Beer brewers Grolsch and Hope brew unique 'Vredespijpje'

Shortly after the case was decided and the idea for making the Collab was conceived, the teams met in Zaandijk. Marc Janssen, master brewer at Grolsch, Pierre Yves Lavoie, head brewer at Hoop, and Derek Walsh, recipe specialist at Hoop, took care of the technical interpretation. Meanwhile, Juan Perez Nijhuis (brand manager at Grolsch Specialty Beers) and Steven de Cleen (designer/co-owner of Hoop) pondered the question of how it all should look. It formed the basis for a special collaboration.
 
Smooth cooperation between 'big & small
Ard Bossema, Director of Marketing & Strategy at Grolsch, says: "We quickly switched gears at both levels. Soon we were talking about what connects us: the love for beer. Together is not alone, so our teams got to work with combined strength and creativity to make something special out of it. And I dare say that we absolutely succeeded." Steven de Cleen of Brouwerij Hoop signed up for the design: "Nothing is more fun for a creative person to work with a current or urgent theme. This is a cherry on top though. A nod to each other and a strong hint to anyone who feels addressed. Just think of the cabinet formation!".
 
A real Limited Edition
For the brewers, it took some searching. Various styles came along and eventually they chose a real Baltic Porter. Marc Janssen: "A special occasion calls for a special beer. The Baltic Porter is hardly ever brewed in the Netherlands and excels in its balance". To make the beer and this special collaboration even more special, both brewers did something that is not often done in the beer world. Pierre Yves Lavoie: "We brewed a Baltic Porter at Brouwerij Hoop and at Grolsch - using the same recipe. Then the Grolsch part was brought by tanker to Zaandijk, where we brought the beers together. A real collab!"
 
Targeted introduction, selective sales
Besides Brouwerij Hoop's own catering and store, a number of regional specialty stores and a number of Grolsch Proeverij cafes, the beer is available at Mitra, ABT cafes and Beer-in-a-Box (online).

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