The global interest in British beer
There has been a substantial rise in the level of interest in British beer over recent years, with craft beer performing particularly well. A number of ‘Meet the Buyer’ events have been held recently, with international buyers from a host of countries meeting representatives from UK brewers. Some of the most enthusiastic interest has come from countries like the Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium, though demand for British beer has also come from non-EU markets including India, Australia and China to give just a few examples. Read on to find out more about why British beer seems to be taking on the world.
A “16-fold increase”
More and more independent craft brewers are seeing their products exported to international markets. A spokesman for Greene King said they had been met with a “16-fold increase” in Chinese orders over the course of just a few weeks back in 2015 after Chinese leader Xi Jinping was seen supping a pint of the brewer’s beer during a state visit to the UK. A pub landlord based in Urumqi, Xinjiang said he was selling up to 300 litres of the British beer a day according to the BBC. Reports say that some Chinese drinkers have become so accustomed to British beer than they are paying up to 40 times more for it than local lagers.
Record beer exports
Britain had 1,300 breweries by Autumn 2015, with the numbers said to be rising by around 10% annually. Exports of British beer have been rising to record levels, with brewery Brewdog now exporting to well over 50 different couutries and the company’s founders fronting their own US TV show which sees them heading out on various beery trips.
The best “sessionable” beers?
Many experts have put the UK’s success on the global beer market down to the country’s “sessionable” beers. For those that don’t know, “sessionable” beers are those that have an alcohol volume or 5% or less, have a balance between hop and malt characters and a clean finish. Session or sessionable beers are designed to enable drinkers to consume several beers without reaching an undesirable level of intoxication, making them ideal for those that like to drink beer for lengthy periods without becoming drunk.
An ongoing drive
The Government have announced a strategy to drive exports of UK beer by £100m over a five-year period. A new British pub set-up is being launched to appear at international trade shows and emphasise the importance of tourists visiting UK pubs. The concept, which is being branded a “showcase” pub is set to feature a red telephone box, seating areas and a bar. Beer is now the UK’s third-biggest export in terms of food and drink after Scotch whisky and chocolate, with over 1 billion pints being enjoyed overseas each year. The set-up could feature at trade shows and other corporate events in the US, France, Canada, China and Italy. It seems the love affair with British beer – especially craft beer - is showing no signs of coming to an end.
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