British beer beats salmon, cheese as main export in 2016

A billion pints of British beer were shipped around the world in 2016, giving the economy an 815 million U.S. dollar-boost, George Eustice, minister of state for agriculture, fisheries and food said Friday.

Eustice said the British beer revolution shows no sign of slowing, with more than 500 breweries opened across Britain in the last year to meet the growing global demand for a British pint.

The minister said there have been shipments of beer to a record 121 countries and regions, including brewing powerhouses Australia and Germany.

A further 2,000 new beer brands, including Sheffield's first craft lager and Arkell's first flavoured beer range, have also been launched -- the highest figures of new beer on the market for over a decade.

To build on the momentum, the British government is connecting some of the country's best craft beers with buyers from across the United States and Europe, to put Britain's national drink in the global spotlight and helping boost the bottles of British beer on shop shelves around the world.

Eustice said: "The UK beer industry has a lot to celebrate. Our established breweries now export to more countries than ever before, with bottles of British beer on shelves as far as Japan and New Zealand."

"The craft beer boom in particular has secured our position at the forefront of the industry and made us a first choice for beer lovers the world over, with major retailers and supermarkets now stocking our smaller, unique brands over global big hitters," he added.

Total exports of British beer grew by nearly 135 million U.S. dollars last year. It put beer brewers among Britain's top five food and drink exporters for the second year running, beating some of the most famous British exports like salmon and cheese.

Despite being part of a metric European Union, beer in Britain continues to be sold by the traditional imperial pint which equates to 568 ml.