The Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador Andreas Fält represented the BA at the The Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) along with 30 BA Export Development Program member breweries, August 7-11. The Brewers Association Export Development Program sponsored the “Bières Sans Frontières—USA and Rest of World” section of the festival, which featured 93 different brands. All of these activities were funded through the Brewers Association Export Development Program with a grant received from the United States Department of Agriculture to promote the export of American craft beers.

American Craft Beer & Food Matching Lunch at Alyn Williams at the Westbury

An American Craft Beer & Food matching lunch was held the day before the GBBF at the Alyn Williams at the Westbury, showcasing the creativity and diverse flavors of American craft beers and their great potential for food matching. The lunch was held in a high-end environment, showing that American craft beers can stand up to wines in the best restaurants. Melissa Cole, SommeALEier and international beer judge, promoted the lunch, which was prepared by Alyn Williams (ex-Gordon Ramsey chef) in his new restaurant at The Westbury Hotel in Central London.

Andreas introduced the BA and his new role as American Craft Beer Ambassador and described the American Craft Beer scene in America including export and its explosive expansion over the last 30 years.

Alyn Williams introduced each course to the attendees, while Andreas introduced the breweries, their beers and spoke about American craft beer scene. Wine journalist Jamie Goode said he has never in his life had such a beer experience and was overwhelmed. The same words were echoed around the table. 

AmeriCan Revolution at The Porterhouse Covent Garden

On the evening of August 6, the BA Export Development Program arranged a joint event with the British Guild of Beer Writers (BGBW) at the Porterhouse Covent Garden in London. This year saw about 190 attendees, split between 60 percent beer writers and the remainder from the trade. 

The BA EDP showcased the diverse American Craft Beer scene in cans, effectively introducing cans to the media and trade as CAMRA does not allow cans at the GBBF.

Seven BA EDP member breweries participated, showcasing 17 different beers in cans, which represented a mix of styles. The beers were served as four-ounce samples in half pint glasses, so that the crowd could taste the range of different beers. The program included information on beer in cans and tasting notes for all beers.

Here is an article written on this event.

Great British Beer Festival booth at Olympia Exhibition Centre

The GBBF was held this year at the Olympia Exhibition Centre, providing significant exposure for American craft brewers. POS items, posters and signs from the participating breweries were available to attendees as well. 

The booth was one of the busiest bars at the festival, and thanks to EDP members, the UK and international visitors had the opportunity to try a range of American craft beers. The interest for American craft beer in Europe is still growing and there seems to be no end in sight to the requests and demands.