US and UK breweries team up with sell-out transatlantic beer

Amid the mounting tariff tensions between the EU and the US comes a welcome story about two breweries who teamed on a transatlantic craft beer that became one their fastest-selling products.

The ‘Have a nice day’ beer from Yorkshire brewhouse Saltaire Brewery in the UK and Maine’s Lone Pine USA was born after the two companies met at the Maine Brewer’s Guild International Beer Festival during a UK trade mission to the US last year.

Lone Pine, which was founded by head brewer Tom Madden in 2016, is one in the top five fastest growing  craft breweries in the US according to The Brewer’s Association, and Saltaire’s sales and logistics director Nick Helliwell said it soon became clear that the two breweries were similar in size, outlook and ambition. As a result, they jumped at the chance to collaborate during Madden’s reciprocal visit to Yorkshire this May, to visit local breweries that had taken part in the trade mission and Lone Pine’s UK suppliers.

The resulting limited edition 5.5% ABV New England pale ale combined New World hopping techniques with heritage UK malts and yeast, Helliwell said, and was released into both markets in keg and 440ml cans, becoming the UK-based independent brewery’s fastest-selling keg beer ever.

Helliwell said a lot of the brewery’s five-year growth plan revolved around exporting and the new beer had raised its profile with potential buyers in the US.

“Exporting can come with its challenges, but the support is out there. If you’re thinking about selling overseas, you need to be prepared. Get involved, be an ambassador for your company and make the most of the opportunities,” he said.

The Shipley-based brewery has invested around £3 million pounds in its site since 2017, including the addition of new brewhouse and packaging plant that has boosted its production to around 65,000 litres, and enabled it to bottle around 70,000 bottles a week.

It also refreshed its branding last year, telling The Morning Advertising it aimed to bridge the gap between craft and cask beers.

Current year-on-year sales of its own beer have increased by 20%, it told local paper, Bradford-based Telegraph and Argus earlier this year, with international sales also up and exports to 15 countries worldwide.

Saltaire rolled out new packaging for its UK beer range last year