Belgium has its lambic, faro and geuze, spontaneously fermented beers that can only be produced in the Zenne valley and the Pajottenland near Brussels. Or can they? Learn about the historical Lambic beers of Holland. With a recipe.
So now it’s time to disclose the secrets of one of those lost Dutch beers. I’ll start with a simple one: an early Dutch homebrew. After all, it aren’t always professional brewers that make beer. Every day many amateurs make their own. And this is of all ages: before the Second World War there was plenty of homemade beer in Holland too. Where? At the farm!
In the 19th century, one of the most important changes in brewing took place, in Holland just like in the rest of the world: the advent of lager. It meant completely new ways of producing beer, but also new ways of running breweries.
Tucked in between Britain, Belgium and Germany, it is not surprising that The Netherlands, more colloquially known as Holland, is a beer drinking nation. And a nation that boasts a rich brewing history: in the Middle Ages it was a beer production powerhouse. In fact, it was the Dutch who taught Britain and Belgium how to make beer with hops. Even the very word ‘beer’ in English was taken from the Dutch language. There is however one peculiar thing about the Netherlands: all of its historic beers are lost.