US and Yorkshire breweries join forces for new beer exchange

The Maine Brewers’ Guild (MBG), a group of craft brewers from the US state of Maine, is collaborating with breweries from Yorkshire and across the UK to boost the trade of beer between the two markets.

MBG is set to bring its ‘Maine Beer Box’ to the Leeds International Beer Festival in September.

The box is a custom-built, 12-meter long refrigerated shipping container, complete with 78 beer taps on the side and a fully self-contained draught system. The box will sell beers from a selection of Maine’s 115 breweries.

After the festival closes, the box will then be filled with beer from UK breweries and shipped back to Portland, Maine, where it will feature at the guild’s Winter Session Beer Festival in November.

The project will involve breweries of all sizes, with many of the Maine brewers travelling with their beer to the UK, where they will meet with Yorkshire breweries, share craft and pour beer side-by-side throughout the festival.

The latest export figures show that Yorkshire breweries are increasingly selling more products into the US market. The region’s beverage manufacturers almost doubled their overseas trade to the US from £4.9m in 2012 to £8.8m in 2017, according to HMRC data.

The exchange is being supported by Food is GREAT, the Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) initiative to help UK food and drink businesses realise their potential abroad and establish an overseas presence.

Sean Sullivan, executive director of MBG, said: “The American craft beer industry would not be where it is today without brewers from the UK. The Maine Beer Box is a unique and prominent symbol of the collaborative spirit of Maine, and American craft brewers.

“This is an exciting opportunity and homage to our heritage, which showcases how far craft beer has come in Maine in the last few decades.”

Mark Robson, head of UK Regions, Yorkshire and the Humber at the Department for International Trade, commented: “The exchange project is an excellent opportunity for Yorkshire’s finest to demonstrate the region’s brewing power overseas.

“Maine’s craft beer industry is recognised as one of the top destinations for craft beer tourists in the US, so the local breweries that are making the trip to Portland have a strong chance of impressing potential distributors as well as beer enthusiasts.

“The growth in beverage exports shows a thirst by US consumers for British beer, and an increasing number of brewers are tapping into this opportunity. With the right support, there’s nothing stopping other local brewers from taking the leap into exporting too.

“By partnering with MBG, we’re building bridges from Pontefract to Portland, and helping local brewers to kickstart their export journey and to gain ground in the US market.”

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