The Burgundian Beer Cellar filled with aged beers
A lot is happening in the world of craft beers. At this moment we have more breweries in the Netherlands than Belgium and every bar has a variety of craft beers on the menu. One of the new trends is to age beers, something which is already done by brewers or pub owners in the past. Thanks to the Bourgondische Bierkelder (the Burgundian Beer Cellar) this process will be available for the public as well.
Unique concept
The beer lover behind this concept is Bas Schampers: “Since I was younger I have always had a hospitality- and entrepreneurial mindset. After graduating cum laude at the hospitality management university in Breda, I started working as an independent hospitality trainer.” Says Bas. ‘I developed a burgundian lifestyle while growing up and this is the foundation of my interest in craft beers. In recent years, I kept seeing more and more aged beers in the hospitality with as biggest example the Hertog Jan Grand Prestige. ‘I have to do something with these beers’ was what I thought, followed by: ‘How can I add an experience?’.” The idea of the Bourgondische Bierkelder was born.
‘Brabants’ monastery best location for the Burgundian Beer Cellar
While searching for a suitable location, Bas came across an idyllic 18th-century monastery, somewhere in Brabant (in the South of the Netherlands).”There we have the ideal conditions” says Bas. “In the dark cellars the temperature is constant by nature, which makes the beer ripe under ideal conditions. Light and temperature are the biggest enemies of beer.” By keeping an eye on these facets, the beers can make an ideal maturation which results in a nice flavour development in the beers.
Experience
It is all about experience, according to Bram. To taste ripened beer is good, however, you do need to be able to make comparisons. ‘At what age does this beer taste best? A year younger or maybe a little bit older?’ The experience to taste these differences will be available at the Bourgondische Bierkelder for every craft beer lover. You don’t only buy a bottle of your favourite beer here, you buy a package of your favourite beer. The package contains your favourite beer, all ripened at different years. This way, you can literally experience the evolving of the beer.
Crowdfunding
In order to set up the cellars and to create a good assortment, Bas needs a small-scale funding. He is looking for an investment between the twenty- and forty thousand euro. In order to achieve this, a crowdfunding campaign is being launched on the 16th of May.
Website: Bourgondische Bierkelder
