UK importer and distributor James Clay will expand its portfolio of craft beers through a new partnership with California’s Stone Brewing.

The company will import six of Stone Brewing’s best-known beers for the UK’s on-trade market – including Stone IPA, Stone Cali-Belgique IPA, and Stone Ruination Double IPA.

Renowned for its West Coast-style IPAs, Stone Brewing has built a reputation for bold and innovative brews, and recently became the first US craft brewery to establish a fully owned and operated brewery in Europe. The range of beers being brought to the UK by James Clay will be imported from that brewery in Berlin.

Stone Brewing executive chairman and co-founder Greg Koch said: “We’re excited to see the interest in craft beer continue to grow in Europe and as the UK has an established craft beer market, we look forward to fans enjoying cans delivered as fresh as possible from Berlin.

“We looked for a distributor partner as committed to delivering fresh craft beer as we are and one that would handle our beers as carefully as we brew them. James Clay meets all of those high standards.”

James Clay founder and managing director Ian Clay added: “Stone Brewing is one of the world’s most celebrated craft breweries and is a pivotal inspiration to the remarkable global craft brewing revolution. Their IPAs are rightly considered modern classics, so we are delighted that James Clay is partnering with them in the UK, distributing these award-winning beers across the country.”