American craft brewers making inroads into Europe

Helping to quench a growing thirst for American craft beer overseas, some of the largest U.S. craft breweries are setting up shop in Europe.

It's the latest phenomenon in the flourishing craft-beer industry, which got its start emulating the European brews that defined many of the beer styles people drink today.

The move also marks a continuing departure from the status quo of mass-market lagers or stouts, demonstrating a willingness of American breweries to explore, and innovate, styles from Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. craft beer scene is so fresh and dynamic that Europeans are becoming as excited about it as Americans, said Mike Hinkley, cofounder of Green Flash Brewing Co. in California.

"Even though they're used to all these amazing European beers, now there's just more variety," Hinkley said.

U.S. craft-beer exports grew from about 46,000 barrels in 2009 to more than 282,500 barrels in 2013, worth an estimated $73 million, according to the Brewers Association, the Colorado-based trade group for the majority of the 3,000 brewing companies in the United States.

Of course, that's still a fraction of overall production: U.S. craft brewers produced a total of 15.6 million barrels last year.

Just last week, Green Flash became the first U.S. craft brewery to begin making and selling fresh beer in the European market under a deal with Brasserie St.-Feuillien, a Belgian brewery founded in 1873. Under the watchful eye of Green Flash brewmaster Chuck Silva, the brewery is making and selling fresh West Coast IPA for distribution in the U.K., Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Italy.

Meanwhile, 500 miles away in Berlin, Stone Brewing Co. is taking a different approach to meeting overseas demand - spending about $25 million to renovate a historic gasworks building into a brewery, packaging and distribution center, and restaurant set to open in late 2015 or early 2016.

California-based Stone - one of the top 10 craft breweries in the U.S. - will make beer for its bistro and distribution throughout Germany and Europe.

In announcing the overseas-expansion plans last weekend, Stone CEO and cofounder Greg Koch said, "When we started out at Stone 18 years ago, we were inspired by a lot of the European brewers . . . and now to see an inspiration bounce back around the world, that's amazing."

Brooklyn Brewery's brewmaster Garrett Oliver agreed, saying: "The creative spirit and ideas that have been developing in the U.S. are flowing back in that direction. Now, it's a two-way street, and we all have something to offer."

New York's Brooklyn Brewery and Carlsberg Sweden have opened a craft brewery and restaurant, making new beers distributed throughout Scandinavia.

About 10 years ago, when the Brewers Association first gave presentations overseas about the American craft-beer scene, people would laugh aloud.

"They're not laughing anymore," said Bob Pease, COO for the trade group.