Judging 21 homebrew Maibocks is a great experience. The variety in beers is great. Some are outright great, some are very good beers in a different style, and with some you hope they take your feedback well and improve in the next iteration.

#Beer tasting club was seasonally themed yesterday. We had Bocks. For most, a fresh one from this year, and a very old one (2011, 2006, 2003). The old ones were more similar than the fresh, thinner, aroma of apple syrup and port. All bitterness and roast notes were gone. Some still had carbonation!

A beer filled week ahead: 16 written beer reviews due, the local tasting club night on Tuesday and on Thursday I'll be judging (and orchestrating the judgment process) in a home brew competition for Maibocks. Could be worse!

Chill haze in action! Some beers show a haze when they're cold. Above about 10 degrees Celsius this should largely be gone. Left image: the same beer at fridge and room temperatures. Right: 20 minutes later.

Perhaps some language education would be helpful for the Warsteiner packaging staff.

Is this a check to see if I can order one more beer?

Plans made! I made printed visuals of the brewing process and of a flavor wheel. Will talk for ~5 minutes about how to taste, a ~5 minute quick overview of main ingredients and process. Then 10 minutes of tasting at 2 out of 3 tables with ingredients present, and 2 exemplary beer styles.

Women speak out about sexism in the beer industry www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/09/wome... @teamdb.bsky.social

Meet the new Standard Work, in Dutch, on beer styles. Or types, rather. Derek Walsh put a tremendous amount of knowledge, research and work into this long-awaited book. Such a joy to just browse the pages and absorb the wisdom.

O'zapft is! 🍻

I had some fun with the European Beer Star 2025 results table. I made a little writeup: tasteofcraftbeer.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/e...

I'm asked to give (two rounds of) "beer workshops", lasting only 25 minutes, for an unknown number of people, but I'm guessing roughly 25. What do you do to make this entertaining and somewhat educational? Any experience among my followers here?

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Nederlandse brouwers opgelet! De Grolsch Proefbrouwerij biedt aan dat bieren van micro- en nano-brouwerijen eenmalig (gratis!) door een laboratorium en smaakpanel kunnen worden getest, via de Vakmannen & Meesters podcast. De ideale manier om de waarde van lab- en sensorische testen te ondervinden!

I forgot to post about it, but the Open Baladin in Rome is also great. A large selection of their own and a bottle of beer nice collaboration and guest beers. Their dozens of taps span a great range of styles from Italian Pils, Bock and Rauch to, wheat, Gose, Grape Ale, (I)PA, sour, Barleywine, ...

The Dutch ended up being numbers 1 and 2. What a phenomenal performance. 👌🏻 Congrats to Léon Rodenburg and Dennis Kort!

De Kromme Haring has always been a great brewery. I was browsing their website and noticed a massive focus on lagers (many types!) and (funky) saisons. I can only approve, so I ordered a box full. Will report in due time, but the first sips are promising.

This weekend, Munich hosts the World Championship of Beer Sommeliers. The final will be broadcast live on YouTube. Go Team NL! doemens.org/en/events/wo...

Serious question: why do tax free shops at airports sell every drink and snack imaginable, but no beer at all?

The first impression does the job! I'm in Artisan (a beer bar in Rome) and order a Helles. I get a proper poor, and the glass is cleaned before it's handed over. All of that in a cozy bar, with a great selection. 👌🏻

I really think a brewery should not name the Weizen in their lineup "Wit". It only adds to confusion. It's especially bad when they know very well it's a Weizen.

I'll be in Rome, Italy, for the coming 4 days. What beery goodness should I not miss (either beverages, or places to visit)?

Beer life without (the other) social media. tasteofcraftbeer.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/b...

So the new book by Derek Walsh will soon be released. I'm excited! It's in Dutch. Don't ask me why.

It's been far too long. #BeerStyleComparison time! Quadrupel and Barleywine (sometimes written as two words) are comparable and related, but different. De Magistraat brews one of each, facilitating comparison. Ingredient-wise, almost identical. Color? Both dark amber to light or even dark brown.

I've lived in Baltimore, a while ago. So it was nice to hear Brian Strumke in the Brewer to Brewer podcast. Including a shout out to The Brewer's Art, a brew pub that I spent too much time and money at, without a single atom of regret. open.spotify.com/episode/02BN...

A fridge takeover of Goose Island (or rather, their Bourbon County line) at a local bar. So much deliciousness! Various incarnations of BCBS, BCBBW (angle wheat wine), including limited editions like the Cherry Wood. I only visited briefly, but couldn't resist the opportunity.

During our last local beer tasting club night, we had this amazing blend! 2/3 Deugniet (Belgian strong golden ale) and 1/3 Bruxellensis by De la Senne (a strongly Brett forward beer). Brilliant combination by Patrick of beer cafe De Paas in The Hague!

Beer store Hopdonders in Apeldoorn has a Lego table for the kids and a pool table. Great thinking! Good selection, too.

Life of a beer sommelier. Tonight, it was time for another flavor compound training. Not my specialty, but with 5 out of 12 correct, I'm not dissatisfied.

Today I was lucky enough to attend the MultiBier Xperience Outdoor. A tasting event by Maisel's in-house sommelier Michael Werner on Bavarian beer culture, with matching food, was my highlight. Browsing the stands of many national and international brewers was fun, too!

The bartender yesterday grabbed in what appeared to be a purely decorative crate, and came back down his wobbly staircase with three almost 2-year old Orval bottles. His glasses were roughly the same age. It was a good night.

So, after 4 fun iterations, we have decided: no more masterclasses at the brewery. I can probably spend my time better anyway, let me know if you need some beery education, in any capacity!

Every so often, you go to a beer event, but still need to bring a proper glass for whatever reason. I have often wrapped a tasting glass in a towel, to put that in a box that didn't quite fit. No longer! I bought this metal case with rubber lining that perfectly fits a high quality tasting glass!

Was at Taphuys today, for the first time in a long while. It's a bar with 60-something taps to choose from where you can pour beer yourself. The selection was rather disappointing.

Presented a masterclass for the first time in quite a while. 3,5 hours of nerdiness around the topic of beer styles!

There are a few tickets left! Masterclass on beer styles, April 14 in Leiden. In Dutch! brouwerijpronck.nl/product/pron...

In a bar that I like to visit, the bartender: "I guess a Weihenstephaner isn't technically a Weizen." I'll see myself out and won't be back for a while.

When you're out of IPA, serving me a Dubbel instead is an interesting choice. At least you can ask me before pouring it, right? In their defense: it was a fairly hoppy Dubbel.

This is what 15 year old excellence looks like.

It's been a while since this beer played a main role in my birthday. Good to have it again, though!

I was early for a train, so I spent 20 minutes in a bar outside Rotterdam Central Station. Bartender was wearing an Orval apron. He had Orval fresh, half a year old, and more than a year old. Even though I do fully appreciate that very much, I tried another, local beer.

Obligatory.

I spent much of my university years in Kafé België in Utrecht. Tonight, I have a meeting upstairs. Probably followed by a beer downstairs, if time allows.

Apparently, for the Austrian consumer, original gravity is a thing. In the Netherlands, people would have no idea what this means.

Austria is a country with a great beer culture. Still, in ski resorts, getting some sort of variety is a major challenge...

De Moersleutel released a 0.5% imperial stout. Imperial means high in alcohol. Why still call it imperial? For the body? I don't know yet if I'm curious.

A Founders KBS with a BBD in 2017. A classic for a reason. Oxidation works out well, with Madeira and some Port notes. Coffee, chocolate. The influence of the barrel is certainly there, but not dominating the flavor. Any sharp edges, if ever present, are gone. Awesome!

Porters from Germany aren't overly common, but this one hits the nail straight on its head! Dolden Dark by Riedenburger Brauhaus. Aroma: Espresso, dark chocolate, a touch of winter spices.