The Brewers Association will be returning to the London Craft Beer Festival next month, showcasing innovative American craft beers.
Drinkers gather around the Brewers Association bar at last year’s London Craft Beer Festival. Photographs: Nic Crilly-Hargrave
The US organisation will be joined by eight brewers and brewery owners who will be travelling to London to pour their beers and interact with beer lovers.
The Brewers Association will be representing 23 American craft breweries and pouring some 66 beers. All beers will be air-freighted for freshness and include long-standing favourites, as well as those completely new to the UK market. They are united in being highly sought-after and featuring uncompromising quality, taste, and flavour, say the association.
Beers will range in strength, style, and flavour, from award-winning non-alcoholic examples through to a quadruple oatmeal Russian imperial stout, at 15.7% ABV.
Many beers are steeped in Belgian, British, and German brewing traditions, often with a unique, innovative American twist. IPAs in their many iterations feature heavily, as do lager styles, spontaneously fermented and fruited sours, and barrel-aged big hitters.
Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe, said: “The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer with 8.4% of all exports — the second largest individual market behind Canada.
“The fact that 23 American craft breweries want to send beer to London Craft Beer Festival and eight representatives want to travel indicates strong interest in the UK market and a commitment to growing their presence this side of the Atlantic.
“Participating in the festival for the second time, the Brewers Association is looking forward to welcoming beer lovers to our new and enhanced American craft beer stand.”
For a chance to try American craft beers ahead of the festival, the Brewers Association is organising a tap takeover and meet the brewers event at the Craft Beer Co, Covent Garden, London, on Thursday, 11th August, from 6pm. It’s free to attend.
• The Brewers Association has a regular monthly column exclusive to Beer Today. Read past columns here.
Breweries and brewers in attendance
- Alesmith Brewing Co
- Athletic Brewing Co
- Belching Beaver Brewery
- The Bold Mariner
- The Bruery
- Chuckanut Brewery — Will (brewmaster) and Mari (general manager) Kemper
- Cigar City Brewing Co
- Coronado Brewing Co — Rick Chapman (president)
- DC Brau Brewing Co — Alex Spencer (lead brewer)
- Destihil Brewery
- Fremont Brewing
- Hoppin Frog Brewing Co
- Maui Brewing Co — Garrett Marrero (founder/chief executive)
- Migration Brewing Co
- New Holland Brewing Co
- Oskar Blues Brewery
- Paradox Brewery — Devon Hamilton (director of operations)
- Port City Brewing Co
- Roadhouse Brewing Co
- Stone Brewing Co — Robert Kluntz (head brewer)
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
- The Virginia Beer Co — Chris Smith (co-founder/owner)
- Uplope Brewing Co — Alexander Meyer (head brewer)
- Urban Artifact
