Camden beers land in NYC

AB InBev has taken one of its British craft beer brands, Camden Town Brewery, across the pond to New York this month, while setting up new brewpubs for Goose Island in the UK.

The north London brewery’s beers will be hitting bar in New York City from this week in a number of bars, including The Fat Radish and Sons of Essex in Lower Manhattan.

Jasper Cuppaidge, founder and CEO of Camden Town Brewery, said: “We’ve always been inspired by New York ­ it’s a buzzing city filled with incredible places to eat and drink, so it felt like the right place to launch Camden into the US.

“We’re introducing our Camden Hells lager into around 40 New York initially but have big plans for further launches across the US and beyond.”

Since it acquired the brewery for £85 million in early 2016, AB InBev has invested significantly in Camden Town, including a multi-million pound investment in a new brewery in Enfield.

This initial step into the US is just the first of further expansion into new markets for Camden Town with a launch in Paris slated for early next year.

Meanwhile, according to The Telegraph, another craft beer in AB InBev’s portfolio, Goose Island, is to roll out a new chain of pubs in Europe later this month.

The move is reportedly the first venture from the brewing giant’s ‘brand experience’ division, which it set up to help boost its craft beer brands.

The first, 35-seat, ‘Goose Island Vintage Ale House’ will apparently open in Balham, south-west London, before Christmas; with another venue opening in the City early next year followed by one in Belgium.

Camden Town’s launch in the US is just the latest British booze label that has made its way across the Atlantic this year.

Steven Spurrier’s sparkling wine, Bride Valley, was officially launched in the US by importer Jean-Claude Boisset this May, then Denbies in November, while Hush Heath sent a container of 5,000 bottles of fizz to the US in October – the biggest shipment of English wine to the US to date.