A Quick Beer & Movie Pairing Lineup for Labor Day
Happy Labor Day! It’s time to celebrate being in America’s workforce in style.
If you’re in the U.S. workforce, there’s a good chance you have off on Labor Day. And if you don’t (like many of my friends in the service industry), there’s an even better chance that you wish you did.
Either way, now’s the perfect time to reflect on your professional achievements and your workplace rights. If you want to spend the day venting about workplace frustrations, that’s perfectly acceptable as well.
Whether you’re celebrating a break away from the office or looking for a way to relax after a long and grueling shift, Labor Day is ideal for drinking beer and watching movies. Let’s take a look at some options!
5 Beer & Movie Pairings for Labor Day
In the interest of staying on-theme for the holiday, I’ve put together a list of movies and beers that speak to the average working individual. Here are five films that capture the Labor Day spirit and brews that support them.
1. ‘Norma Rae’ with Jack’s Abby Hoponious Union IPL
The Movie: Drama / 1979 / 20th Century Fox
The Beer: India Pale Lager / 6.5% ABV / Jack’s Abby — Framingham, Massachusetts
Unions come with pros and cons, but Labor Day is definitely a time to appreciate all the good they have done for America’s workers. Based on the real-life story of Crystal Lee Sutton, Norma Rae encapsulates this tenfold. Norma Rae (Sally Field) is a young textile mill employee who goes against the powers that be and faces numerous dangers in order to unionize her workplace.
There are moments that feel dated, but the overall message is one that still rings true to this day. In honor of this past-meets-present, try pairing the movie with Hoponious Union from Jack’s Abby. An India Pale Lager or “IPL,” the brew brims with classic light beer style crispness from the lager base. But in a modern twist, it’s hopped with citra and centennial for a bright, refreshing hop bite with notes of citrus.
2. ‘Office Space’ with Milton’s Brewing Red Stapler Red Ale
The Movie: Comedy / 1999 / 20th Century Fox — Judgemental Films
The Beer: Red Ale / 5.7% ABV / Milton’s Brewing — Carlsbad, New Mexico
Even now over 20 years old, Office Space speaks to victims of modern corporate bureaucracy in ways few other movies do. It’s all too easy to envision one’s own workplace fantasies as frustrated programmer Peter (Ron Livingston) becomes less motivated by the day and hatches a plan to get revenge on the out-of-touch leadership.
Then there’s the B-plot with waitress Joanna (Jennifer Aniston) and her daily frustrations within the service industry. Her final outburst about the “pieces of flair” is the rebel yell nobody asked for but what we all need. Of course, the most memorable subplot of all is that of Peter’s coworker, Milton. Fired by the company without being properly informed, Milton is the office weirdo who obsesses over his missing red stapler and the fact that he hasn’t received a paycheck in weeks.
Actor Stephen Root is still signing red Swingline staplers to this day, and modern craft breweries pay homage with beer names. Very appropriately, one of these is a New Mexico brewpub called Milton’s Brewing (though it seems there is no relation). Red Stapler is a softly malty red ale, with light notes of caramel and fruit — just as satisfying as watching Peter and his coworkers destroy the dysfunctional office copy machine.
3. ‘Extract’ with J. Wakefield El Jefe Hefeweizen
The Movie: Comedy-Romance / 2009 / Miramax — Ternion Entertainment
The Beer: Hefeweizen / 5% ABV / J. Wakefield Brewing — Miami, Florida
If you’re a manager or higher-level boss, Mike Judge’s unofficial follow-up to Office Space is going to be a better fit. Extract follows the trials and tribulations of Joel Reynolds (charismatically played by Jason Bateman), the owner and operator of a flavoring extracts company. Though his business is a success, Joel’s marriage has run cold, and his factory employees are constantly creating issues. He entertains the idea of escape with Cindy (Mila Kunis), a new employee who, unbeknownst to him, is really a con artist out to scam the company. What ensues are some surprisingly dark twists and plenty of Judge’s trademark satire.
As for the beer pairing with this movie, J. Wakefield’s El Jefe is a great choice. Otherwise a pretty straightforward Hefeweizen in mouthfeel and alcohol content, the flavor in this one is taken to the next level with the addition of coconut flakes. Like Bateman’s “jefe,” this one runs into unexpected situations, albeit a lot more pleasant.
If you haven’t heard of J. Wakefield Brewing, they’re a must-try on the southeast beer scene. Based in Miami, these brewers regularly explore a variety of styles but are particularly renowned for sours and weiss beers.
4. ‘Labor Day’ with Simple Roots Labor of Love Sour
The Movie: Romance-Drama / 2009 / Indian Paintbrush – Paramount Pictures
The Beer: Sour Ale / 5.2% ABV / Simple Roots Brewing — Burlington, Vermont
Seeing as there actually is a movie called Labor Day, it seems silly not to include it here. That said, the Jason Reitman-directed flick has little to do with themes of the working class and economic achievement. Instead, it’s a romantic drama starring Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet.
Here’s the gist: an escaped convict (Brolin) runs into a single mom (Winslet) and her son out shopping for school supplies in a rural town around Labor Day weekend. He manipulates her into taking him home (because that’s how all great romance stories begin, obviously), and it turns out that neither of their pasts are what they seem. Cue falling in love and lots of life pondering. At times Labor Day is touchingly sweet while at others it’s unintentionally creepy, but it’s entertainment for a day off work.
To help transport you through the highly necessary suspension of disbelief, pair this one with Labor of Love from Simple Roots Brewing Co. A kettle sour fermented with saison yeast and “lots of local Vermont raspberries,” this one balances out the movie’s more cloying moments with the fresh simplicity of nature. It’s a pretty color too.
5. ‘An American Pickle’ with Martin House Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer
The Movie: Comedy-Drama / 2020 / Warner Bros. Pictures
The Beer: Gose / 4.7% ABV / Martin House Brewing Co. — Fort Worth, TX
An American Pickle is the silly, surprisingly dark story of early 20th Century immigrant, Herschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen), who gets accidentally preserved in a vat of pickles for 100 years and rejoins society and his sole descendent, freelance app developer, Ben Greenbaum (also Seth Rogen).
But that’s just the surface level. What really makes this romp worthy of Labor Day viewing is the amusing juxtaposition between the work ethics and perceptions of the two Greenbaums as they each work to achieve economic success. Considering so many people work in tech today, it’s interesting watching the older, brined, Greenbaum’s increasing disappointment in his great-grandson’s occupation. At the same time, he runs into trouble when his old school methods contrast with modern expectations and laws.
Naturally, a pickle beer is the ideal choice here. Martin House’s Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer is a solid go-to, a gose infused from top to bottom with pickle juice. If you don’t like pickles, you’ll hate this of course. But for everyone else, it’s a straight dive into briney heaven. It’s almost like falling in a vat of the stuff, only cleaner.
What the heck is Labor Day anyway?
For those not in the U.S. or for those who simply weren’t listening in school, Labor Day isn’t just a modern-day excuse to avoid work. Okay, well, it kind of is, but it’s supposed to be a little more than that. Always observed on the first Monday of September, this day of recognition is intended to celebrate the overall social and economic achievements of the country’s workforce. In other words, good for you, you gainfully employed American!
What’s really important though are the contributions so many people have made over the years in ensuring that workers have rights. Because of the efforts of others, we have things like weekends, parental leave, insurance, and more. While every job still comes with frustrations, things could definitely still be worse.
Before made a federal holiday in 1894, Labor Day was celebrated by labor unions and employers across the country. New York state was the first to introduce a bill that would make Labor Day a state holiday, but Oregon was actually the first to pass such legislation. In 1882, New York held the first Labor Day parade.
See? Knowledge is fun! Or at the very least, it might help you win bar trivia sometime. Happy Labor Day!
