Brouwerij De Molen

Brouwerij De Molen is a Dutch craft brewery based in Bodegraven, South Holland. Its name means “The Mill,” reflecting the brewery’s home in De Arkduif, a windmill constructed in 1697. The site combines brewing operations with a taproom, restaurant, distillery activity, and a specialist beer shop that sells De Molen products alongside European and American craft beers and regional foods such as farm cheese. The brewery was established in 2004 by Menno Olivier. Olivier began as a homebrewer and subsequently gained professional experience at several small breweries, including Stadsbrouwerij De Pelgrim in Rotterdam. De Molen developed a reputation for strongly flavored, traditionally minded craft beers, particularly imperial stouts, barley wines, heavy ales, and other high-intensity styles. Its beers have frequently been presented in distinctive hand-finished packaging, including individually numbered 335-milliliter bottles and larger 750-milliliter corked-and-caged bottles with wax finishes. De Molen’s early production was small-scale. Its original brewing system had a 500-liter batch capacity and used converted dairy tanks as fermenters. Batches judged unsuitable for sale were sometimes redirected into a 21% ABV beer liqueur, linking the brewery’s beer production with its distilling operation. From 2012, production capacity increased to 2,500 liters per batch after the brewery acquired a building roughly 200 meters from the windmill. The newer brewhouse became the main production site, while the original system continued to be used periodically. In 2016, the company expanded its facilities with the stated objective of reaching annual production of 25,000 hectoliters. Collaboration has been an important part of De Molen’s identity. The brewery has worked with internationally known craft producers including Mikkeller and De Struise Brouwers, and it has participated in efforts to recreate historic recipes associated with breweries such as Barclay Perkins. This activity positioned De Molen within the international craft-beer movement rather than solely within the Dutch regional-brewery market. The brewery’s profile grew substantially through beer-rating recognition. RateBeer placed De Molen among the world’s notable brewers in 2010, and the brewery received particularly strong Dutch rankings in 2008 and 2009. In 2016, RateBeer ranked De Molen as the leading brewer in the Netherlands and sixth in its global brewer ranking. Menno Olivier also received the 2008 Zilveren Knuppel from Dutch beer society PINT for contributions to beer culture. De Molen’s Tsarina Esra was selected as the most appreciated winter beer at the 2008 PINT Winter Beer Festival. De Molen has also created a platform for the wider craft-beer community. Since 2009, it has hosted the Borefts Beer Festival, an annual event generally held in early autumn and attended by guest breweries from the Netherlands and abroad. The festival has reinforced the brewery’s role as a meeting place for specialist brewers and enthusiasts. De Molen remains associated with small-batch brewing, strong and experimental beer styles, collaboration, beer tourism, and the preservation of a distinctive historic brewing location.

Brouwerij De Molen was founded in 2004 by Menno Olivier in Bodegraven, the Netherlands. Olivier’s path into professional brewing began with homebrewing and continued through work at several small breweries, including Stadsbrouwerij De Pelgrim in Rotterdam. The brewery took its name from De Arkduif, the historic windmill in which it operates. The mill dates from 1697 and became the visual and physical center of the De Molen identity. The original operation was deliberately small. Its brewing system produced approximately 500 liters per batch, while converted dairy tanks were used for fermentation. De Molen bottled its beer by hand in small and large formats. The 335-milliliter bottles and 750-milliliter corked-and-caged bottles were associated with individual numbering and, for the larger format, wax finishing. This presentation supported the brewery’s reputation for limited, specialist beers rather than standardized mass-market production. De Molen became known for robust beers, including imperial stouts, strong ales, barley wines, and seasonal or winter releases. One of its beers, Rasputin, became the subject of a naming dispute after North Coast Brewing Company brought a trademark-infringement claim relating to its own Old Rasputin beer. For American exports, De Molen changed the label name to Disputin, a direct reference to the dispute. The incident illustrates the challenges faced by small breweries as their products entered increasingly international craft-beer markets. The brewery broadened its activities beyond brewing. The Bodegraven premises include a taproom, restaurant, retail beer shop, and distilling operation. De Molen’s beer store carries beers from European and American craft breweries as well as local products such as farm cheese. Beer considered unsuitable for normal sale has been used as the base for a 21% ABV beer liqueur, providing a secondary use for production that would otherwise have been discarded. Growth required a move beyond the physical limitations of the windmill. In 2012, De Molen increased its maximum batch capacity to 2,500 liters and acquired another building approximately 200 meters from the mill. The new building became the principal brewhouse, although the original equipment continued to be used at least occasionally. In 2016, the brewery expanded the current building with the objective of reaching annual production of 25,000 hectoliters. The historic mill nevertheless remained central to the visitor experience and brand story. De Molen also pursued cooperation with other brewers. Its collaborations included projects with Mikkeller and De Struise Brouwers, while other work involved recreating historical recipes connected to the former British brewery Barclay Perkins. These projects placed De Molen within a network of experimental and historically conscious craft breweries. Recognition from beer-rating organizations helped establish De Molen’s international reputation. Its beers occupied numerous high positions in RateBeer’s Dutch rankings in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, RateBeer placed De Molen tenth in its list of notable brewers worldwide. In 2016, it ranked De Molen first among Dutch brewers and sixth globally. Menno Olivier received the 2008 Zilveren Knuppel from Dutch beer society PINT for his contribution to Dutch beer culture, while Tsarina Esra won recognition as the most appreciated winter beer at the 2008 PINT Winter Beer Festival. De Molen and several of its beers were also included in 2008 year-end selections by British beer writers Roger Protz and Tom Cannavan. Since 2009, De Molen has hosted the Borefts Beer Festival. Held generally in early autumn, the event brings together specialist breweries including Belgian producers such as Picobrouwerij Alvinne and De Struise Brouwers. The festival extends De Molen’s role from producer to curator and host within the international craft-beer community. Its combined brewing, hospitality, retail, distilling, and festival activities have made it one of the better-known destinations in the Dutch specialist-beer scene.

• 2016

  Further building expansion

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  De Molen expands its current building with the objective of reaching 25,000 hectoliters of annual production.

• 2012

  Production capacity expands

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  Maximum batch capacity rises to 2,500 liters and a nearby building becomes the main production facility.

• 2010

  Ranked among the world’s notable brewers

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  RateBeer places De Molen tenth in its list of notable brewers worldwide.

• 2009

  Borefts Beer Festival begins

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  De Molen starts its annual specialist beer festival in Bodegraven.

• 2008

  Strong Dutch beer-rating results and PINT recognition

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  De Molen beers perform strongly in RateBeer’s Dutch rankings; Menno Olivier receives the Zilveren Knuppel, and Tsarina Esra is recognized at the PINT Winter Beer Festival.

• 2004

  Brouwerij De Molen is founded

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  Menno Olivier establishes De Molen after developing from homebrewing into professional brewing.

• 1697

  De Arkduif windmill is built

  [1]Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org

  The windmill that later houses Brouwerij De Molen is constructed in Bodegraven.

An independent-minded Dutch craft brewery focused on bold, high-strength, characterful beers, collaborative brewing, specialist retail, and beer tourism in a historic windmill setting.

• Winter beer

  Tsarina Esra

  A De Molen winter-beer release that received the title of most appreciated winter beer at the 2008 PINT Winter Beer Festival. It represents the brewery’s emphasis on strong, seasonal, specialist-oriented beers.

• Imperial stout

  Rasputin

  An imperial stout associated with De Molen’s high-strength, dark-beer portfolio. Following a trademark dispute concerning the name in the United States, the beer was labeled Disputin for the American export market.

• Imperial stout · 2009

  Disputin

  The American-market label used for De Molen’s Rasputin imperial stout after a naming dispute with North Coast Brewing Company. The name references the controversy surrounding the original export label.

• Distilled beer product

  Beer liqueur

  A 21% ABV liqueur made from batches of beer considered unsuitable for sale as packaged beer. It connects De Molen’s brewing and distilling activities while providing an alternative use for nonconforming batches.

• 2009

  Trademark dispute over the Rasputin name

  North Coast Brewing Company brought a trademark-infringement claim concerning De Molen’s use of Rasputin for an imperial stout, a name resembling North Coast’s Old Rasputin brand. De Molen responded by using Disputin on the American export label.

  Source

Read more

• 2009Borefts Beer Festival

  Netherlands · Europe · International craft-beer market

  De Molen launched an annual beer festival at its Bodegraven site, inviting guest breweries and presenting a broad range of specialist beers.

  Outcome. The festival became a recurring platform for collaboration, discovery, and beer tourism around the De Molen brewery.

  Source

• 2016

  Expansion toward 25,000 hectoliters of annual productionStrategy

  Background

  De Molen continued to grow beyond the capacity of its original facilities.

  Action taken

  The brewery expanded its existing building with the stated objective of reaching annual production of 25,000 hectoliters.

  Source

• 2012

  Move toward larger-scale productionStrategy

  Background

  The original 500-liter brewing setup limited production capacity as De Molen’s reputation and demand grew.

  Action taken

  The brewery increased maximum batch size to 2,500 liters and acquired a nearby building for primary brewing operations.

  Aftermath

  The new brewhouse became the main production site while the historic mill setup remained in occasional use.

  Source

• 2009

  Change of American export name from Rasputin to DisputinOther

  Background

  North Coast Brewing Company asserted a trademark-infringement claim involving the Rasputin name and its Old Rasputin beer.

  Action taken

  De Molen changed the name used on the American export label to Disputin.

  Aftermath

  The beer continued to be associated with the same imperial-stout product while using a market-specific name.

  • North Coast Brewing Company — Brought the trademark-infringement claim concerning the Rasputin name.

  Source

1. 1Brouwerij De Molenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Brouwerij De Molen official websitebrouwerijdemolen.nl