New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire, plans to expand along eastern seaboard

New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale and other beers, plans to expand its market territory along the eastern seaboard. The Colorado brewer wants to begin selling in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. in September. If all goes according to plan, the added territory will bring the nation's third-largest craft brewer to 29 states. New Belgium's beers are already available in Georgia.

"We had significant expansion in 2009 when we added five states," said sales director Joe Menetre. "We wanted to make sure we had the capacity to keep up with that demand."

The company said no decisions have been made regarding distributor partners, brands or package for the new markets.