About Blasphemous Beer
Blasphemous Beer, like many other brands, started with a genuine passion for beer, in a small apartment in the Spaarndammerbuurt in Amsterdam in 2015. The general idea was that of recreating specific beer styles which are hard to come by in Amsterdam, such as (North) German Pilseners or Irish Stouts. Amsterdam has a rich history of brewing, and one could say that the city itself owes a lot to this fine art. The city started off a s a small village of fishermen around the 12th century and, due to its strategic position, it rapidly became an important trading post for fish and beer merchants. The Dutch have been mastering the art of brewing for centuries, however, starting from the late 19th century, the Dutch beer sector experienced an unprecedented degree of concentration. Tougher competition and expansionist practices of industrial breweries led to a substantial shakeout of local and family-owned breweries. The major players rapidly expanded their capacity by means of the establishment of new brewing locations and the takeover of smaller competitors, in part facilitated by a growing export market. The number of independent producers dropped dramatically from hundreds to a fistful of survivors in the 1980s. The concentration wave brought also a significant homogenization, proven by the fact that by the end of the 1980s the Netherlands were producing almost exclusively Pilseners and seasonal Bocks. Fortunately, in the mid 1990’s, things started to change, the Craft Brewing phenomenon which was taking place in the U.S.A. arrived in the Netherlands, and the first independent Breweries started to reappear. Today, there are about 20 microbreweries in the city, and the number is rapidly growing. Blasphemous Beer is more than happy to take part in this rebirth, even if it is just a minimal part. Cheers!