It may only be November but for fans of American craft beer Christmas has come early, says Lotte Peplow, European craft beer ambassador for the Brewers Association.
Enjoying the beers at the Urban South Brewery, in New Orleans, and yes, one of them does appear to be blue! Photograph: Brewers Association
A new shipment from the States is arriving on these shores any day now and comprises much-loved and highly sought-after beers from legendary American craft breweries.
One such beer is the hotly-awaited Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. First produced in 1981, it is only brewed once a year with the freshest, hand-selected hops, and marks the start of the celebration season in the States. It remains one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA and has achieved a cult-like status, fêted for its intense, robust, citrus and pine flavour. A variety of other Sierra Nevada beers, such as Torpedo Extra IPA, will also be available (from Sierra Nevada Shop).
While on the subject of Sierra Nevada, let’s take a moment to raise a glass to when it all began — 45 years ago this very month, in Chico, California.
At that time, there were fewer than 100 breweries in the US. The craft beer world as we know it was non-existent and not tied to any one tradition or brewing history, allowing a new wave of brewers a blank canvas to pioneer the market from scratch.
While American craft beer was very much inspired by the great brewing nations overseas, pioneering brewers weren’t seeking to replicate that of other brewing cultures, but rather to create their own styles that would redefine American beer beyond the traditional mass-produced lager. From there, the American craft beer revolution was born, and the variety of high-quality full-flavored, style-diverse beers being produced by the 9,796 small and independent American craft brewers today is unparalleled anywhere else in the world.
Not long after Sierra Nevada began pioneering the nascent craft beer movement, they were joined by Boston Beer Co, whose founder, Jim Koch, first brewed Samuel Adams Boston Lager in his kitchen in 1984. This malty lager combines a balance of caramel malt sweetness and spicy hop bitterness and is also available on the current shipment to the UK, along with a hazy IPA and Twisted Tea, a real brewed tea and natural lemon flavour malt beverage with a twist — it’s 5% ABV!
Photograph: Nic Crilly-Hargrave
Roll on another decade and Allagash Brewing Co burst onto the scene when owner Rob Tod created Allagash White, a classic example of a Belgian-style wheat beer that has become the most awarded wheat beer in the world. It will be available in the UK this month alongside Allagash Tripel, Allagash Curieux Barrel-Aged Golden Ale, and Allagash Hazy IPA, all in time for Thanksgiving Day on 27th November.
These beers, plus those from other American craft breweries, are available on draught through selected bars and pubs and in packaged formats in bottle shops, off-licences or online, for instance from beermerchants.com. They have been made available by specialist beer importer Cave Direct. The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 8.2% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally.
Brewers, listen up!
UK brewers are invited to compete on the global stage and register for the World Beer Cup 2026, the largest and most prestigious beer competition in the world. Registration is open from 11th November to 12th December, with winners crowned at the annual Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia, on 22nd April next year. Find out more here.
About the author
Lotte Peplow is the American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London. She is a certified cicerone, BDI-accredited beer sommelier, beer writer, author, beer communicator, international beer judge, homebrewer, and beer lover.
