The Brewers Association (BA) will host a dinner paired to American craft beer on May 17, 2017 at POP Brasserie at Three on the Bund, Shanghai.

“It’s an exciting time in craft beer and it is great to be back in Shanghai to see what is happening in the local market and to share what American small and independent brewers are bringing to the global market”, says Bob Pease, CEO and President of the Brewers Association. Mr. Pease was in Shanghai in 2006 on behalf of the Brewers Association and hosted a dinner at that time as well.

“Today the growth in the craft beer market is being driven by the beer drinker. They are looking to quality, flavor, and diversity—hallmarks of the U.S. craft brewing industry.  As long as brewers continue to produce a great product, we expect to see more and more growth.”

Seven small and independent American craft breweries will be represented in the menu providing a range of different, high quality, innovative American craft beers. The BA’s line-up includes the most diverse range of flavors, aromas, brewing techniques and ingredients currently at the forefront of the American craft brewing movement and showcases some of the most popular beer styles from sours and saisons to pilsners and IPA.

During dinner, Adam Dulye, the Brewers Association’s Executive Chef, will guide the guests through the menu and the pairings created in collaboration with David Chauveau, Executive Chef at POP Brasserie.

In 2016 export growth data for the American craft beer industry, supported by the BA’s Export Development Program (EDP), showed craft beer export volume increased by 4.4 percent in 2016, now totaling 465,617 barrels and worth $121 million.

Growth was seen in major markets, most notably in the Asia-Pacific region (not including Japan) which grew 12.9 percent. Japan, alone, increased by an astounding 22.6 percent.

Meanwhile, Canada was again the leading international market for American craft beer, accounting for 54.8 percent of total exports.  Other leading importers were the United Kingdom, accounting for 10.1 percent; Sweden, 6.6 percent; Australia, with 4.6 percent; and China, with 3.2 percent of exports.

“This year’s export data demonstrates that demand is continuing to strengthen for small and independent brewers worldwide,” said Mr. Pease.

The Brewers Association defines a craft brewer as being small, independent and traditional.

Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3% of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.

Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation.

About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association is the not-for- profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup ® , Great American Beer Festival ® , Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America ®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, AHA National Homebrewers Conference, National Homebrew Competition and American CraftBeer Week ® . The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.