Lion king of Asian beers in USA

It’s invasion USA, but even the Avengers are not fighting this one. Sri Lanka’s Lion beer first made landfall in America way back in 2004, and over the past 15 years the brand has achieved high-profile listings in the Big Apple (New York) with over 700 accounts, alongside more in the states of Colorado, Michigan and New Jersey.

Sri Lanka’s premier and favourite brewer, Lion Brewery Ceylon, exports the complete Lion range to the United States including Lion Lager, Lion Stout and Lion Imperial Pilsner. Lion Stout has achieved distinction and acceptance by the trade and consumers due to its unique flavour. Lion Stout is 65% of the US export volumes. Lion Stout has even been endorsed by accomplished beer reviewers in the US such as the late Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson.  

Lion beer is listed in high-profile bars and restaurants in New York City including Mayhem & Stout, House of Brews, Lillie’s, Valhalla, Beer Authority and Bea amongst others. Lion is proud to be the only Asian beer in bars and restaurants where the brand is listed in the Big Apple, enjoying pride of place amongst globally renowned American and European craft beers. The company is selective with its listings, focusing primarily on outlets catering to affluent craft and imported beer drinkers.

Lion beer also has its place on top of ‘Pride Rock’, being one of the only three brands sold at Disney’s popular Broadway musical, ‘The Lion King’, the other two brands being the US icon Budweiser and Tusker beer from Kenya. The hit production has been running for 25 years continuously on Broadway, with Lion beer sold in cans and bottles along with the show’s merchandise and other food and beverage. Almost all of Lion beer in New York State is consumed by Americans, with Manhattan adding to 60% of volume, 25% from Brooklyn, whilst Queens, Bronx, Staten Island and the affluent suburbs of Westchester and Long Island make up the rest.

“Lion beer’s American adventure has been a truly rewarding experience for this Sri Lankan brand, and we have successfully made it into the hands and hearts of beer connoisseurs in the big cities. Whilst Lion beers is currently only available in a few states as we chose to focus on a few key markets, we are in the process of appointing a national distributor by next year,” avers Lion Brewery Ceylon Head of Exports Sharlene Adams.

In the US, Lion Brewery works with two distributors for Michigan, Colorado and New York City, with distribution in New York handled by an agent with over 6,000 accounts specialising in craft and import beers. Import and craft beers are the only growing beer segments in the US, which presents Lion with significant opportunities for expansion in the future. In Michigan, the brand is sold in trendy towns such as Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids where the population is affluent and craft style beers are popular. Lion stout is perceived to be a craft stout and is well accepted among craft drinkers, as witnessed in Colorado where the affluent spend time in outdoor recreational activities such as hiking and skiing.

Lion hopes to soar to new heights when national distribution commences with the appointment of the new importer, who is also the importer of Carlsberg beer in the US, has a strong route to market and owns 19 wholesalers across the United States. This will help consolidate the brand achievements thus far and propel Lion to new heights in the US market from 2020.