Beer has a traceable history throughout time and it really hasn’t changed that much:  water, malt, hops, and yeast. It’s both ancient and progressive, the styles of brew define different regions and cultures, but really it’s universal.

I wanted to make a documentary about Baltimore, not just what you see on the surface, but deep down into the soul of the city. I came to find out that beer and brewing was a booming industry that had been lost for a few decades in Baltimore and I had to investigate. Fortunately for me their were two great books about the Baltimore brewing tradition: Maureen O’Prey’s “Brewing in Baltimore” and Rob Kasper’s “Baltimore Beer.” Without their depth of knowledge, this film would not have been able to give a voice to the city and people of the past. And so I was on my journey and the city was going to be my main character.

With a brief outline, we began production on an unseasonably warm evening in February 2012 from the top of historic Federal Hill. We pointed our cameras around the cityscape not really trying to capture any specific moment, place, or time but maybe just a shot or two of the neon, one-eyed winking, Mr. Boh icon on top of the historic National Brewery building. Fast forward a year and half later, we had filmed several interviews, witnessed a brewery opening, drank a few beers, began home brewing, and eventually found ourselves at the top of the National Brewery filming the last scene with the neon sign himself Mr. Natty Boh. We had filmed the entire movie on RED cameras and completed all editing at our own studio, Digital Cave. We got support from local talent including Serious Grip and Electric who donated equipment, Caleb Stine who composed the music and Studio Unknown who handled the post production sound.

This was a passion project for me and I appreciate the support from my friends and family who helped make this happen.  “Love what you do and do what you love.”  I believe deep down this is an essential definer of the human spirit that drives progress and that’s what drove me to make this movie.

-Nick Kovacic

Native to Maryland, Nicholas Kovacic II spent his childhood years in Howard County eventually moving to Baltimore in 2003 and started Digital Cave Media in 2006. With a passion for telling a story through motion picture, Nick and his business partner Matt Riggieri, create dynamic thought provoking stories that connect with their audience.  Their work includes commercial, narrative & documentary.