Insight into Michael's history

As Michael's late life partner that shared his enthusiasm for beer, Carolyn Smagalski is able to share some wonderful insight into Michael's history and contributions. An accomplished beer and food writer, beer judge, and publisher herself, she is the Editor of BellaOnline's Beer and Brewing pages. Carolyn will be helping us a great deal with research and PR, and she has written a fascinating and inspiring article about Michael's unique history and approach to writing about beer and whiskey.

Documentary Film - Drinks Writer Michael Jackson

Thank you Carolyn!

Mid-Atlantic Trailer

In March and April of 2005, Rob Imeson, the president of the Rare Beer Club, organized an epic tour through the mid-Atlantic states, a renowned beer region that Michael was particularly fond of. So Clarke Paschall, my audio tech, and I spent over a week driving from city to city, brewery to pub to brewery on a classic road trip with the Beerhunter himself. Here's a trailer of clips from that trip.

The Beer Hunter Mid-Atlantic tour from John Richards on Vimeo.

From the Director

It has been over two years now since our friend Michael has passed away. On my wall are sixty-three one-hour miniDV video tapes of Michael beer hunting through Europe and the United States, footage that I shot for his Rare Beer Club from 2004-2006. After a year or so of traveling together, the idea would often come up of shooting another Season of "The Beerhunter." Regrettably, we never got the chance.

So, much sooner than I thought, the idea of a documentary about Michael began to form. Micheal taught us that there's a great story behind the things we enjoy, and to know that story is to enjoy those things more. There's a great story behind Michael, too, one that needs to be told.

After two years of planning - and waiting - we begin production in earnest, in the hopes of airing the premier in conjunction with the 2010 GABF.

So, if you've found this blog and are a fan of Michael Jackson, check back from time to time for rare footage and stories of travel with the Beerhunter.

Thanks for your interest!

Sincerely,

John R. Richards
Director, Beer Hunter: The Movie