On the oldest square in Delft ‘Heilige Geestkerkhof’ next to the Oude Kerk a new gastropub has opened its doors. It seems the perfect location for it, as on this same square in Delft remnants were found of the oldest known brewery in The Netherlands, dating back to 1210. According to my two favorite Dutch beer reference books Bier in Nederland (Marco Daane) and Verloren Bieren van Nederland (Roel Mulder) Delft was once extremely important in the beer production in Holland. A very different picture from the current beer landscape. Great news then that beer café Delfts Brouwhuis and brewery Delftse Brouwers have teamed up to bring craft brewing back to this historic location in Delft.
Delfts Brouwhuis
The plans for a brewpub were long in the making, but finally in 2017 it all came together when the venue next to Café Oude Jan, formerly a Greek restaurant, became available. The owners of Oude Jan jumped at this opportunity and together with John Brus, co-owner of Brouwerij De Molen, agreed to join forces and open a beer café and brewery in the heart of historic Delft on Hippolytusbuurt, one of the oldest canals in the city (which explains the hippo logo of the brewery). An unexpected surprise during the renovations threw them a curveball however when they discovered a 14th century cellar under the building and an archaeologist was brought in to help explore and excavate. It took some charm and convincing to get the city of Delft to agree, but they got permission to open up the cellar to guests of the brewpub. What a wonderful experience to be able to sit and enjoy a beer within the historic walls of the old city!
Delftse Brouwers
Though the brewing installation is located within the brewpub, the beers are made under the name Delftse Brouwers. Currently there are five recurring beers made, all brewed at De Molen in Bodegraven: Blond, Weizen, IPA, Tripel and Pils. I believe they are already available at the some of the local beer stores and supermarkets. Smaller batches and one-offs are made in the installation in the brewpub and will only be available there on tap. During the tour we tasted four of their beers, one of them a lovely saison straight from the tank! The other three were the Weizen, Klunzig Kuiken IPA (the name referring to a mistaken recipe, but the beer turned out good anyway) and Sinaaspril (a one-off Tripel with orange zest).
I recommend taking the tour on Sunday to hear the full story and fun anecdotes of their excavation experience and more about the brewery and the beers. The tour lasts about an hour and costs 15 EUR (includes 4 beer tastings).
In addition to their own beers they have several guest taps, a good food menu and a lovely terrace with a view of the Oude Kerk. Be sure to put it on your places to visit next time you are in Delft!
Check out the websites below for more information on the café and the brewery.
Want to visit?
Address: Hippolytusbuurt 43, Delft
Café: Menu, reservations and brewery tours: https://delftsbrouwhuis.nl/
Brewery: http://www.delftsebrouwers.nl/
Opening hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday: 11:00 – 01:00
Wednesday: 11:00 – 01:00
Thursday: 11:00 – 01:00
Friday: 11:00 – 02:00
Saturday: 11:00 – 02:00
Sunday: 11:00 – 01:00
All photos were taken by Tina Rogers.
Great discovery. I plan to make visit on my next trip to the Netherlands.