The Netherlands, Tulips, Windmills, and Craft Beer.
Dutch brewing history, for the latter half of the century, paralleled America’s, with a few top lager-producing companies making the lion’s share of beer sold in the country. The microbreweries that did eventually exist in the Netherlands (the first opened in 1981) merely copied Belgian beers, which is understandable given the historical tendons that connect the two countries.
But over the last 15 years, there’s been a dramatic surge in both small brewers and adventurous consumers in the Netherlands. With a host of new flavors being infused into experimental riffs on current global beer styles, a distinctively Dutch brewing identity is now forming with companies such as De Molen, Emelisse, De Prael, Christoffel and Rooie Dop at the forefront.
