(FORTUNE Magazine) – Faced by flat sales at home, American brewers looking overseas could learn a lesson or two from Irish brewer Guinness PLC, whose murky stout is now the most popular imported draft brew in Germany. Teutons down 200 times more Guinness than Miller, Coors, and Bud combined -- and do much of their drinking in over 250 Guinness-sponsored "Irish" pubs. Americans can't bust into Europe's biggest beer market even though their pallid brews resemble German froth. But Guinness managing director Colin Bruder has turned his beer's foreignness into an asset. Guinness is now sold in over 5,000 alehouses and is the leading imported beer, alongside Denmark's Carlsberg lager. Bruder built distribution networks from scratch, and had to put big money into advertising. Says he: "Imagine trying to sell a thick, black stout to Germans. And, I daresay, once you try the stuff you may not even like it. You gotta do it a couple of times before you get the knack." The pubs are Bruder's most successful strategy. He provides how-to kits to investors interested in opening up their own Irish watering hole, and helps them with information on available locations, financing, and tax laws. Needless to say, he also ensures a steady flow of stout. A Brit by birth, Bruder nonetheless attributes his success to a force more powerful than marketing. Says he: "Drinkers get a glass of Irishness in their hand. It's the next best thing to being there."