Brewed by Women

Sisters Tessel and Do de Heij spent a long time thinking about the name, but why not simply call the beer what it is: brewed by women. Women who make beer—it’s quite unique in the Netherlands.

The beer-brewing market is still dominated by male brewers. And when two fun women who also happen to be related start making good beers, people take notice. In barely two years, the sisters have grown from hobby brewers into professional beer makers.

Starter Kit

Do first came into contact with the world of home brewing in 2013. Every Friday, a colleague brought special home-brewed beers to the office drinks. “I was looking for a fun hobby and was inspired by that colleague. A few weeks later, I went to the brewing supply store with my father and bought a starter kit for making beer. All the quantities of hops, malt and yeast are predetermined, so not much can go wrong. My sister returned from a round-the-world trip that week and she was immediately enthusiastic about making beer too. Together, we got to work.”

To bottle the first batch of beers, they bought empty Grolsch bottles from the supermarket. “The employees looked rather puzzled, but it was of course super convenient and cheap for us.” After months of home brewing and tinkering with empty supermarket bottles, the kitchen became too small. The sisters decided to rent a brewing kettle from a large brewery.

Pub Owners

At the brewery, batches of between 500 and 1,000 litres can be brewed. Occasionally, something still goes wrong. “For example, we may have used too much yeast, or a bacterium ruins the flavour,” says Tessel. After extensive testing, the two had two recipes that worked by April 2015. A few pub owners immediately showed an interest in the beer. Tessel: “We had to think about that for a while, because it was a hobby for us. But in the end, they were so enthusiastic that we supplied them with Gin Weizen and Tricky Tripel.”

We recently tried to recreate Tony Chocolonely’s orange bar in beer form

Pregnant Friend

It’s not just pub owners who are enthusiastic. The sisters are welcomed with open arms by male brewers, who are very curious about the two of them. Their beer-brewing knowledge is occasionally put to the test, but they find that amusing. Being women influences the beer they make. “We recently tried to recreate Tony Chocolonely’s orange bar in beer form. Quite difficult, but we managed fairly well.” The two also want to make an alcohol-free IPA with lots of delicious hops for their pregnant friends. You don’t see men doing that as quickly.

The actual brewing is strenuous work. You work long days, from four to four. That’s why the sisters would love to have their own tasting room or shop with delicious beers alongside the brewing.

Text: Nora van den Heuvel
Image: Gebrouwen door vrouwen