Discovery Cancels Brewmasters

[NorCalAngler]

Not sure if this has been released yet, but a buddy of mine went on a tour at the DFH brewery last weekend. They said that they have already filmed 6 new episodes of Brewmasters. There must be some truth to it if they are telling people at the tours.

I wonder if they were referencing the six episodes already filmed. The hype machine has died off and I assume if the show was going to go on another six episode run they would be promoting the crap out of it. I'm not saying your buddy is lying, but maybe something was lost in translation. Until Discovery comes out and says there are six new episodes I think this show has reached its conclusion.

 

[smizak]

Meh. I tried to watch it, but after the 10th time seeing that stupid "yeast takes in sugar and converts it to alcohol and CO2" graphic, I was done. The best part of the show was the real-world problems that come with running a business, the beer part was boring.

I think they missed the mark on their demographic, beer-geeks don't want to sit through dumbed-down beer information and non-beer geeks prolly won't watch the show.

 

[brew2enjoy]

I wonder if they were referencing the six episodes already filmed. The hype machine has died off and I assume if the show was going to go on another six episode run they would be promoting the crap out of it. I'm not saying your buddy is lying, but maybe something was lost in translation. Until Discovery comes out and says there are six new episodes I think this show has reached its conclusion.

I know what you mean. i am just going off of what I was told by someone else and he definately could have mis-understood. I am going to drive over there one day soon and check out the new tasting room they just put in. Maybe I'll ask the questions while I'm there.

 

[Revvy]

I wonder if they were referencing the six episodes already filmed. The hype machine has died off and I assume if the show was going to go on another six episode run they would be promoting the crap out of it. I'm not saying your buddy is lying, but maybe something was lost in translation. Until Discovery comes out and says there are six new episodes I think this show has reached its conclusion.

I wonder if they were referencing completing the 6th episode. The one about the partnership with the Italians and opening the rooftop outdoor restaurant/brewpub in New York, which no one thought to mention that there is such thing as winter in New York, and an outdoor rooftop brewpub would only be able to be open for a limited amount of time. They wanted to film the opening, but then they realized they couldn't open in the winter. Maybe they went ahead and finished the episode.

 

[DemonIAm]

When I first saw the Title, before the show aired, I was thinking "Oh, cool, maybe it'll focus on different breweries across the country. Maybe a different documentary style show for each episode. Why else would they call it Brewmasters?

Ah well, it was a better thing to watch than almost everything else, Including that ****ty remake of Top Gear.

 

[scoundrel]

Drinking Made Easy is supposed to be ridiculous and if you approach it from that perspective, its not a bad show. It's not as good as Three Sheets but still entertaining. I think people are getting a bit snooty with their alcohol based TV watching. I like Brewmasters too but let's be honest, there are only so many historic beers, so many times you can watch animations on the brewing process and so many times you can stand hearing Sam say "Off-Centered" anything.

IMHO you can't compare the two. Brewmasters is going to be much more appealing to people in this forum due to its documentary approach, but for those who want to learn a thing or two and get a laugh from people acting like fools, Drinking Made Easy/Three Sheets will appeal to a broad spectrum of viewers. After all, Three sheets has managed to to survive for 5+ seasons, so they must be doing something right.

 

[Howie]

Three Sheets was a really good show.

We all have different tastes, I guess. I thought that show was AWFUL. Zane seems to be an idiot. Him getting tanked seemed to take precedence over any real info about the beverage. He seemed to think he was really funny and clever - I did not. I also hated all of the goofy sound effects and related garbage.

Give me The Thirsty Traveler over that any day.


As for Brewmasters, I enjoyed it. I really don't think the show would work with too many other breweries. You need a charismatic person like Sam to make it work.

 

[chapa]

Are these 2 other shows also on Discovery? I looked them up on google, and didn't see what channel it was on, but it was the same host for both?

 

[tknice]

Are these 2 other shows also on Discovery? I looked them up on google, and didn't see what channel it was on, but it was the same host for both?

No, you'll need to search your provider for them. I have FIOS and Drinking Made Easy comes on HDNet while Three Sheets used to be on the fine living network, but I'm not sure where it is now. I suggest everyone track down these shows and give them a try.

I really don't see how you can say the shows are aweful Howie--even given people's "different tastes" and all. Three sheets travels around the world to experience local drinking customs so at a minimum I'd think you would find that interesting. Drinking made easy travels the US and (along with great humor) covers info about each city relating to drinking and beer. Even more to the point, they almost always have a segment that covers something about the brewing process which is great exposure for home brewing. What other show is doing this and appeals to a mainstream audience? The only one I can think of is Brewmasters and it may be too narrow...guess time will tell.

Let's hope not!

Oh Look, Pleepleus... DRINK!

-TK

 

[scoundrel]

We all have different tastes, I guess. I thought that show was AWFUL. Zane seems to be an idiot. Him getting tanked seemed to take precedence over any real info about the beverage. He seemed to think he was really funny and clever - I did not. I also hated all of the goofy sound effects and related garbage.

Give me The Thirsty Traveler over that any day.


As for Brewmasters, I enjoyed it. I really don't think the show would work with too many other breweries. You need a charismatic person like Sam to make it work.

Yes we all do have different tastes but AWFUL is a bit harsh. You could just as easily pick apart Brewmasters. I could completely skip the spit episode. It was just gross. Plus Sam's whole "rapper" thing. It wasn't very clever and definitely not funny. It was more awkward and nerdy. Like, I said they're two different styles of shows and you can learn and be entertained by both.

 

[febbrewro]

I think it would be cool if they focused on a new brewery each season for Brew Masters. They did a 6 episode season for Dogfish, they could do a 2nd 6 episode season on Stone, Sierra Nevada, etc. Keep things fresh.

 

[dos_perros]

I think it would be cool if they focused on a new brewery each season for Brew Masters. They did a 6 episode season for Dogfish, they could do a 2nd 6 episode season on Stone, Sierra Nevada, etc. Keep things fresh.

That would be really cool if they did that, I was also one of the people who thought before the show aired that thats what it was going to be, not a 6 show DFH commercial. I watched it, but was never really that impressed with the substance (or lack of )of the show. Thats not to say I didnt find parts or tidbits of the show interesting.

 

[humann_brewing]

I was wondering why it wasn't showing up in the recorded list anymore. Well I hope it comes back.

 

[fastricky]

I liked Brewmasters, I think Sam is great - he's got a really winning persona.

But the show has been too Dogfish-centric. It just seems to be one long infomercial for DFH. That needs to change.

 

[GoldMiner]

I liked Brewmasters, I think Sam is great - he's got a really winning persona.

The biggest thing I didn't like about the show was Sam.

He's comes off as kind of a hipster dufus.

 

[jaja]

Its entertainment people! If we wanted something else that would please a lot of people here it would be John Palmer giving a lecture and zero rapping....

This was aimed at beer drinking people interested in brewing, not serious brewers that would pick holes in it every bit of the way.

I wonder if actual physicists do the same thing whilst watching The Big Bang Theory??

 

[febbrewro]

I liked Brewmasters, I think Sam is great - he's got a really winning persona.

But the show has been too Dogfish-centric. It just seems to be one long infomercial for DFH. That needs to change.

Well, the show is about Dogfish Head.

I thought they did a good job with the show. I didn't get the infomercial vibe. It was half about Sam investigating new beers to brew, which I found very interesting. Not only were the locations cool, but you got to see the thought process behind some new beers.

I also enjoyed the other part of the show where they documented the day-to-day workings of the brewery. Again, don't see how it was much of an infomercial when they seem to be dumping a batch of beer every other episode. I liked the fact that these incidents weren't sugar coated. Sometimes you screw up.

As an aside, I really wish I went into biology in college now. Working as the "yeast keeper" for a brewery is the coolest job ever for a beer loving science geek!

 

[TwoFortySX]

Oh Look, Pleepleus... DRINK!

I absolutely loved Three Sheets. I bought all of the seasons on DVD that were available. They just started re-airing it again on SPIKETV! I am hoping for another Three Sheets marathon for St. Patrick's Day.

 

[maltoftheearth]

I hope Sam and DFH profit off the show, I would love to see a microbrewery really strike a chord with the general public. I think if we can crack the door a little bit with curious beer drinkers it could make a world of difference.

That said, I hated the show. It was boring. I could see it being successful in the following types of formats:

1. Appealing to connoisseurs by exploring brewing from the perspective of a broad number of brewers, different parts of the world and different types of beer. Perhaps begin to cultivate the next ambassador of beer (like Michael Jackson was) and really shed light on the vast depth and diversity there is to beer.

2. Doing more of a "reality TV" format that visits home brewers across the U.S., talks about their setups, what they like to brew, what got them interested, etc. I think I could do about 30 minutes exploring one person, though.

3. Doing a contest format - sort of like a Top Chef for beer.

Basically, all three ideas inject either personality or some form of tension or exploration of technique that can make TV interesting. Brewmasters lacks all of those and I hope it is canceled before people begin to think that "out of the ordinary beers" are not accessible or interesting.

 

[kingmatt]

I enjoyed Brewmasters but I can see why it wasn't everyone's cup of tea too.

I also remember hearing about a homebrewer reality show in the vein of "Top Chef" called "Red White & Brewed" where homebrewers would compete to become the brewmaster of a new microbrewery that was opening.

I "liked" their page of Facebook hoping for updates but it seems to have stalled a bit and I am not really expecting it to ever come to fruition...

http://www.redwhitebrewed.com/

http://www.facebook.com/redwhitebrewed?ref=ts

 

[Howie]

But the show has been too Dogfish-centric. It just seems to be one long infomercial for DFH. That needs to change.

I keep seeing this over and over. It's a reality show about a specific company. Isn't every reality show that's about a specific company just sort of a long infomercial?? Think about it. . .

-American Choppers is about one bike shop (well, now it's about two I guess)
-Ace of Cakes is about one bakery
-Miami Ink is about one tattoo parlor


I know there are more examples, and I'm pretty sure there are "copycat" shows just like these involving different bike shops, bakeries, etc. I don't really watch them, so I'm not sure.

Reality type shows like this work because they develop "characters" that people become attached to and want to see more of. Sam's a great example - he's a charismatic guy.

 

[Patirck]

I was thinking that might be canceling it since they already changed its timeslot 3 times. Upon further review, I found an article stating that the folks at Dogfish are taking a break...and that the intent was just to have 6 episodes for season 1: that looks like there may still be a possibility for episode 6 to be made in a few months:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/beer/beer-tracking-dogfish.html

I think the most important information contained in this thread is missing from any of the replies:

The Brickskeller in DC closed! That place was amazing - literally hundreds of beers to choose from. I lived there in my early twenties and stumbled out of that place many more times than I remember.

Who cares about the sort of crappy brewmasters show. I think it was an infomercial for DFH. Like some others said, the dfh stuff is now impossible to get at local beer stores. Any time you get that kind of advertising for that kind of product - wow - you just can buy that kind of thing.

 

[maltoftheearth]

Wow, Brickskeller closed? I just visited there for the first time in early December 2010. Great place. Really knowledgeable barkeep and great lineup of beer. I don't think there is a close 2nd in DC.

 

[Chad]

Are you guys going to kick me out of the club if I make a confession? I didn't really get into Brewmasters. Watched most of the first episode, got bored. Don't really like DFH or Sam Calagione. Don't even really know what turned me off from the show... just didn't click for me.

Agree with this completely. I was excited when they announced the show, assuming that it would actually be about craft beer. Then I watched the first episode & realized it was an infomercial with Sam Calagione as the ShamWow guy (and about as likeable). Can't say that I'll miss it.

 

[Jud]

Agree with this completely. I was excited when they announced the show, assuming that it would actually be about craft beer. Then I watched the first episode & realized it was an infomercial with Sam Calagione as the ShamWow guy (and about as likeable). Can't say that I'll miss it.

Yeah it was a real let down!

 

[the_bird]

Agree with this completely. I was excited when they announced the show, assuming that it would actually be about craft beer. Then I watched the first episode & realized it was an infomercial with Sam Calagione as the ShamWow guy (and about as likeable). Can't say that I'll miss it.

Here's the thing.

Sub in Jim Koch/Sam Adams, I guarantee you the show is 100x better.

There's something about Sam that rubs me the wrong way. He's like an annoying fratboy. Koch's more like your kooky uncle that you can't wait to see every year at Christmas. I'm sure Sam is a nice guy and certainly has a passion about his work, but there's just something about him that isn't particularly likable, I don't think.

 

[krisagon]

Well, since everyone is weighing in on their opinions...

1. I love Sam and DFH beer. His creativity and willingness to try new things benefits us all. I'll admit some of his experiments (especially some of the brewpub exclusive pilot batches) weren't home runs. But craft beer needs people like Sam who don't just do the same old tired crap (Oatmeal Stout, Belgian Saison, moderately hoppy IPA). I got engaged in Rehoboth Beach, DE this winiter, and we immediately drove over to the DFH brewpub to celebrate.

2. The Brewmasters show was boring. As psychotic as the two of us are about DFH, we struggled to get through the *******' Brew episode. I felt like I was watching an episode of American Chopper (BUILD THE BIKES!!! GRRRR!!!!!), which is full of "dramatic tension" over deadlines, and producer-orchestrated fights.

3. Discovery Channel's lineup is seriously like some bizarre fusion of blue collar workers and girly reality shows like The Hills. They have shows about loggers, pawn brokers, motorcycle welders, dirty jobs... and then they have a guy who is looking for the perfect gesho root or saffron threads for his expensive beer named after a jazz musician. It's just not a good fit.

4. I refuse to accept the failure of this show as a referendum on the quality of DFH beer or Sam's creative vision.

5. Sam Adams/Boston beer has some good beer, but they have DFH beat on crappy products by a mile. That cherry wheat is GOD AWFUL.

 

[sigsegv]

Good news, even though the show has or hasn't already been canceled, there's new a spin off.

[ame]http://vimeo.com/20604077[/ame]

 

[McMalty]

Well I think part of the problem is it's such a nich market. The show seemed most appropriate for those that already have an interest in craft beer (a growing 5 percent of the beer market). Sam Calagione has a good TV personality, even though they seem to spend a lot of time switching between various employees while he's on his trip to explore methods/ingredients. While I'm happy it might have gotten a few more people interested in what kind of styles of beer are possible, I also felt a little let down that there wasn't more science in it. I realize why they didn't make it that way, though, since brewing is an even smaller segment.

What I miss about the Discovery channel are any real science shows. Their highest rated nature series are produced by the BBC, and whenever I channel surf onto them....it's yet another "special" on UFOs or Atlantis

Niche market? sure, maybe. but let me tell you, i'm soooo freaking interested in Gold Digging or whatever the hell that show is called. No chance i'll ever become a gold miner, but there sure are a hell of a lot of homebrewers out there. this is evidenced by several variables including the fact that i haven't seen or heard of any homebrew stores going out of business. every time i go into my LHBS, it's packed, and there seems to be a lot of first timers, which speaks for the growth of the industry/hobby. Fine, if Americans want to watch some a-holes argue and complain about how much they hate each other while they build motorcycles, then whatever, bunch of lemmings they are.

It was an educational and interesting show. Millions of American's love beer, in fact, i would think that alcohol is one of America's top interests, even moreso than football, and that's saying something

 

[McMalty]

Here's the thing.

Sub in Jim Koch/Sam Adams, I guarantee you the show is 100x better.

There's something about Sam that rubs me the wrong way. He's like an annoying fratboy. Koch's more like your kooky uncle that you can't wait to see every year at Christmas. I'm sure Sam is a nice guy and certainly has a passion about his work, but there's just something about him that isn't particularly likable, I don't think.

I can't get behind your opinion. Sam looks happy as hell, he's walking around enjoying himself, he doesn't need to be dressed up in business casual, he's freaking brewing, he's doing what he loves and making millions doing it. Any of us would be the same way if we were him. I like the fact that a normal type of guy (most of us are normal) is having great success brewing and hasn't become a tightwad a-hole b/c of it. He seems like he hasn't changed since he was a homebrewer, and that just seems genuine. I like that he drives around in a 50 yr old pickup. his beer is a different kind of beer, that's why his pursuit of exotic ingredients/recipes makes sense.

people can criticize DFH all they want, but they do make some damn good beers (some are a little weird, but whatever). Palo Santo, Midas Touch, Burton Baton, Raison d' Etre, these are all amazing beers. I can get them any day of the week too, so get mad at your distributors, not DFH.