Brewing beer involves more than just the glass. Every step has an impact. On people, on raw materials, and on the environment. That's why sustainability isn't separate from brewing, but at its very core. This is reflected in how work is done, with whom partnerships are formed, and how everything that comes in and goes out is handled.
Four beers are organically brewed: Broeders, Turf 'n Surf, Witzige Weizen and Pilsener. These beers show that taste and responsibility can go hand in hand.
Organic brewing means working with ingredients that are grown entirely organically. No tricks, no shortcuts. Just making beer with respect for the earth where it all comes from.
Brewing good beer without unnecessarily burdening the planet is not a marketing story, but a way of working that feels logical.
Beer does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of culture, sports and social gatherings. That is why involvement goes beyond the brewery doors.
Local initiatives have been supported for years, from cultural festivals to sporting events. Popronde, Café Theater Festival, Graveller and Stukafest Utrecht are examples of this. In addition, through smaller initiatives, more than 5,000 litres of beer have been made available for sponsorship in recent years.
Life in the brewery naturally also needs music. That's why we are delighted to be part of several great musical collaborations, including Popronde, the largest touring music festival.
Check out some of the initiatives we proudly sponsor!
Brewing beer consumes a lot of drinking water, drinking water that is not readily available everywhere. Globally, billions of people experience water stress annually, and if we don't manage water more intelligently, this gap will only widen.
Therefore, we believe that as a brewery, we have a responsibility to use water consciously and sparingly. In our process, we already use 20% less water than most (craft) breweries:
We collect the cooling water we use and reuse it during mashing and sparging.
Thanks to our extra-large chiller, we can cool a batch down in just half an hour. This is more efficient, reduces water usage, and results in higher quality beer.
We reuse leftover hot water for cleaning our brewery.
But it doesn't stop there. Through the "A liter for a liter" program from Made Blue, for every liter of beer we bottle, we ensure that one liter of clean drinking water becomes available in countries where it is desperately needed. In this way, enjoyment here also makes a real difference elsewhere.
In addition to water, we also have residual material in the form of spent grains after brewing. Annually, more than 200,000 kilos of spent grains go to Farmer Jan, a local farmer who uses it as feed for his goats.
In return, we receive goat cheese for our catering establishment on the Oudegracht and our tasting room.
A local circular economy, without waste. A good deal, right?
Stadstuin Klopvaart (Klopvaart City Garden) is located near the brewery. Klophop, a unique hop variety specially developed for Fresh Hop beers, is grown there.
This hop is not only cultivated there; Klophop from the largest hop garden in the Netherlands is also supplied by over 200 active home-based hop farmers.
In September, traditionally the hop harvest month, everything comes together. The hops are hand-picked together and go directly into the kettle. It doesn't get any fresher than this.
The result is a true Fresh Hop beer, brewed with hops harvested the same day.
