Posted by Ted Fleming on 18th Feb 2016

You know the films. You know the actors, the actresses and the directors. But do you know the non-alcoholic beers behind the scenes: Jekyll Island Lager, Heisler, FG, Cerveza Clara, O'Farren or Bilson? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't because these beers are reserved exclusively for A-List celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Wolf of Wall Street', Andrew Garfield in 'The Social Network', Juliana Marguiles in 'The Good Wife', Earl Hickey in 'My Name is Earl', and Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler in 'Parks and Recreation'.

And it turns out that all these brands are owned by the same company - which isn't a brewery at all. The brands come from Independent Studio Services (ISS), a prop house in California that has build a business in the growing world of food and drink props.

So why the need for fake beer brands in the movies and TV? It all started with the wide adoption of HDTV and DVRs that allowed people to pause TV in HD and pick apart all the tiny visual details from the set including the packaging of any snacks and beverages used. Using real brands put shows at risk of lawsuits from the brand owners if not used in a positive light - which wouldn't always agree with the scripts. It also made it difficult for TV networks to sell ads to competing brands.

Over the course of many years ISS has designed many custom beer labels as well as a slew of ready-made labels used extensively in the industry to the point where an avid TV watcher may make the connection that characters Nick Swanson (Parks and Recreation) and Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife) enjoy the same beer (FG) albeit on different shows. The use of these brands across different shows provides a more seamless experience for the viewer.

And the taste? Well that's hard to say, unless you can get an interview with Amy Poehler and ask her about the flavor profile of Penzberg Lager, because the studio doesn't actually brew, bottle, or can any beer. The labels developed are pasted onto cans or bottles of existing non-alcoholic beer or water depending on the need of the show. If the scene calls for a beer being poured into a glass then it may be a Texas Select with a Cerveza Clara label on the bottle but if a character is just sipping from a can then it's likely filled with water.

No matter the contents of the can or bottle the job of the prop master is for the prop to blend into the background and be as unobtrusive to the scene as possible. If people watching the shows are paying attention to the beer labels, besides beer geeks like me, then the prop master and studio have likely not done their job. That being said the choice of label is not taken lightly as it can cause viewing friction if the beer a character is drinking is not consistent with the image of that character. Would this character be drinking a mass market light beer, a premium import or a craft beer are just a few of the questions a prop master might consider before choosing the right beer prop.

So when you watch the Oscars, go to the movies or sit down to watch your favorite television show just sit back and let the props help immerse you in the story.

If you're a prop master looking for specialty non-alcoholic beer, wine, cider, or spirits for a show you're working on Premium Near Beer can help.