More beer highlights
There were of course many more special moments this year; too many to name in one blog post. I do want to give a shoutout to my friend Erik Terlouw of Brouwerij IJssel who put on his very first (and very successful) beer festival in Krimpen aan den IJssel with Rotterdam guest breweries Jelster and Vet & Lazy, which was sold out in no time. Next year it will be back and even bigger and better!
In February Etienne Vermeulen, head brewer at Kaapse Brouwers and De Bebaarde Brouwer, won the Dutch Craft Award 2024 for best brewer. Well done and a proud moment for Kaapse and for Rotterdam! A very deserved award for an expert brewer who is well-respected by the beer community. Congratulations also to Brouwerij Noordt and Jelster Bier for being nominated for the best brewery award.
For his 40th birthday local beer ambassador Michael Pelle, aka Yoda’s Beerhut, brewed an English style Best Bitter beer together with Jelster ‘Dagobah Elixer’, which was released in July and I was one of the first to get a taste. A nice easy drinking beer and very limited edition.
Something to look forward to next year is the opening of Café Donders, previously named Café De Stal, on Uitweg in Hillegersberg. For the new owner, former bar manager of BrewDog Rotterdam and the taproom at Noordt, it is a dream come true to have his own place. Looking forward to the opening in January!
In more personal news, I broke my own beer festival attendance record. This year I managed to visit 22 festivals, a number which I don’t expect to top any time soon! Some small, some big, some local, some far away, but all were impressive in their own way. Keep an eye out for my events page where I will add the ones I think are worth a visit.
Wishing you all a hoppy and healthy New Year!
