The Maine Beer Box, a converted cargo container retrofitted with 78 taps, will make its second overseas journey soon to try to tap the European market for Maine craft beer, this time at the Leeds International Beer Festival in the United Kingdom.
The four-day festival in September will give the expected 12,000 attendees a chance to taste craft beers from all over Maine. Collection of the beer that will be transported to the United Kingdom — 500 kegs worth — is scheduled to start next week and include breweries in Fort Kent, Caribou, Brewer, Ellsworth, Belfast and Lewiston.
The cargo container will be leave Portland Aug. 3, with Eimskip paying for the transportation and each brewer donating beer and paying taxes.
After the kegs are emptied, British beer will be shipped back to the United States for a tasting party at Thompson’s Point in Portland.
“We’re trying to leverage the resources of Maine,” said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Maine Brewers’ Guild in South Portland.
To read the rest of “Maine craft brewers look to expand market at British beer festival,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Lori Valigra, please follow this link to the BDN online.
