The year was 1989, the season summer, the place Quonset Point, Rhode Island, in the front seat of my Ford Escort. It was lunchtime, which occurred at 7:30 in the evening for me since I was working the second shift. A good friend of mine whom I recall with much fondness (sadly, he passed away years ago at a tragically young age from cancer) and I were sitting and chatting, washing down our conversation with cold bottles of Konig-Pilsner from Germany, which was my beer of choice at the time.

“Hey, did you hear about the Beer Hunter?” he asked.
“Beer Hunter?” I replied. “No. What is it?”
”A TV show about beer. I saw a commercial for it on the Discovery Channel the other night.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “I definitely want to see that.”

Not only did I see it, of course, but also I recorded it, and practically wore out the tape viewing it over and over again. At the time, I was devouring every piece of beer literature I could find, books and magazines, promotional literature mailed from breweries, just about anything to quench my thirst for beer knowledge which was and is as insatiable as my thirst for brew itself. At the time, however, an actual documentary on beer was something new, and I anticipated it eagerly. I knew of Michael Jackson from his writings in All About Beer and of course from his books, and since he was to be the host I knew the Beer Hunter would be something special.

I was right, and today I still enjoy watching Jackson’s Beer Hunter as much as I did the first time I saw it. It’s a wonderful foray into different beer styles, brewing techniques, and other tidbits that is an invaluable educational tool to any serious beer student. The series is broken down into six episodes:

California Pilgrimage:
Here you’ll accompany Jackson on a tour of the Anchor Brewing facility in San Francisco and explore the history of the company and lots of commentary from Anchor’s founder Fritz Maytag. A trip to the barley fields is included to see where beer comes from, and there are (naturally) a few brewery pit stops along the way.

The Best of the British:
Jackson visits the granddaddy of all beer festivals, the Great British Beer Festival in England. Along the way he stops by the legendary Bateman’s brewery for some background and great beer, and details their struggle for survival that almost wasn’t successful.

The Bohemian Connection:
Jackson visits another of the world’s classic brewing countries, the Czech Republic, for a tour of the brewery where the original Pilsner, Urquell, is brewed. Other stops include U Fleku, the ancient Czech Brewpub famous for its spicy dark lager, and Budweiser Budvar.

Holland-Our Daily Beer:
In the home country of Heineken, Jackson focuses on the smaller, traditional Trappist brewers and the upstart small brewers. Here we get an interesting glimpse into traditional monastic life and brewing.

Germany-the Fifth Element:
A trip to Bavaria gives us a background on wheat beers and the Reinheitsgebot, or German beer purity law of 1516. A visit to the famed Kaltenberg brewery of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria is also in order, and the process behind brewing the delightful local specialties Rauchbier (smoked beer) and Steinbier (stone beer) are also on tap. Jackson is also on hand for the tapping of the first ceremonial keg that commences Oktoberfest in Munich.

The Burgundies of Belgium:
The final episode in the series takes us to Belgium for an examination of the wonderful and idiosyncratic beer styles indigenous to that country. We’ll see just how the spontaneously fermented lambic is made, and attend a beer dinner consisting of dishes like filet of cod in a sabayon of Brugse Tripel beer and served with hop shoots and accompanied by Duvel ale. Sound appetizing? Save room for the wild rabbit simmered in Liefman’s Goudenband brown ale with a glass of Rodenbach Grand Cru.

Throughout the series Jackson combines his innovative insight into beer with his unique sense of humor to entertain and inform us as only he can. The series is available on video and I can’t recommend it enough. Though a sequel series was never made, Jackson did produce a few Beer Hunter CD-ROMs that are almost as much fun.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older