Sander and Ronald started home brewing on the Stanleylaan in Kanaleneiland, purely as a hobby and without the ambition to build a brewery or beer brand. Two brothers who got together once a month to brew, fill and drink beer.
The hobby has grown considerably, and the house is steadily filling up with beer and brewing paraphernalia. As Sander's 30th birthday approaches, Sander's girlfriend and Ronald decide to start a pre-sale among friends and family. In doing so, they unknowingly lay the foundation for what would later become one of the largest independent breweries in the Netherlands.
In May, the brewery debuted at the Utrecht Beer Brewers Festival with Broeders, Dark Roast, and Festival Saison. Beers that showcased a love for hops, malt, and yeast.
After 3 years of dedicating every weekend, evening, and one day a week to the brewery, it's time for the next step. Sander and Ronald are going to work full-time at vandeStreek bier to make the dream of their own brewery with their own kettles a reality. This year, we will find the necessary funding, hire our first intern, and order our kettles and tanks in China.
We also brewed the Playground series, a series of beers centered around the playground we were about to open – our own brewery. We didn't yet know that the Non Alcoholic IPA from this series would be such a success.
In March of this year, the boilers and tanks will arrive at Ontariodreef in Utrecht, where the brewery will be built in 6 weeks. With 8 fermentation tanks and a second-hand bottle filling line, we believe we are ready for the growth of the coming years. We are also immediately investing in the brewery by preparing it to brew our Non-Alcoholic beers in-house.
The brewery is now continuously expanded and improved. In 2019 and 2021, additional tanks will be added to increase production capacity to keep up with demand. In addition, the installation is becoming more and more extensive and professional, which benefits the quality of the beer. For example, we have grown from 8 to 22 tanks, have our own can line, bottle line, stainless steel kegs, separator and generate nitrogen ourselves.
In 2022, we opened our café-restaurant on the Oudegracht. In the initial period, extensive renovations were carried out, resulting in a place where you can now go for lunch, drinks, and dinner.
Downstairs, in the wharf cellar,
we have space for groups of up to over 60 people. Will you be joining us soon
with your friends, family, or colleagues for a cozy drink?
In 2023, we celebrated our 10th anniversary and introduced our own Beerfest.
We invited various breweries and together made it a huge party.
It left us wanting more, as Beerfest is now an annual event in May.
After years of distributing and growing hop plants, we realized that Fresh Hop is here to stay.
In 2024, we organized the first Fresh Hop Festival in the Netherlands. Exclusively Fresh Hop beers, where we encouraged all breweries to participate! Fresh Hop is our new seasonal beer!
We can no longer hide our love for beer and music. The Hazy Weekend Sessions bring both together: enjoyment, creators who
give their all, and moments that linger. So crack open a Hazy Weekend and
enjoy these sessions!
