Groningen has gained another brewery.

Since October 2015, Groningen has had a new brewery. Brewery PIVO was founded by three friends from Groningen with unconventional ideas about beer, who decided to turn this hobby into their profession. A defining feature is the Groningen interpretation of Bohemian and Bavarian beer styles.

The Biotope, the former Biological Centre of the University of Groningen in Haren, currently offers living and working space to 300 people. It has been located here since 2015 PIVO Brewery in the old aquarium house. In March of last year, three men started building their own brewing installation, which was completed in October. Last January, they started supplying liquor stores and the hospitality industry.

The beers originating from here are bottom-fermented beers, pilsners in this case. They are brewed according to the 500-year-old Reinheitsgebot. This means that nothing is added other than malt, hops, water, and yeast. As a result, PIVO can guarantee the purity of their pilsners. They work with a single exclusive type of hop and a base malt that is imported directly from the Czech Republic. The yeasts are cultivated in-house, and they experiment with variations in the yeast.

All of this came about after three housemates – Karst van der Heide, David Ekkers, and Tom van Lenten – took a trip to the Czech Republic during their studies. Upon their return, they discovered that the beer they drank in the pub here didn't taste quite as good as the beers in the Czech Republic, to which they had become so attached. And what do you do when you can't find something you want? That's right, you make it yourself!

Six years after the trip to the Czech Republic, PIVO beer is now available to everyone in the form of: Groningse Glorie, Vloeibaar Brood, and Speciaal Pilsner. PIVO can be found at Speciaalbier, among others. Café De Koffer, Café De Toeter and the Mitra on the Vismarkt.

Author: Amedé Disbeschl