They have given us Coca Cola, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

But a Lowestoft brewery is preparing to make its mark across the Atlantic – by exporting its real ale to America.

Responding to a growing demand for British beers in the States, Green Jack Brewery is sending 4,800 bottles and 240 30-litre key kegs of its real ales to New York.

Its beers are already in high demand in the Big Apple, where drinkers are swapping their mojitos and Manhattan cocktails for a bottles of Baltic Trader and Fruit Bat at trendy bars and pop-up food and drink events.

Lee Dunford, who runs Green Jack Brewery with her husband Tim, said: 'We are really excited that we are going global. I would love to try a pint of Green Jack in New York.

'We are all quite chuffed that we have gone from humble beginnings to selling our ales in New York.'

Green Jack sent its first container of real ales to America in April and shipped its second container-load on Tuesday.

The 16-tonne cargo, which is due arrive early next week, includes flip-top bottles and key kegs of Fruit Bat, Flower Power, Baltic Trader and its award-winning barley wine Ripper – which is proving to be the most popular Green Jack ale with the Americans. It has been exported under the name Rippa.

The Lowestoft brewer is working with New York distributor Vanberg DeWulf of Cooperstown, which has been catering for a growth in demand for authentic British real ales.

Mrs Dunford said the distributor had received positive reviews of Green Jack's ales from American consumers and was keen to import as many as they could provide.

She said Vanberg DeWulf was one of the largest importers of foreign beers on the East Coast of America and, by linking up with the firm, Green Jack hoped to be at the forefront of the emerging drinks market and emulate the transatlantic success of another Waveney brewer, St Peter's, of St Peter South Elmham.

She said: 'The particular company we are working with went to quite a few brewers before they chose us.

'They were inspired by our passion and our style of beers, which is based on Belgian brews.'

The Green Jack Brewery began as a small, 10-barrel operation at the rear of the Triangle Tavern in Lowestoft.

The brewery moved to a new, 40-barrel premises in Love Road in 2008 and has three pubs – The Triangle and the Stanford Arms in Lowestoft and The Locks Inn in Geldeston.

It also supplies its beers to a number of pubs across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Mrs Dunford said the future was looking bright for Green Jack and added: 'I want to thank all the staff who have been behind us 100pc and put in so much hard work, as well as the local people who do support us so much.'

?For more information on Green Jack Brewery and its beers, visit www.green-jack.com