July 11, 2024 · Culinary Journalist
The Watchmaker and the Uurwerkertje were already in the hands of hospitality entrepreneur Koen Hoiting, there is now Belgian Café de Pintelier added. According to him and his manager Alec van Kampen, it is the finest Belgian specialty beer café in Groningen, in the cozy Kleine Kromme Elleboog.
A place frequented by many students, and where most of these pub-goers return once they have outgrown their student days. After all, where else in the city can you find so many fine Belgian beers in one place, and what sets De Pintelier apart from other pubs?
According to Alec, besides the enormously extensive selection, it is really the service. ‘We mainly have students behind our taps, but we do ensure that they all have sufficient knowledge about the beers and that they know what they are serving. We can always recommend something nice to guests, and we work with many different breweries so that we can always put something new on the table. We also stock beers from local breweries like Folkingebrew, Bax, and Graansilo.’
The beer market sometimes seems saturated, especially when you look at all the microbreweries that keep popping up. According to Koen, that peak is now over, and we are actually returning to the old Belgian styles. ‘Quality is what everyone wants, after all, and that isn't always consistent at microbreweries. Beer drinkers simply prefer tasty Belgian beers.’ Alec adds: ‘At one point, every brewery had its own IPA. But you can see that those Belgian styles are actually much better in terms of quality, and also much easier to drink.’
The guys at De Pintelier maintain direct lines of communication with local brewers, meaning they often have a beer in stock the very day it is released. ‘That is why I prefer to have it delivered by the brewers themselves, without anyone in between. That way, we know for sure that we are the first.’
For true enthusiasts looking to venture off the beaten path, the gentlemen have a few tasty treats in store, which they refer to as their ‘secret stash’. Koen, for example, has fine aged Westmalle and Orval in his cellar, while Alec, in turn, can’t wait to pour the large bottles of Fourchette, aged in Sauvignon barrels, to ‘beer geeks’.
‘In general, you notice that the people who come here often fall back on older Belgian beer styles and don’t even go for the most special ones,’ says Koen. ‘The best-selling beers are always the Tripel Karmeliet, Brugse Zot and Le Fort Tripel.’
And, you might not expect it, but alongside all the Belgian beer, alcohol-free beer turns out to sell incredibly well too.
For more information, see www.depintelier.nl.
