THIRSTY US beer drinkers have had a taste of a top quality Lake District inspired beer thanks to an enterprising Kendal brewery.

Bowness Bay Brewing exhibited their wares in a novel way at a leading American beer festival, by stocking them in a 'Beer Box,' an eye-catching pop up stall which proved a big hit.

The beer was prominently featured in the refrigerated, 12 metre long, custom built Beer Box bar which was set up at the Maine Brewers’ Guild’s Beer Festival, one of the biggest events for brewers in the New England area of the north eastern USA where craft beers are hugely popular.

And brewery owner Richard Husbands is hoping the move would hopefully help them break into the large and fast growing US market, where beer sales in general increased by five per cent this year in comparison to the previous year.

"The US market has traditionally been dominated by very strong or very hoppy beers, but now there's a growing interest what we might call session beers, which are lower in strength but are easier for people to drink while out socially," he explained.

"It's a huge market and a growing one."

The Beer Box first appeared at the Leeds International Beer Festival in September where it served beer from craft breweries in America.

The structure, which basically takes the form of a container where the beers are stored with one side opening out to form a bar, was then transported across the Atlantic to the UK Government-organised festival, which took the form of a 'beer exchange.'

At the event, breweries from across the North of England met with each other and with US brewers, allowing both markets to share tips and best practice with each other in a bid to increase exporting opportunities and help the firms to grow their business.

“The trip to Maine gave breweries across the region the chance to showcase their beer to an audience of prospective buyers, distributors and the public from across the US, which is a huge market for British beer," said Stephen Noblett, food & drink sector specialist at the Department for International Trade.

“Maine is known for its booming craft beer tourism so creating an opportunity for these breweries to showcase what they have to offer during the festival could lead to some exciting and lucrative deals.

“Craft beer exports have seen a sharp increase over the past 12 months and it’s continuing to grow. It’s fantastic to see breweries taking advantage of these opportunities and with the right support and guidance, such as trade missions like this, anyone can do it."

The beer Bowness Bay sent over was called Lemon Fusion, which interestingly is a light beer infused with hints of lemongrass and other ingredients used in Thai cooking.

Mr Husbands, whose operation is based at Castle Mills, explained that these type of beers are becoming very popular especially with visitors from the Far East, which is another growing market.

Bowness Bay, which has recently taken over the Appleby Brewery, currently produce a core range of six beers including a traditional bitter, a blonde and black IPA. The company also sells a seasonal range of beers and bottled specialities.