Mexican brands are increasingly imported to the United States

Trendier beer more healthy: Dogfish Head uses new beers to satisfy the healthy and low-alcohol tastes of drinkers

A trio of trends indicates a potential for success:

• The growing Hispanic population in the United States now accounts for 18% of Americans.

• Mexican imports are hot. Corona Extra and Modelo Especial each held 5% of the retail market last year, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Sales of Modelo Especial increased by 18% in dollars compared to 2017.

• The growth of craft beer, brewed by small independent breweries, has slowed, but its share in the total beer industry of more than US $ 111 billion is expected to exceed that of the 23.4% it has captured in 2017, according to the Brewers Association.

Quest Beverage imports Mexican craft beers in the United States, including a Kölsch (shown here) and a London-based beer from Cerveza Rrëy, based in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo: Quest Beverage)

"We have seized the opportunity to combine these converging trends," said Gregg Billmeyer, CEO of Quest Beverage, who has spent 28 years in marketing and sales at Anheuser-Busch.

About two years ago, he and the rest of the startup team, master brewer Dan Driscoll and executive Mike Redohl, both veteran veterans of Anheuser – Busch, and l '# 39; financial executive Eduardo Muniz, based in Mexicali, have begun to investigate the scene of Mexican craft beer. "The craft beer in Mexico is exploding," Billmeyer said. "It looks like the United States 20 years ago."

This led consumers to test their tastes of Mexican craft beers in Houston and the beers of Cerveza Urbana and Cerveza Rrëy stood out. Now these beers are served in bars, restaurants and shops.

"We have very aggressive expansion plans, but we want to continue learning, to continue to adapt and to see what is accepted … as we look at new markets," Billmeyer said. "We saw this as a national opportunity."

Beer prices will be adapted to high-quality imports and craft beer, another trend that appeals to consumers. American breweries already offer Mexican-style lagers, so why would not consumers be tempted to try a real Mexican craft beer?

Mexican craft beer can be "absolutely" a "success story in the United States," said Bump Williams Beers, an analyst and consultant in the beverage industry. But there is "a lot of potential potholes," including retail surfaces in a flooded market with more than 20,000 beers sold in the United States, he says. "Mexican craft beer has a future in the United States, but it will not be easy."

A team wonder: Metallica and Stone Brewing Group Meet for New Enter Night Beer