unlikely, despite Calagione’s persistent attempts.
Anyone who has seen the great documentary Beer Wars could have seen Calagione’s impressive television debut coming. The TV world searches high and far for entertaining personalities that can make a show stick, and it’s clear that in the beer world Dogfish Head’s founder is at the top of that list. It’s surprising it took this long for the show to debut.
The show’s second episode detailed the more peculiar ways Dogfish Head has been known to brew their excellent beer. Chica, an ancient corn-based beer from Peru, was the focus of the episode. The catch? Chica used corn that for Dogfish Head can only be broken down one way: by using human saliva. Yeah, that’s right, Calagione commissioned as many Dogfish Head desk and brewery employees as he could to chew 40 pounds of corn that would be used for their version of Chica. Watching the folks of Dogfish Head chew and spit the corn into cups might turn you off from ever wanting to try the beer, but watching the bar-goers at the end enjoy the brew might make you think different. One thing that’s for sure is that you’ll have lots of fun watching it be made, thanks to the comedic banter Calagione shares with his employees that seem to be as close as family.
As a lover of Dogfish Head and the delicious beer they brew, Brew Masters was a no-brainer for me. Those who often stick to corporate-produced “beer” like Bud Light might get the itching to try one of Dogfish Head’s odd beers, as Calagione’s down-t0-earth Delaware personality will absolutely win you over and have you headed to the package store to round up as many varieties of Dogfish Head as you can.
