Off to Barcelona: Yorkshire brewery takes hoppy ale to blossoming Catalonian market

WharfeBank Brewery, the award-winning producer of hand-crafted ales situated on the banks of the River Wharfe in the heart of Yorkshire, is to supply beer to the 2013 Barcelona Beer Festival (BBF) and more than 20 bars across Catalonia.As part of its expansion into the European beer market, WharfeBank Brewery will supply the BBF with one of its core keg beers -- Yorkshire SPA, branded as Luna SPA for the Spanish market. This is a 5.8%) Special Pale Ale, a brand new strong pale beer brewed with a heavier dose of the same hops as WharfeBank’s renowned IPA, and with a different blend of malts to give a paler refreshing flavour. 

The BBF is a new craft beer festival, showcasing more than 300 specially selected beers. The festival will be held in the spectacular location of Convent de Sant Agustí, Barcelona on 9, 10 and 11 March 2013.  The BBF is a project of the newly created ACCA (Association of Cerveza per la Cultura Artisan) whose main objective is to introduce the culture and taste of craft beer to the people of Spain. 

Martin Kellaway, managing director and partner of WharfeBank Brewery comments: “We are delighted to be supplying beer to the Barcelona Beer Festival. It is a privilege to be taking the taste of Yorkshire to the people of Spain, while taking the opportunity to launch the WharfeBank and Luna Bru brands for this region and other countries across the world. 

“We are exploring all avenues of distribution to export to Europe, Asia and USA with both keg and bottled beers.  We trialled the Yorkshire SPA in several bars across Barcelona before Christmas 2012 and it proved there is a market for WharfeBank and Luna. Customers loved the fact it was distinctively British but with a local twist, while providing the beer character required to stand out in the crowd against more established competition.” 

Paul Mellor, who is working in partnership with WharfeBank Brewery in Spain adds: “The movement for craft beers in Spain is growing rapidly. WharfeBank Brewery is leading the way with the introduction of an easy-to-drink British beer at the festival, taking on the traditional American and Belgium suppliers. We hope it will be a great hit with visitors to the event.” 

Paul continues: “The response from the pre-Christmas trial has also helped us to secure sales with more than 20 bars across Catalonia.  There is a genuine interest from the diverse Catalonian community to enjoy an alternative to the traditional flavours served in craft beer bars. We look forward to bringing a taste of the Yorkshire Dales to this vibrant region.”