By John Tredrea, Special Writer
LAMBERTVILLE — One of the first impressions this trio of filmmakers had of Brooklyn was that it reminded them of their own town.
”Brooklyn is in many ways similar to Lambertville,” John Weber said. “It’s an iconic community with a famous bridge and a strong artistic base.”
Mr. Weber and his cinematic colleagues, Kim Bjorheim and Bennet Aube, took a beer tour of Brooklyn not long ago. That was the genesis of their new documentary film, “Brewed in Brooklyn,” which will be shown at the ACME Screening Room on March 15, 16 and 17.
The Screening Room is located at 25 S. Union St., Lambertville.
”Brooklyn was once known as the beer-brewing capital of the world,” Mr. Weber said Monday. “But that industry fell on hard times, and Brooklyn went from having about 50 breweries to having none. But like many other aspects of Brooklyn, beer brewing is having a Renaissance. There are a lot of places making craft beer there now.”
The film that will be shown at the Screening Room tells the tale of beer-brewing in Brooklyn from the early 1800s to present day craft brewers and home brewers.
In researching the film, Mr. Weber was able to obtain obscure vintage film and photos, which he and Mr. Bjorheim wove together with interviews and first- person narratives about the industry.
”You don’t have to be a beer geek to appreciate this film,” said Mr. Weber. “It has as much to do with history and the culture of a people as it has to do with beer.”
While the majority of the film was shot in Brooklyn, California and elsewhere, the bar scenes were shot at the Elks Club in Lambertville and at the Logan Inn, in New Hope.
”We felt that the Elks Club and the Logan Inn both had the charm and warmth of an old-time Brooklyn bar” said Mr. Bjorheim. “It really worked out perfectly.”
The sound engineering and original music for the project was handled by Mr. Aube, who is also an area home brewer. “This was a great project for me” said Mr. Aube. “I was able to combine my love of sound recording with my passion for beer into one project.”
A party will be held at the Columbia Fire House on North Union Street from 9-11 p.m. following the March 16 evening performance.
In addition to tastes of Brooklyn Beer at the party, The Bent Spoon, of Princeton will offer a tasting of beer-inspired ice cream flavors. The after party is free, but donations to the ACME Screening Room are welcome.
Showtimes are as follows: Film & Director, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Film Only, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and Sunday 5 and 6 p.m.
Tickets to the Film & Director shows are $10 (members), $15.(nonmembers; Film only show tickets are $6 (members), $8 (nonmembers).. Advance tickets can be purchased online at ACMEscreeningroom.ticketleap.com.
More information can be found online at www.ACMEScreeningRoom.org.
The filmmakers credit Mayor David Del Vecchio and the City of Lambertville for providing the cinema space for the program.
Mr. Weber and his colleagues are already at work on their next film, which will be about the Lambertville-New Hope bridge.
”The Lambertville Historical Society is working on it with us,” said Mr. Weber, a former New Jersey 101.5 anchor, who still is the public address announcer at South Hunterdon Regional High School basketball games.
”The film about the bridge will take the rest of this year to finish.”

