Beemster Boezem
Blonde ale
Before excess water is drained from the Beemster polder it is stored in the boezem, the reservoir where water is collected before flowing onwards. The water flows away through a system of canals: the so-called boezem-system. Our blond ale is an homage to this boezem. A beer with a heart of gold. Refreshing, slightly sweet and easy to drink. With hints of honey melon and apricot. The Beemster will surely stay dry, cheers to that!
5%
23
13
Saaz, Magnum, Simcoe, Hull melon and Citra
Ruys
White IPA
Symon Ruys was Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater’s grandfather and a beer brewer in the 16th century. Situated in a small town called De Rijp he was probably already working on a nice dryhopped beer: at that time a technique used for its conservation purposes. Our Ruys is a refreshing and aromatic white ale with strong tropical fruity flavours. The IPA-bitter finish leaves us wanting more. Symon Ruys, this one’s for you.
4.7%
50
6
Cascade, Simcoe en El Dorado
Meizoentje
Spring beer
You may know them, Daisy’s. Those are the flowers with a yellow heart and a white wreath around it. Sometimes the edges of the leaves turn red to purple. Meizoentje is the old folk name for daisy. These plants are well represented in the Land of Leeghwater! Daisy’s bloom all year round, but especially in May. The May month is kissed awake by the overwhelming bloom of May kisses, so the story goes. That explains the name Mei-zoentje (May-kiss). Not everyone knows that daisy’s are edible. You can taste them in Leeghwater’s Spring Beer.
5.5%
35
8
Aramis, Athanum, Cascade and Ella
Rijper Liefde
American Red Ale
Rijper Liefde refers to the hemp mill “De Liefde” from the village of De Rijp in North Holland. De Rijp is located in the heart of the Land of Leeghwater and is the birthplace of Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater. De Liefde was built in the 16th century and burned down some 120 years later as a result of a heavy thunderstorm. Hemp fibers were used in the mill as a raw material for making cloths, ropes and fishing nets. De Liefde was part of the industry in De Rijp, and that at a time when the Land of Leeghwater could make good use of that love.
3.5%
30
40
Bramling Cross, Centennial, Exp. 43
Waaghals
Tripel
He who doesn’t dare, doesn’t win. This is also the case with our Waaghals (Daredevil). This new classic is pleasantly spicy and full of flavor. A sturdy triple that brings out the daredevil in everyone. Is it because of that tempting fruity aroma? Is it that alcohol percentage of 8.8%? Who knows. Who dares…
8.8%
25
10
Saaz, Cascade
Opperbock
Bock beer
An ‘opper’ is a storage place for mowed, still moist grass. A long wooden pole is supported by sloping posts, where the grass is stacked against it to allow it to dry further. In our Opperbock, the wooden pole consists of rye, barley and wheat malt, supported by caramel and liquorice.
And unlike a real opper, this full beer with a slightly bitter finish does not have to dry up as far as we are concerned. The Opperbock embraces you, like the grass embraces the wooden poles. Because of this dark colored beer you only see the best of autumn.
6.3%
25
85
Hallertauer and Magnum
Amsterdam Beer Company
New Amsterdam IPA
Amsterdam Beer Company and Leeghwater Brewery have joined forces to develop a selection of unique craftbeers. Craftbeers with a story, craftbeers from the Land of Leeghwater.
The Land of Leeghwater is a remarkable area of reclaimed land just north of Amsterdam dating back to the early 17th century. This area is known for its lush green pastures and windmills. Under the supervision of hydraulic engineer Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater, lakes were drained using windmills. This is how Leeghwater turned water into land. That land is now a UNESCO World Heritage site with characteristic villages and endless natural beauty.
Amsterdam Beer Company is part of CONO Cheesemakers, a small cooperative of around 440 family farmers, located in this famous area. Its cows graze outside as much as nature allows. CONO produces top quality cheeses and has the most sustainable cheese dairy in the world. The malt that Leeghwater Brewery uses in the production of this craftbeer is reused by the farmers to feed their cows. Both CONO and Leeghwater Brewery are committed to contributing to a circular more sustainable world. Cheers to that!
6.5%
14
7
Citra, Galaxy, Simcoe
Amsterdam Beer Company
Session Pale Ale
Amsterdam Beer Company and Leeghwater Brewery have joined forces to develop a selection of unique craftbeers. Craftbeers with a story, craftbeers from the Land of Leeghwater.
The Land of Leeghwater is a remarkable area of reclaimed land just north of Amsterdam dating back to the early 17th century. This area is known for its lush green pastures and windmills. Under the supervision of hydraulic engineer Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater, lakes were drained using windmills. This is how Leeghwater turned water into land. That land is now a UNESCO World Heritage site with characteristic villages and endless natural beauty.
Amsterdam Beer Company is part of CONO Cheesemakers, a small cooperative of around 440 family farmers, located in this famous area. Its cows graze outside as much as nature allows. CONO produces top quality cheeses and has the most sustainable cheese dairy in the world. The malt that Leeghwater Brewery uses in the production of this craftbeer is reused by the farmers to feed their cows. Both CONO and Leeghwater Brewery are committed to contributing to a circular more sustainable world. Cheers to that!
4.5%
30
24
Athanum, Mosaic
Brewery
It was 2012 when Hans, our head brewer decided to start brewing beer. Local beers, with a lot of hop and with inspiration from the area he drank his own first beer. Special beer with a stubborn character: low in alcohol, lots of flavour. Beer from the Land of Leeghwater.
This began somewhat amateuristic, as many hobbies do. Every guitar player remembers the blisters on their fingers from endless practice, every professional football player once tripped over the ball instead of kicking against it. Where others were perfecting their guitar play or football skills, Hans was goofing around with a big pan on a stove and a wooden spoon in hand.
Many beers later the recipes started to evolve. The beer got better with each brew and the technology and brewing installation improved along the way. The dreams became more realistic, the amount of barrels more impressive. A group of friends raised in the Land of Leeghwater became a devoted and strong entrepreneurial team drawing their inspiration from the Land of Leeghwater: the area, the technology, the nature and of course the water. A team that joined forces for one common goal: turning water into beer.
In the summer of 2017, Brouwerij Leeghwater officially became a BV (limited liability company). Innocent words and terms turned into lively product names. Names that define our heritage, our cultural background, our legacy. Labels were designed and a collaboration with the Jopen brewery in Haarlem was established where our recipes are now being brewed extensively.
Brouwerij Leeghwater produces beer that is brewed with attention to detail and a good dose of quirkiness (and hop!). And the best news is, as long as there’s water in the Land of Leeghwater we’ll continue to turn that water into craft beer. Enjoy!
Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater
In 1575, the man after whom we named our brewery, Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater, was born close to where our brewery is currently situated in a little town called De Rijp. Though his last name Leeghwater, wasn’t his name back then.
At that time, Leeghwater’s native soil, the polder landscape between the cities of Alkmaar, Purmerend, Haarlem and Amsterdam, consisted of peat meadows; vulnerable islands surrounded by water. Leeghwater’s vision was to connect these islands by creating more land. In fact, protecting ‘his’ island De Rijp against the threat of water became one of his goals in life.
In the first half of the 17th century, Leeghwater was closely involved as an engineer in draining the Beemster (1612), Purmer (1622), Heerhugowaard (1625), Wormer (1626), Schermer (1635) and Starnmeer (1643) lakes. For the first time in history, windmills were used to pump water out of lakes to create land. This is why the Beemsterpolder earned a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater turned high water into low water and the peat meadows into an agricultural landscape. Gradually, Leeghwater finished his Magnum Opus: the Land of Leeghwater.
Leeghwater already changed his name in 1605, even before the draining of the Beemster had begun. Before that he was called Jan Adriaenszoon. The surname ‘Leeghwater’ can be translated in English as ‘empty water’ or ‘low water’. As stubborn as he was, he probably thought he would succeed in creating the ‘Land of Leeghwater’. Turns out he was right.
Events
Crew
Hans
Director / head brewer / technician
Hans’ surname should have been ‘Brewer’. That’s how big his passion is for the yellow gold. He is ‘The Man behind Brouwerij Leeghwater’ and if it were up to this versatile genius, all the drained water from the Land of Leeghwater would have long been turned into craftbeer. Improvements in the recipe or brewing process? Hans is your go-to-guy, and thinks nothing of it.
Erik
Director / storyteller / visionary
The most creative and original ideas spring from Erik’s mind. They might occasionally be a bit too wild but that doesn’t make us less enthusiastic. In fact, Erik motivates our Crew to think big. We always listen because he knows how to tell a good story. This way he usually gets us on board, again.
Malou
Director / organizer /
law & communicationlover
Malou is one of those people who think: do something well, or don’t do it at all. All day long (and sometimes at night), she’s overseeing and taking care of the brewery. Her ideas hit you with light speed. And with beastly arguments and crystal clear language she convinces even the biggest sceptics. No wonder she’s the driving force behind our Crew.
Daniel
Multimedia designer / photoshopmagician / enthusiast
The way Daniel sees life, is the way we all want to see it. A go-getter with a capital G. There is nothing you can’t run by him, every idea gets a fair chance. And don’t worry; if he doesn’t agree with something, you will hear it. He’ll raise his hand when he wants to say something, which is nice.
Hannah
Writer / language purist (virtuoso) / companion animal
You rarely come across someone this creative and relaxed at the same time. Hannah spits out texts like a Land of Leeghwater-lama and she’s not afraid to state her opinion. And if you don’t listen, she’ll just write it down including metaphors, hyperboles and all kinds of other style figures. You could fill a book with those if you wanted to.
Bastiaan
Graphic designer / promotional materials / style sensitive
He’s handsome, isn’t he, Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater? Almost as handsome as Bastiaan, our god-of-graphic-design. This man makes the most stylish logos and other beautiful design materials. And apart from that, he is always there for us at every (ir)relevant meeting. With a grin that is more down to earth than anyone else’s in the North of Holland.
Joost
Event coordinator / assistant brewer / musicmastermind
Did you know that Joost means ‘party’ in Old West-Frisian? That’s not true, but it should have been. With groovy tunes playing on the background, Joost brews at his best and every event becomes a success because of him. The musicality flows through his veins, which coincidentally combines perfectly with Leeghwater beer.
Moniek
Marketing strategist / think tank / charmer
When Moniek looks at you with her big blue eyes, you’re already convinced. But then she reveals marketing plans that Facebook strategists would be jealous of. Small side note: she bombards you with questions first. But then you see her eyes again, eh.
