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There is no real definition of craft beer, yet it has crazily rocked the beer industry. It is a term on which opinions vary widely, but on a few points almost everyone agrees. Craft beer is not associated with a specific style of beer and is made by enthusiasts with a great passion for beer brewing. All enthusiastic brewers who like to experiment and push the boundaries. In complete freedom! And that is exactly what you will find here at Uiltje; not only mountains of hops, but also mountains of passion and enthusiasm!
The history of Craft beer
The craft beer revolution started in the United States, before it would blow over to the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe - and thus to the Netherlands. Many American brewers experimented with old school beer recipes and new, flavorful American hops, resulting in some extraordinary "out there" beers. Soon, beer drinkers couldn't get enough of hoppy beer styles, and worldwide demand for these new beers - craft beers - exploded. And ... the rest is history! Today, craft brewers continue to experiment with ingredients and new techniques with one goal: to make the best beer possible!
Many craft breweries originated in the kitchens of beer drinkers who started making beer at home. Most of them eventually said goodbye to their jobs to pursue their dreams as full-time beer makers. Just as our Rob, founder of Uiltje, did. In his kitchen transformed into a brewery, he came up with one successful recipe after another. After learning the tricks of the trade with our friends at Jopen, he founded Uiltje Brewery in 2015.
The color of craft beer
The color of craft beer is very much related to the type of malt used to brew the beer. The differences per glass are great, ranging from pale gold to ruby red and from dark amber to almost black (as in our stouts). Before you put your lips to the beer glass, take a moment to hold your glass up to the light and admire the color of your beer. That way you can immediately see what type of beer you are going to enjoy!
You'll find that 99% of all beers fall into these categories. Yet at Uiltje we do things a little differently, with beer colors not unlike those from a bag of skittles (nice to know: Uiltje has its own skittle beer!). We have brewed green, pink and even blue beers. And that has already brought a lot of surprised looks at the bar!
Different types of craft beer
Where to start, with all these different types of craft beer? Like the sailors who brought the original India Pale Ale from Britain to India, these days you need a compass to navigate through the multitude of beer styles. Let's kick off with the IPA, which was rediscovered and reinvented by American brewers. They used American hops to create beers bursting with bitters and flavors! Now you can divide IPAs into subcategories such as the West Coast IPAs and the cloudy New England IPAs. We even brewed our own IPA: a South West IPA! But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as brewers have really experimented with everything from traditional pilsners and sour beers to stouts and porters! There are even hybrid beer styles these days - anyone fancy an India pale lager?
Oh, and let's not forget barrel-aged beers! By using old wine, sherry, port or whiskey barrels to age beer, you'll eventually find all these great flavors in your Uiltje beer glass.
Craft beer and food pairing
That food pairing is primarily associated with wine is really a thing of the past. Because beer also plays a big role these days! And did you know that not so long ago we introduced our beer at restaurant De Librije, a Michelin star restaurant in Zwolle? Here they serve our most famous IPA beer, Bird of Prey, with one of their sophisticated dishes. And that is the beauty of craft beer: thanks to the large number of different beer styles, there is a suitable beer for every dish! And chances are, if you sit down at a restaurant where they are passionate about their beer, they are also passionate about their food!
Whether you want to "wash away" your bitterballs with a Bird of Prey or enjoy a Dr. Raptor with a juicy steak with fries, there really is a craft for every occasion. Wondering if hoppy IPAs go well with spicy dishes? Definitely! They go perfectly with tacos and with a spicy curry. And for those who want to make it über-Dutch: craft beer drinks really well with a good piece of cheese!
Craft beer and Uiltje Brewing Company
Hopefully it has slowly become clear: we at Uiltje Brewery are actually the definition of craft beer. What started as a hobby for Rob has grown into a mature organization. And we are very proud of that. Our ethos has remained the same all along: we love what we do, while continuing to grow and never compromising on the quality of our beers. That's especially important with our Fresh & Fast beer subscription, where you can enjoy freshly canned beers less than 48 hours after they roll off the line at our place. Super fresh, IPAs at their very best. In addition to our regular range of IPAs, we've experimented with other beer styles like sour beer, pilsner-style beers and dark beers, think stouts and porters. We've even brewed beautiful barrel-aged beers! If you walk through our Uiltje nest, you will be welcomed with open arms by our passionate team. Always with a smile on their face and always looking to push the boundaries of brewing!
Got thirsty? In the Uiltje brewing webshop you can order all kinds of craft beer!