Whether you reach for the amber and sudsy, the chocolatey and thick or the cheaper, watered-down version, every beer drinker has a brand they demand every time they place their order. What most beer consumers don't know is how important their order is in the beer war being waged between the biggest macro-breweries and craft beer entrepreneurs.

The documentary "Beer Wars" was launched nationally on April 16 in 440 theaters, immediately followed by a special live-satellite discussion moderated by Ben Stein. The San Francisco outlet for this picture was the Century Theaters in the Westfield mall on Market.

The focus of this foamy creation was to shed light on the power that the big three corporations (Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Miller; but as the film was being made Coors and Miller merged, creating the big two) have over the whole American beer market - effectively making micro-breweries the perpetual underdogs.

"I started 'Beer Wars' in late 2005 when there was talk in the industry about the death of beer," said director Anat Baron in the post-show panel discussion. "Most interesting to me was all the buzz that these small craft brewers were gaining, even in the mainstream beer world. The big guys were actually afraid of them."

Baron became known in the beer world when she worked to create the successful marketing of Mike's Hard Lemonade. But no one forgets to bring up the irony that this beer-marketing maverick happens to be allergic to all alcohol.

While the documentary seems a bit dated (it took her three years to make), with no discussion of the recession and little comment made about additional buyouts that have recently happened, the concept behind the movie holds water - people buy into advertising and bargain prices, not flavor.

An impromptu taste test is shown in "Beer Wars" where Baron brown-bags Coors Light, Miller Light and Bud Light (the top selling beers in the country) to see if the average bar-goer could pick out their usual beer of choice. Not one person in the movie could pick out their favorite light beverage, and many claimed to be loyal to one of the selected brands for years.

Another point the movie hammered home, but showed too much bias in, was the three-tier system beer companies are subject to. After prohibition, the government separated the breweries from the pubs and stores by requiring separate distributors to get the ale from point A to point B.

Today, the problem with this three-tier system, according to the craft beer companies featured, is that nearly all distribution trucks are owned by Anheuser-Busch and Miller-Coors and, as of last year, 70 percent of the Anheuser-Busch distribution trucks carry their brand exclusively. What this means for smaller beer companies, such as Doghead Fish, Moonshot, Sierra Nevada and Full Sail, is that if they can't get their beer on a truck, they can't sell it in stores.

Brandon Moore, a bartender and home brewer from San Francisco, has felt the frustration of not finding his beer at local liquor stores because that brand can't get distributed.

"I was so glad the movie addressed the power that Coors and Busch have to block out little craft beers. This is a big reason why I can't always buy the beers I love."

Dogfish Head's creator Sam Caligione was stressing the importance in appreciating handcrafted beers and their complexity in the movie stating, "If you want to test a beer than bring a Coors Light, Bud Light, or you know some motor oil and a craft beer down to room temperature and that is when you will taste which has the quality ingredients and which are filled with rice and corn."

While it was clear that the movie was encouraging consumers to stop supporting the corporate giants and start buying craft beers, another road block between the connoisseur and the pint is that the big companies are buying up craft beers and creating new labels that look like craft beers. If you drink Kirin Ichiban, Grolsch, Leffe, Rolling Rock, Stella Artois, Michelob, Shock Top, Stone Mill, Beach Bum, Bass, Beck's or Bacardi, then you are buying InBev (the new owners of Anheuser-Busch) and not a small brew like you might have thought. This is why one out of every two beers consumed in America is an Anheuser-Busch beverage.

But if the movie showed anything, it is that there is hope, even though it may be marginal, for craft brewers to do what they love.

"Our passion comes from the liquid we make, not the money we get from that liquid," said Caligione.

Baron said that she hopes that this little documentary educates Americans on their national beverage. She wants people to know how much power the conglomerates have over the small business owners, but still reminds the audience that it takes consumer knowledge to really support the little guy with a dream.

"Every single day you vote with your wallet," she said.