The Brooklyn Brewery has recently begun distribution of its core products in France with the majority of its business concentrated in the Paris region. While limited distribution has been occurring in some capacity since last September, the product was officially launched in February. Four promotional events were held in the French capital over the course of the month. One event, entitled ‘In Good Company’, was held at Le Dauphin, an expensive Paris restaurant. At the tasting, beers brewed by the Brooklyn Brewery were paired with dishes served by the restaurant. The event was also accompanied by a dose of humor from Brooklyn brew master Garret Oliver. Their East India Pale Ale, for instance, was paired with an orange-flavored tandoori lamb, the concept being to complement the citrusy lamb with the traces of pineapple and melon found in the ale. Needless to say, the event was success even if one were to suspect the neglect suffered by beer among Parisian restaurateurs. Other tastings held throughout the month were more casual but nonetheless still effective in promoting the product.
House of Beer, a Paris-based beer distribution enterprise, plans to slowly develop the brand as an artisanal product. It will only be sold and served in carefully selected bars and specialized retail outlets. Brooklyn Lager, along with specialty beers like Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, will indefinitely remain less than scarce on the shelves at Monoprix and G20. The French beer market is currently falling, although the demand for specialty beers remains high in certain circles of connoisseurship, which will be the prime demographic House of Beer plans on targeting. Brooklyn-based beers have already proven to be very successful in France with them already having sold twice what they expected. It would appear their plans to expand the product’s market little by little by initially appealing to connoisseurs have been no less than fruitful. The current plan is to continue expanding the market by approximately twenty percent each month. House of Beer sells the products to wholesalers who then distribute it to bars and various ‘caves à bières’. Eighty percent of the French market is concentrated within the Paris region. So far, only three products have been officially released: the signature Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brown Ale, and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. Brooklyn Summer Ale will be added in April with several other products appearing throughout the course of the rest of 2013.
