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.