Bogdike beer: the beer from Veendam

Bogdike beer has made a name for itself in the world of craft beers. With a combination of traditional brewing methods and innovative techniques, Bogdike offers a range of beers that excel in both taste and quality.

A trademark of Bogdike beers is the artisanal brewing method. In contrast to industrially produced beers, Bogdike’s brewers attach great importance to quality and individuality. The brewing process is done in small batches, which allows for careful monitoring and adjustment of each step.

One of the unique techniques Bogdike employs is the use of glass brewing kettles. These kettles are located in the guest room of the restaurant in the Brouwhotel Parkzicht and offer an incomparable brewing experience, especially on Friday, the brewing day.

Brewing beer in a glass brewing kettle

The glass brewing kettle combines the art of traditional beer brewing with the advantages of modern technology, creating a unique brewing experience for brewers and beer lovers alike.

The advantages of the glass brewing kettle

One of the most obvious advantages of the glass brewing kettle is its transparency. Throughout the brewing process, brewmasters and visitors to the restaurant can visually follow the progress. This visibility allows the brewmaster to closely monitor the process and make immediate adjustments if necessary. For visitors, the glass brewing kettle provides an educational and fascinating experience as they can literally see the beer being created before their eyes.

The brewing process in the glass brewing kettle

Mashing

In the glass brewing kettle, the brewing process begins with mashing, in which malt and water are mixed. The enzymes in the malt convert the starch into sugar, a crucial step for the subsequent fermentation. The transparency of the kettle allows the master brewer to keep a close eye on the mashing process.

Boiling

After mashing, the mixture is boiled to kill unwanted microorganisms and add the hops that give the beer its characteristic flavor. Here too, the transparency of the glass brewing kettle allows the brewer to keep a close eye on the boiling process.

Further brewing process

Once the process in this part of the brewery is complete, the semi-finished beer is pumped through hoses into another area of the microbrewery. This can be viewed if you visit the brewery store at the hotel. There are modern storage tanks for fermentation and maturation, as well as the bottling plant.

Fermentation

The wort is then cooled to reach the optimum temperature for fermentation. Yeast is then added, which converts the sugar in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process gives the beer its alcohol content and carbon dioxide. Fermentation usually takes about a week. During this time, it is important to keep the temperature in the fermentation tank constant.

Bottling and maturing

Once fermentation is complete, the beer is bottled or kegged. Although the beer is already drinkable, it can gain further flavor through additional maturation. In smaller breweries in particular, great importance is attached to the maturation of the beer. In this way, they achieve a taste experience that many large breweries cannot offer.

Which Bogdike beers are available?

Scott Hawkings has been the brewmaster responsible for the production of Bogdike beers since 2020. During this time, he has created some exceptional and, above all, good-tasting beers that are regularly produced in small quantities.

The beers he brewed include, for example:

Veendamer Twisted Wit

The Veendamer Twisted Wit is a top-fermented, slightly cloudy Hefeweizen with an alcohol content of around 4.5%. I found the color a little pale, the beer smelled slightly of citrus fruits. The taste was wonderfully pleasant, soft and slightly spicy with quite a lot of carbonation for my taste.

Tarwe Weizen

As the name suggests, Tarwe Weizen is a wheat beer. The alcohol content is around 5.5%. The beer shimmers golden yellow in the glass, but unfortunately the foam disappeared after a short time. The beer tasted fruity, but not as banana-like as many other wheat beers.

Adriaan Tripel 6

Adriaan Tripel 6 is an amber-colored Belgian Tripel with an alcohol content of around 6.5-7.5% by volume. Despite the slightly fruity aroma, I found the beer to be quite strong.

Mooie Rooie

This unfiltered Irish Red Ale has a beautiful amber to red color. You can really taste the roasted caramel malt and the slightly hoppy finish.

Where can you get Bogdike beer?

If you would like to take the beer home with you, you can buy it in the brewery store right next to the hotel entrance of the Brouwhotel Parkzicht. Here you can buy not only this beer, but also beers from other breweries. When there are not so many customers in the store, you can also take a look at the storage tanks and, with a bit of luck, the bottling plant.

Fancy a Bogdike beer from the tap? In the restaurant located in the Brouwhotel Parkzicht you can not only eat well, but also enjoy a freshly tapped Bogdike beer, and if you are there on a Friday, you have a good chance of watching it being brewed in the glass brewing kettles.

Address

Museumplein 3,
Veendam

The visit to the brewery was part of the program of a billing trip to the Groningen region.