Brouwerij de Prael
Dutch brewery with a social mission and folk-music beer names.
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Brouwerij de Prael is a Dutch brewery in Amsterdam’s city center and a member of CRAFT. It was founded in 2002 by Arno Kooy and Fer Kok at a business park outside the city.
The original name, meaning “The Pearl,” was changed to an anagram meaning “The Pomp” after the Budelse Brouwerij objected due to a beer it already produced with that name. In 2008, the brewery moved to the Oudezijds Armsteeg, where a larger brewing system was installed to keep up with demand. A tasting room next to the brewery opened in 2011, and there is also a branch in The Hague.
The brewery and tasting room employ people with disabilities who face difficulty finding work elsewhere, giving the business a social function. In 2002, it was the first Dutch brewery to adopt this approach, a model later followed by others, such as one in Zaanstad.
The beers are named after famous Dutch folk singers, including Johnny, Tante Leen, and Willeke, and the tasting room plays a lot of Dutch-language music. The range of beers is relatively large, varying in taste, color, and alcohol percentage, and includes Dutch, Belgian, and German styles like Kölsch, as well as seasonal offerings. The brewery also brews on behalf of others, known as gypsy brewers.
Lore & Background
Brouwerij de Prael was established in 2002 by Arno Kooy and Fer Kok on the Schinkel business park outside Amsterdam. It was originally called 'The Pearl', but the name had to be changed at the behest of the Budelse Brouwerij, which already made a beer called that. The anagram 'The Pomp' was chosen instead.
In 2008 the brewery moved to the Oudezijds Armsteeg, where a larger brewery was installed to meet increased demand. A tasting room opened in 2011 next to the brewery. The brewery also has a branch in The Hague. The brewery and tasting room employs people with disabilities who have difficulty finding work elsewhere, a social function that Brouwerij de Prael pioneered in 2002 and which has since been followed elsewhere, for example in Zaanstad.
The brewery's beers are named after famous Dutch folk singers such as Johnny, Tante Leen and Willeke, and Dutch-language music is played in the tasting room. The range of beers varies in taste, color and alcohol percentage, and includes Dutch, Belgian and German styles such as Kölsch, as well as seasonal beers. The brewery also brews on behalf of others, so-called gypsy brewers.
Reader's Guide
Brouwerij de Prael holds a distinctive place in Dutch brewing for its dual focus on craft beer and social inclusion. As the first Dutch brewery to deliberately employ people with disabilities, it established a model that has been replicated elsewhere, notably in Zaanstad. Its location in central Amsterdam and its tasting room make it accessible to visitors, while its branch in The Hague extends its reach.
The brewery's practice of naming beers after famous Dutch folk singers and playing Dutch-language music ties its identity to local cultural heritage. Its membership in CRAFT aligns it with the broader craft beer movement. By also brewing for gypsy brewers, it serves as a production partner for other small-scale beer makers.
The brewery's history includes a name change forced by a trademark conflict with Budelse Brouwerij, resolved by adopting an anagram of the original name. Its move to a larger facility in 2008 and the opening of a tasting room in 2011 reflect growth in demand. The brewery's range spans multiple beer styles, including German Kölsch, indicating a willingness to work beyond traditional Dutch and Belgian styles.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Brouwerij de Prael (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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