Tasty Tales

13/11/2024

A Friendly Dutch Blond from Deventer.

🏎 Café Racer was the first beer to be served at DAVO brewpub in Deventer when they opened in 2016. This beer hasn't disappeared from tap since then as they are still pouring it as their house beer. A friendly blond beer, slightly spicy and a good thirst quencher at 5,8% ABV.

📍 Davo's home base is located in an old machine factory in Deventer. Large brewing kettles, a bar with 12 taps and a fire place in winter. Yep, that sounds good! It's been too long since our last visit, so it's about time for a little road trip...

25/10/2024

Despite a leaking roof, smashed windows and a rotten foundation, the old Jacobs church became the home of Jopen Bier.

🍺 Re-creating an original Haarlem historic beer, to commemorate the 750th anniversary of Haarlem, that was the idea. Michel Ordeman, a student that had plans to start a brewpub in Haarlem, was asked to participate in this project and that was the origin of Jopen Bier. Now, almost 30 years later, he still is one of the co-owners of this large independent Dutch craft brewery.

⛪️ Jopenkerk Haarlem has an impressive interior with stained glass windows, high ceiling and a raised platform where the brewhouse is situated. This brewery church is now a must visit for beerlovers. The kitchen also serves excellent food for lunch and dinner.

👉Find out more: https://www.tastytales.tv/breweries/jopen-bier/

01/10/2024

Moules-frites with Dutch white wine from the province of Zeeland.

🚜 Winemaker Johan van de Velde of Wijnhoeve de Kleine Schorre is the 4th generation on this farm where they used to grow potatoes and onions. The old farm even has an original black-tarred barn that dates back to 1735.

🍇 The farming business was not so good anymore at the end of the century and taking over the business from his parents could be a bit risky. A conversation with a neigbour over a good bottle of genever persuaded his father to look at the possibilities of growing grapes.

🇱🇺 Knowing nothing about grapes or wine is quite an obstacle when starting a winery so Johan went to study for three years at Luxembourg winery Cep d’Or. In 2001 the construction of the vineyard began and nowadays his entire life revolves around winegrowing.

👉 Like to know more? https://www.tastytales.tv/wineries/wijnhoeve-de-kleine-schorre/

26/09/2024

Popular Dutch TV-show RTL Boulevard 'forgot' to ask us permission this time to use some of our footage on national television two weeks ago. The TV-show aired a story on the growing number of wineries in the Netherlands.

🎥 Watch the original short videos on our YouTube-channel https://www.youtube.com/ Hitting that subscribe button is always appreciated 🙏

21/09/2024

It was about time we added some new pictures to the listing of Amsterdam brewery and brewpub Brouwerij Poesiat & Kater on our website. This week we paid an early afternoon visit, when all was still quiet.

🍻 Check out this good story that begins in 1733 when Brouwerij De Gekroonde Valk (The Crowned Falcon) was founded in Amsterdam. In 1791 the brewery had a name change and was named Van Vollenhoven, after the new owner. Around 1900 it had become the largest brewery of the Netherlands with export to all continents of the world!

Find out more: https://www.tastytales.tv/breweries/brouwerij-poesiat-kater/

12/09/2024

In July we visited castle brewery Ter Dolen in the north of Belgium.

🏰 The 16th-century castle, with roots that trace back to the Middle Ages, was purchased by Mieke Desplenter in 1993 with the ambition of establishing a brewery on the grounds. The castle itself was a delightful addition to the experience.

🍻 Inspired by the history of the castle, Mieke decided to focus on brewing abbey beers. The first beer produced was Ter Dolen Blond. For the first few months, this was the only beer available, but soon other classic Belgian styles were added to the core range, including a Tripel, a Dark beer, a Kriek, and, more recently, a Witbier.

👉Like to read more about this castle brewery? https://www.tastytales.tv/breweries/kasteelbrouwerij-ter-dolen/

09/09/2024

"A small crowd of people is into jazz, while a lot of people like beer.”

🎷 Founder of Amsterdam brewery Walhalla Brouwerij & Proeflokaal, Aart van Bergen, is a seriously talented tenor saxophone player that used to be a professional musician. Inspired by the likes of John Coltrane and other great jazz tenor sax players, music was really his passion. But his perspective on living the life of a jazz musician gradually changed over the years as it’s not an easy life.

👹 As Aart was a home brewer already for a number of years, he made the choice to start a new life in beer. The brewery was founded in 2015 and inspired by mythology, fantasy movies and games, Aart named his brewery 'Walhalla Craft Beer'. After a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2017 the production brewery moved to a former garage that used to be a tyre center for trucks, in Amsterdam Noord.

🍻 Saturday September 14th Walhalla (13:00-01:00) organizes the last Walhalla & Friends at the current location. As this industrial area in the north of Amsterdam is changing fast, the brewery and taproom will have to move to a new location. Breweries like Oproer, Brouwerij KEES, Butcher’s Tears and Two Chefs Brewing are also present and will bring some of their best beers. See you there!

👉 Like to know more about this Amsterdam brewery?
https://www.tastytales.tv/breweries/brouwerij-walhalla/

05/09/2024

Last weekend, we attended the first edition of the Wine Festival of the Low Countries (Wijnfestival van de Lage Landen). Thirty Dutch and Belgian vineyards were present, showcasing their wines. You can read more about it in this blog post on our website: https://www.tastytales.tv/blog/netherlands-wine-festival-of-the-low-countries/

05/09/2024

Our video about Belgian brewery Brouwerij De Halve Maan is our second video to reach 10K views on YouTube! 🎉😊

Brouwerij De Halve Maan in Bruges is better known for its homegrown brands Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik. And for their beer pipeline under Bruges! There ha...

23/08/2024

Put your hands up for natural wine from The Netherlands!

🇳🇱 Dutch winemaker Ron Langeveld and his life partner Monique van der Goes manage their vineyard in harmony with nature. This means no artificial fertilizers are used, and there is no spraying, whether with fungicides, pesticides, or herbicides.

💚 In 2014 we visited winery Wijngaard Dassemus for the first time. The vineyard now has grown to six hectares, is certified organic (Skal) and since August 2021 Demeter (bio-dynamic) certified.

🍷 Red, white, rosé and orange wines are produced here, made from 13 different modern grape varieties. Besides wines they also produce ciders, sparkling wines and Eau de Vie distillates.

👉 Like to know more? https://www.tastytales.tv/wineries/wijngaard-dassemus/

17/08/2024

📢 Don't miss out! This new winefestival on September 1st presents Dutch and Belgian wineries!

🥂 Visiting Dutch and Belgian wineries in summer is a great idea, but even more fun: a substantial number of vineyards listed on our Tasty Tales website will be present at the first Wijnfestival van de Lage Landen (Wine Festival of the Low Countries)!

🍇 To name a few: Twentewijn, Wijngaard de Frysling, De Reestlandhoeve, Wijndomein Auansati, Wijnboerderij 't Heekenbroek, Domein Holset - BruisendWijnhuis,Wijngaard Aan De Breede Beek, Betuws Wijndomein, Wijngoed Montferland and many more Dutch and Belgian wineries.

And yes, we will be there too! See you there?

• When: Sunday, 1 September 2024, 13:00-18:00hrs
• Where: Landgoed (Estate) Mariënwaerdt in Beesd
• Website: http://wijnfestivallagelanden.com/
• Tickets: https://shop.eventix.io/a4dc0bf8-0bb7-11ef-a9cb-7e126431635e/tickets

15/08/2024

We added a new Belgian winery to our website!

🇧🇪 Wijndomein DeSteinberg in the Belgian province of Limburg is named after Steenberg, the slope where the first grapevines were planted. It is one of the largest vineyards in Belgium.

🍇 llse Swennen and her husband Dominique Dedecker purchased a house on the outskirts of Bree. Behind their home, a sloping hill beckoned to be planted with grapevines. It was a dream Ilse had long cherished and being the enterprising couple that they are, they wasted no time in making it a reality.

🍷 In 2016, the hill they overlook from their home was transformed into a vineyard spanning about three hectares. Eager to expand, they searched for more suitable land nearby and eventually acquired 25 hectares in Oudsbergen. Once fully planted, Wijndomein de Steinberg will be one of the largest vineyards in Belgium.

👉 Like to know more about this Belgian winery?
https://www.tastytales.tv/wineries/wijndomein-de-steinberg/

18/07/2024

Over 12.000 views for our short video about Amsterdam brewery Brouwerij 't IJ! 😊 🍻 Subscribing is always appreciated 🙏

Brouwerij 't IJ and the iconic windmill are in the Top 5 Amsterdam breweries of many a beerlover. Amsterdam might have some major and well known beer produce...

08/07/2024

✨New winefestival presents Dutch and Belgian wineries! ✨

🥂 Visiting Dutch and Belgian wineries this summer is of course a must, but even more fun: a substantial number of vineyards listed on our Tasty Tales website will be present at the first Wijnfestival van de Lage Landen (Wine Festival of the Low Countries)!

🍇 To name a few: Wijngaard Hof van Twente, Wijngaard De Frysling, Wijngoed De Reestlandhoeve, Wijndomein Auansati, Wijnboerderij 't Heekenbroek, Domein Holset, Wijngaard Aan de Breede Beek, Betuws Wijndomein, Wijngoed Montferland and many more Dutch and Belgian wineries.

And we will be there too! See you there?

• When: Sunday, 1 September 2024, 13:00-18:00hrs
• Where: Landgoed (Estate) Mariënwaerdt in Beesd
• Website: http://wijnfestivallagelanden.com/
• Tickets: https://shop.eventix.io/a4dc0bf8-0bb7-11ef-a9cb-7e126431635e/tickets

06/07/2024

Brouwerij De Halve Maan, renowned Belgian family brewery.

🇧🇪 Five years ago we had the chance to sit down with Xavier Vanneste, sixth generation family brewer of Belgian brewery Brouwerij De Halve Maan in Bruges. For our short video (with nearly 10.000 views on YouTube!) about this brewery we asked him all about the place that attracts every year over 100.000 visitors from all over the world.

🍻 Xavier installed new tanks and a modern brewing installation in 2005 after the brewing production came to a halt for a few years. He picked up the brewing production again and pretty soon the new Brugse Zot beer became a succes. The brand Straffe Hendrik was acquired by another brewery in the 1980’s but since 2008 it is back in the hands of Brouwerij De Halve Maan.

✅ The brewery tour and the historical exhibition are a must see when visiting Bruges. When all is said and done you can enjoy a beer or two in the taproom or on the terrace (weather permitting).

👉 Like to know more about thisBelgian brewery?
https://www.tastytales.tv/breweries/brouwerij-de-halve-maan/

19/06/2024

With Belgium being literally a stone’s throw away it is not surprising that Maastricht offers a good choice of beery places.

🍻 Breweries, beer bars and beer stores, it's all there. If you arrive by train and head downtown to the Maas river then Stadsbrouwerij Maastricht (City Brewery Maastricht) should be your first destination. The building also includes a well stocked beer store.

🚌 Beer tavern Biertaverne de Gouverneur and beer bar Stadsherberg de Poshoorn are also worth a visit, while in the vicinity of Maastricht Gulpener BrouwLokaal is only a short busride away.

And there is more, so check our blogpost about Maastricht, written by Martijn Buisman (aka Dutch Beer Explorer), contributing author to Tasty Tales.

👉 https://www.tastytales.tv/blog/netherlands-5-tips-for-drinking-beer-in-maastricht/

14/06/2024

At first sight the northern Dutch province of Friesland is not your typical wine country.

🇳🇱 Wijngaard de Frysling is located in a small village named Twijzel, in a mainly agricultural region. This Dutch winery is owned by Jantiene and Douwe Broersma. Initially it was Douwe who felt the urge to spend more time outside. An article in a local newspaper about a winery in Friesland triggered something and soon Jantiene and Douwe realized they were in for the adventure.

🍇 Because it can be quite cold in Friesland, they planted relatively newly developed grape varieties. Johanniter, Solaris, Souvignier Gris, Pinotin, Cabernet Cortis and Cabernet Noir are varieties that can withstand the Dutch climate and have a high degree of resistance to downy mildew and other diseases. The first vines were planted in 2009 and a lush vineyard has been created over the years.

👉 Like to know more about this Dutch winery?
Visit: https://www.tastytales.tv/wineries/wijngaard-de-frysling/

14/06/2024

Visiting Amsterdam this summer? Check out local craft brewery Krux on Cruquius Island. Contributing writer to Tasty Tales, Martijn Buisman (aka Dutch Beer Explorer), wrote this blogpost. Worth a read!

A look at a lesser known Amsterdam Brewery: Krux