Astronaut Brouwerij Alkmaar

Astronaut Brouwerij Alkmaar (also known simply as Brouwerij Astronaut) is a small Dutch craft beer brand based in Alkmaar, North Holland. According to its official website, the story began in 2016 when founder Jasper started brewing in an apartment; bottles reportedly hit the ceiling, but the brewing bug had taken hold. Two years later, in 2018, Brouwerij Astronaut was officially founded. The brand's first beer, Gingerbitch, was an immediate hit, and since then the brewery has operated as a three-person team working from Alkmaar. A defining characteristic of Astronaut Brouwerij Alkmaar is its asset-light production model: the team does not own its own brewing kettles. Instead, it develops all of its recipes itself and contracts the actual brewing to professional breweries in the region. This "gypsy brewing" or contract-brewing approach allows a small brand to maintain a distinctive identity and recipe portfolio without the capital cost of a full brewery installation. The brand's core range includes a variety of styles. The flagship Gingerbitch is a pale ale at 5.1% ABV. Other regular beers include Klaroenblazer, a honey blond at 6.8%; De Kogel, a tripel at 7.5%; Winterkoninkje, a winter warmer at 6.5%; Spacequad, a quadrupel at 9.8%; Vulpes Obscura, a dunkelweizen at 5.6%; Kitsune Breeze, a pale ale at 5.1%; Licht Bruintje, a blond at 4.8%; Spacequad Infused, a quadrupel at 11%; and Van Alkmaar de Victorie, an amber at 5.3%. The website lists a fixed assortment of these beers. Astronaut Brouwerij Alkmaar positions itself as a local Alkmaar speciality beer brand. Its beers are sold through a network of cafés, restaurants and tasting rooms in and around Alkmaar, including venues in Egmond-Binnen, Oudorp, Sint Pancras, Heiloo, Bergen and Heerhugowaard. The beer Van Alkmaar de Victorie was brewed specially for AZ, the local football club, and is marketed to the "real Alkmaarder." The brand remains a small, privately held Dutch craft brewery operation.

Astronaut Brouwerij Alkmaar traces its origins to 2016, when founder Jasper began homebrewing in an apartment. The official website recounts that bottles exploded against the ceiling, but the brewing passion had taken hold. This experimental phase lasted about two years. In 2018, Brouwerij Astronaut was formally founded. The brand's first commercial beer, Gingerbitch, was released and became an immediate success. From that point, the brewery operated as a three-person team based in Alkmaar. Rather than investing in its own brewing kettles, the team chose a contract-brewing model: all recipes are developed in-house, while production is carried out by professional breweries in the region. This allowed the brand to focus on recipe development and branding while leveraging existing production capacity. Over time, Astronaut Brouwerij Alkmaar built a fixed assortment of beers spanning pale ales, blondes, tripels, quadrupels, a dunkelweizen, a winter warmer and an amber. Notable among these is Van Alkmaar de Victorie, an amber beer brewed specifically for AZ, the Alkmaar football club, and positioned for the local Alkmaar audience. The brand distributes its beers through a network of cafés, restaurants and tasting rooms in Alkmaar and surrounding towns such as Egmond-Binnen, Oudorp, Sint Pancras, Heiloo, Bergen and Heerhugowaard. As of the available evidence, the brewery remains a small, privately held operation.

• 2018

  Brouwerij Astronaut is founded in Alkmaar; Gingerbitch is released and becomes a hit.

• 2016

  Founder Jasper begins homebrewing in an apartment.

• Van Alkmaar de Victorie amber beer is brewed specially for AZ and distributed through local cafés.

Local Alkmaar speciality beer brand, contract-brewed with own recipes, sold through regional cafés and restaurants.

• Gingerbitch Pale Ale

• Klaroenblazer Honingblond

• De Kogel Tripel

• Winterkoninkje Winterwarmer

• Spacequad Quadrupel

• Vulpes Obscura Dunkelweizen

• Kitsune Breeze Pale Ale

• Licht Bruintje Blond

• Spacequad Infused Quadrupel

• Van Alkmaar de Victorie Amber

1. 1Brouwerij Astronaut | Alkmaarbrouwerijastronaut.nl
2. 2Wikidata Q140794815wikidata.org