12 best beer movies to watch with a cold one in hand (2024)

Recommended Videos

Related

• If you love Gladiator (and its sequel), these movies will keep you hooked
• Discover the best movies on Tubi: Our top picks
• The 12 best basketball movies, ranked

Beer League (2006)

One of the most underrated comedies of all time is also one of the best beer movies. Artie Lange, one of the writers of Beer League, plays Artie, a loser with no life, no job, and no girlfriend. All Artie has in his life is beer, buddies, and softball. Artie and his pals play for a team sponsored by their favorite dive bar — Ed’s Bar and Swill — and the team gets tossed from the league for constantly starting fights. To get back into the league, the team must beat the undefeated Manganelli Fitness in a do-or-die game if they can stay sober long enough to show up for the game.

Take This Job and Shove It (1981)

Take This Job and Shove It doesn’t just involve beer, as the film is also the first to feature a monster truck. Enjoy that useless piece of information you’ll never forget. The film stars Robert Hayes (Airplane) as Frank Macklin — an up-and-coming executive sent back to his hometown in Iowa to bring a failing brewery back to profitability. The brewery workers include many of Macklin’s childhood friends he left behind years ago for a better life. Besides the monster truck and the brews, the real star of the film might be the title song, Take This Job And Shove It, performed by Johnny Paycheck and written by an original country outlaw, David Allan Coe.

Beerfest (2006)

It took the Broken Lizard crew seventeen years to deliver a follow-up to the cult classic Super Troopers. In between, the crew put out one hell of a beer movie. Beerfest is the story of two American brothers who travel to Germany during Oktoberfest and stumble upon a centuries-old competition involving — Beerfest — which involves beer drinking games. After being beaten handily, the brothers return home to America to assemble a super team of players (and drinkers) to return to Germany to win it all. One viewing of Beerfest will make any guy want to drink copious amounts of beer, play an assortment of drinking games, get hammered, and probably watch Super Troopers for the hundredth time.

Drinking Buddies (2013)

Drinking Buddies is one of the best films about micro-breweries and an incredibly realistic look at modern dating, but the film is much more than the typical rom-com. Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson play co-workers at a Chicago brewery who spend their days crafting beer while playfully flirting and spend their nights drinking beer while playfully flirting. The chemistry between the two is obvious, but romance is unthinkable since both are in committed relationships. An interesting note about Drinking Buddies for those watching the film for the first time — the entire movie was improvised. There was no script, and the actors and the crew were only given a vague plot outline and the order in which certain scenes would occur.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Smokey and the Bandit has everything – beer, car chases, dope classic rides, and hilariously outdated 1970s comedy that will still elicit a chuckle. Burt Reynolds plays “The Bandit,” a driver-for-hire paid to keep the cops — referred to as a smokey in CB radio language — away from a truck filled with Coors beer. It was illegal to sell Coors east of the Mississippi River without a permit. Bandit agrees to follow the beer truck from Texas to Georgia within 28 hours and keep the police away from the delivery truck. If Smokey and the Bandit sounds like one big commercial of Coors beer, well it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great beer movie.

Strange Brew (1983)

In the original theatrical release of Strange Brew, the roaring MGM lion at the beginning of the film is replaced with a drunk lion that belches. Things only get odder — and funnier — in this film written by Second City alum Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, based on Second City TV characters. Moranis and Thomas play Bob and Doug McKenzie — two unemployed and typically drunk Canadian brothers who score jobs working at the factory that makes their favorite beer. When the brothers uncover a secret plot by the brewery owner to control the minds of everyone in the world, the brothers split time between foiling the evil plot and getting blackout drunk.

Beer Wars (2009)

Told from an insider’s perspective, Beer Wars is a behind-the-scenes look at the all-out war that goes on to bring beer to the American people. Sam and Rhonda — two entrepreneurs and beer makers — struggle to succeed in an industry dominated by powerful companies with unlimited cash flow. Beer Wars is the story of the independent brewers trying to make a name for themselves in the hearts of Americans and on the shelves of stores while fighting a constant battle against the big beer makers.

Crafting a Nation (2013)

Crafting a Nation was filmed at 40 different breweries across the United States, ranging from start-ups to the massive craft breweries to highlight the highs and lows of building a brewing empire. The filmmakers explained in a press release at the time of the movie’s release that characters selected for this film “are all picked for their passion and dedication.” The film’s primary focus is on the Black Shirt Brewing Co. and the two brothers attempting to build the business from scratch. Crafting A Nation isn’t just one of the best beer movies around. It’s also a cinematic roadmap to all the breweries to visit on your next cross-country road trip.

Old School (2003)

Old School is a coming-of-middle-age comedy that features several scenes with characters drinking beer, particularly around the college fraternity house antics. The film is about a group of middle-aged men who try to recapture their youth by starting a fake college fraternity. Frank “The Tank” wears a toga and chugs beers; there’s a scene with a beer bong (college antics), and the characters reminisce about their college drinking days. Luke Wilson plays Mitch, the heartbroken lawyer who ends up becoming the unlikely “Godfather” of the fraternity. Will Ferrell portrays Frank, the outrageous and loud friend nicknamed “The Tank.” And Vince Vaughn stars as Beanie, the smooth-talking and cynical friend who sparks the fraternity idea.

The World's End (2013)

The World’s End is a beer movie that feels like it’s based on a true story. Well, except for the second part of the story. Five friends get together to recreate an epic bar crawl from twenty years earlier that ends at a famous pub called The World’s End. Along the way, the guys try to mend fences and become close pals once again. The journey of drinking and reconciliation comes to an abrupt halt when the fivesome faces the literal end of the world.

Blood, Sweat, and Beer (2015)

Blood, Sweat, & Beer is a must-watch for serious craft beer fans and anyone considering opening a brewery. The film follows two different breweries through the various struggles each faces in their respective businesses. The first brewery, Shorebilly Brewing Co., is being sued by a shirt company that produces a shirt with the same name. Legal fees alone could put the brewery out of business. The Brew Gentlemen Beer Co., the second brewery, is another start-up created by two college buddies who decide to set up shop in their slowly collapsing hometown.

Poured in Pennsylvania (2018)

It’s important for a beer documentary to capture the emotional and humanistic side of the drink’s history, and this one focusing on the beer industry in the famous eastern state of Pennsylvania does just that. Interviews, stories, and interesting tidbits about the distilleries unique to the region will make beer fans’ favorite brews go down with ease. Fans of their drinking pastime should get the most out of watching this one, but it’s also an interesting watch for newcomers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Glen Powell is giving a family member of the winner of his lookalike contest a cameo in one of his movies
• The best AI movies: How Hollywood predicted the rise of robots
• The 9 best Ridley Scott movies of all time
• The 12 best non-Marvel Chris Hemsworth movies, ranked
• Ryan Reynolds at his best: 13 movies you can’t miss