The Story
As ordinary pub owners, we were stuck for years with big pilsner brands. When we came across locally brewed beer, we realized that the beer we were used to drinking wasn’t actually that special. Could it be done differently, we thought – could we just make it ourselves?
Even though up to that point our experience was limited to drinking beer and not brewing it, we went for it. We wanted to set up a brewery in a beautiful spot in the city. And we wanted everyone to be able to see how we brewed and enjoy super-fresh beer straight from the brewery.
How It All Began
We started by opening our first brewpub at Cornelis Troostplein in Amsterdam’s Pijp neighborhood. Of course, it wasn’t easy – we had to learn how to brew, develop recipes, get permits, find a location, figure out tap techniques, and of course, find the right people to help us set up the brewpub.
Eventually, we succeeded, and in 2013 we brewed our first beers. The Cornelis Troostplein brewpub was embraced by the neighborhood, and the success quickly meant we needed more capacity.
We opened a second brewery and brewpub at the Westergasfabriek, this time with a much larger brewing system. At that point, we became the largest independent brewery in Amsterdam. This also allowed people outside our brewpubs to get to know our beers, as we now had enough beer to sell to other bars and fill bottles for stores.
Later, we opened a third location on Bilderdijkstraat in Oud-West and Troost Oost on Land van Cocagneplein, though unfortunately, we had to close both of these.
Nowadays, we focus mainly on brewing for our own pubs. We sell less externally, so we can better match production to what’s really needed. This way, we maintain quality control, can react quickly, and ensure our beer always comes fresh from the tank – never sitting in a warehouse collecting dust.
Over the years, our range has expanded significantly. In 2013, we tapped three beers – now we have ten standard beers on tap, plus a rotating selection. From non-alcoholic IPAs to barrel-aged barleywines, there’s always something new to try!
Along the way, we discovered we could make even more ourselves. We now not only brew beer but also produce our own soft drinks, distill multiple gins and jenevers from leftover beer, bake bread with our spent grain, and even roast our own coffee beans. Simply because we love doing things ourselves!
