June 29, 2017 · Lodewijk Portielje
Because we do not want the weekend of June 23-25, 2017, to be dominated by TT Assen every year, Grunn has done its best to ensure a lot of events in our own city. Groningen Day brought back a lot of old acquaintances, the Jenever & Gin Festival was in The Aa Church and Bax Beer organized it International Craft Beer FestivalNaturally, Horeca Groningen was present everywhere. Here is a report from the Ox market.
Hopefully, you already knew that beer festivals are popular these days. Almost every small town in the Netherlands nowadays has its own version of multi-day fun and beer. Groningen, leading the way as always, hosted its second one this weekend. After the successful Beer Festival in April, our very own Bax Bier decided to bring their friends from other countries to the far north. Upon entry, we received an official tasting glass (25 cl), two tokens, a map with information about the available juice, and a bottle of water (under the motto of “thou shalt hydrate”).
Present were Weschnitztaler Braumanufaktur (Germany), Jopen (Netherlands), Tempest Brew Co (UK), Bax Bier (Netherlands), H2ÖL (Spain), Stone Brewing (USA), Brew Age (Austria), Brewdog (Scotland (assuming the Scots aren't happy if we lump them in with the UK)), Oedipus (Netherlands), and Hooghoudt, which presented a selection of Groningen breweries. Each brewery had brought a number of different beers from their range. What stood out was that IPAs are every brewer's fetish and that the trend of collaborations has spread from the fashion world. Incidentally, the friends at Bax disagree with Heineken, because 0.0 was nowhere to be found. That is probably also why almost everyone had left their children at home.
I'll be honest, I think the Ossenmarkt is the ugliest market in Groningen. The municipality did indeed do its best to spruce up the bare expanse a bit with a practice course for the cycling exam, but to no avail. Every time something happens on the Ossenmarkt, I wonder why anyone would organize it there of all places, but oh well, that is just the way it is. The fact remains that Bax focused primarily on what they are good at: beer. A live band provided some nice tunes and we could hammer nails, hang from jeans, and play table football, but that was about it. The weather did indeed spoil our drinks, but we still expect more decoration or a nicer location for the next edition.
The craft beer pubs and cafés have been proving for years that Groningen loves a special (foreign) beer. However, as far as we are concerned, the International Craft Beer Festival missed the mark on a few points. First of all, we pay an entrance fee. We understand that it costs money to put on a festival. But if I am going to do that, I expect an experience that justifies the entrance fee. A glass that is, so to speak, printed at Shirt a la Minute and only holds 25 cl, a selection of beers of which at least some are simply available in the Netherlands, and the lack of a cool attraction are not worth €12.50 to me.
What also seemed strange to me was the timing. In Groningen, you have three groups of people: locals, students, and lost Frisians. In my view, the festival wasn't well-attended. But then again, that's not surprising. There were plenty of activities throughout Groningen on Saturday centered on Groninginnedag, but that lacked any link to the International Craft Beer Festival. Furthermore, people could go to the TT-Assen all weekend. The exams also played a role. Students regularly use wildcards, but right in the middle of the exam period, those are usually used up too.
One final point I would like to make is the presentation. Personally, I am someone who enjoys useless facts and good stories. If Bax had asked their colleagues to write a story about their origins and why they actually belong among the “best and most unique international breweries,” I would have liked that, and you could have had a bit of a chat with the brewers about their remarkable story. As it was, I got a glass. Nice, but what beer brand doesn't try to foist their glass on you these days?
After reading the report above, you might think that I had a truly disappointing day at the first International Craft Beer Festival. However, that is not how I experienced it. It was nice to see that Groningen is not lagging behind when it comes to beer festivals, and especially cool that our own Bax Bier organized it this time. As with every edition, there are a lot of things that (in my opinion) could be improved. Nevertheless, your reporter and Horeca Groningen hope that the trend of beer festivals in our city continues, whether or not with our tips. Thanks to Bax Bier and his crew; the side dishes were sometimes a bit odd, but all in all, it leaves me wanting more!
Author: Lodewijk Portielje
