The Netherlands: Number of breweries grows back to ‘medieval levels’
The Netherlands now have the same number of breweries as it did in the Middle Ages. With the rise of independent beer makers, the country now counts some 500 facilities producing the good stuff—a staggering 2400% increase since the 1980s, Lonely Planet Tavel News reported on August 21.
The Foundation for Heritage Dutch Beer Culture, the SENB, who monitor beer trends and statistics, hailed the figures as a return to ‘medieval levels’, when each town and city would have been producing its own beer.
Speaking about the news, SENB chairman Jan Ausems said: ‘The internet has given the popularity of brewing locally an enormous boost, especially among the young. Brewing craft beers has become part of a counter movement which favours locally made products over the mass production of the food industry.’
At the start of the 1980s, the Netherlands only had around 20 breweries, and while the biggest companies are still producing around 90% of what is sold in pubs and bars, there are around 450 establishments creating craft beers and more adventurous ales.
Amsterdam is leading the charge when it comes to new brewers with independent outlets serving everything from chocolatey Columbus ales at Brouwerij ‘t IJ (which measure up at an eye-watering 9%ABV) to delicate and citrusy pale ales at the claimed Oedipus Brewery and Taproom in Amsterdam-Noord.
However, the other major cities are just left with the dregs. Rotterdam has recently seen a number of beer-makers burst onto the scene with outlets like the artistically-led Eurotrash Brewery and Brouwerij Noordt, which has taken over an old fire station.
Regresar
E-malt.com, la fuente de información global para los profesionales de la industria cervecera y de malteado. Los boletines quincenales de E-malt.com incluyen las últimas noticias de la industria, estadísticas en gráficos y tablas, precios mundiales de cebada y malta, y otra información relevante. Haga clic aquí para obtener acceso completo a E-malt.com. Si usted es un cliente de Castle Malting, puede obtener acceso gratuito al sitio web y publicaciones de E-malt.com. Contáctenos para obtener más información en marketing@castlemalting.com.
