UK launch for US beer range

America's fourth biggest brewer is making a move into the UK for the very first time.

The High Falls Brewing Company in Rochester, New York, has confirmed that it will be releasing some of its beer brands into the UK on-trade from February next year, through UK distribution company International Brands.

The plan is to introduce High Falls' entire JW Dundee's range of beers, which includes its well-known Honey Brown lager as well as its Genesee Cream Ale.

Pete Martin, managing director of International Brands, worked for Warsteiner beer at the time of the great German beer invasion in the late 1980s. "Both myself and those in charge at High Falls felt it was a great time to target the UK market," he said.

"There is a real leaning towards American craft beers over here right now. I think that this has a lot to do with the fact that the European beer market has bottomed out somewhat. It has been discovered. People want to find something else."

The beers will be targeted at top-end bars as well as outlets with a strong premium packaged lager output. High Falls will also be looking at high-profile American food outlets as well as Mexican restaurants.

Joe McBane is bars manager at the Old Toad in Rochester, New York, which is situated one mile from the brewery and is owned by the UK's Kelham Island Brewery owner Dave Wickett, whose Pale Rider is currently Champion Beer of Britain. He is glad High Falls beers are pushing into the UK.

"They have a really good range of beers. Some, particularly the Genesee Cream Ale, have a real following here," he said. "We recently had the JW Dundee Pale Ale on here and it went down great. It's a very nice easy-drinking beer with a good balance.

"I think it's good news they are moving into the UK market. It will only help the status of craft beer in the US, which, while growing year-on-year, only has a small piece of the pie compared with the big three - Coors, Anheuser-Busch and SABMiller."