The Brewers Association Export Development Program has assisted American craft breweries send their ales and lagers to nearly every beer market in the world.
In 2022, 230,999 barrels (over 7 million gallons) of beer, worth over $71 million, was exported from America’s craft breweries, according to the Brewers Association. “The number of exporting American craft brewers has grown from just a handful of 10-15 companies 20 years ago, to more than 150 small and independent brewers shipping beer overseas annually,” says Steve Parr, director of international relations for the Brewers Association.
The Export Development Program is a collaboration between the Brewers Association and the Market Access Program of the Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Beer, brewed from barley and other cereal crops, and from hops, is an agricultural food product. Through the EDP, the Brewers Association and the Department of Agriculture share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities that help build commercial export markets for American craft beer.
“Awareness of American craft beer has never been higher, and international beer markets offer a way to diversify sales, hedge domestic sales, and grow your business if done well,” says Parr.
The Brewers Association even employs an American Craft Beer Ambassador who resides in London, England and represents American craft beer at events and beer festivals across Europe. “American craft beer was first exported to Europe back in the 1990s when pioneers like Sierra Nevada and Rogue first started entering the UK market,” says Lotte Peplow. “British beer drinkers embraced the bold and powerful flavors of American hops and quickly became enamored with the US craft brewing movement. Other parts of Europe, such as Sweden, followed suit. American craft beer continues to enjoy strong demand in Europe despite well-established brewing traditions…. Demand is driven by the beer-drinker and the Brewers Association Export Development Program sees evidence of this across Europe. As long as demand continues to grow for high-quality American craft beer and our trading partners continue to deliver the freshest possible beer every time, then American craft beer will continue to thrive in Europe.”
“French cooking influenced the culinary world and American craft brewers have done the same for beer on a global scale,” says Parr. “Forty years ago, there were fewer than 50 American craft brewers. The craft beer market as we know it was non-existent and not tied to any one tradition or brewing history allowing American craft brewers to pioneer the market from scratch…. From there, the American craft beer revolution was born, and the variety of high-quality, full-flavored beers being produced by the more than 9,500 small and independent American craft brewers today is unparalleled anywhere else in the world…. Today, the energy, excitement, community, and flavor profiles found in beer across the United States are being replicated in other beer markets.”
Says Parr, “Demand for good beer is not an American quality, but a human one.”
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