Juan Navarro and Sigrid Dekker brew beer at home in their home in Hoogeveen. What started as a hobby has “got a little out of hand”, they laugh.
Black Beer Society is a small brewery that Juan and Sigrid manage together. “I had a restaurant in 2016, but we stopped doing it. I always worked as a cook and through the restaurant I gradually came into contact with special beer”, says Juan.
– At some point I was rejected because I got my hands on something. I’m looking for a hobby. I started with a course via the Internet, a beerista course. It was really fun to do.”
International diploma
Juan completed the training and started training as a beer ambassador, level one, in Amsterdam. “I passed it and just got to level two a few weeks ago.” In September, he will go to Austria to apply for an international beer sommelier qualification.
Meanwhile, Sigrid and Juan started brewing beer. It started with a small kettle and kept growing. There are currently five of those big boilers in the fence and sometimes in the house. “Yes, sometimes we have to get rid of them, and that’s really what happens in the living room. Then the back corner of the room is full of beer,” they laugh.
Black Beer Society
The name of their beer brand came from the name of the beer club the two of them are affiliated with. The beer club was founded in 2021 and meets three times a year to brew beer and discuss it.
“There are twelve people in the club. We started a brewery and at one point we gave away more beer than we made. The process of commercial sales began and then of course you need a name. We chose the name of the beer club: The Black Beer Society.
Becoming an official brewery requires permission from the municipality and customs. “Luckily we got it and I also signed up as a member of the Drenthe Amateur Brewers Guild (DAB) to learn more about the brewery. They meet once a month.”
Dutch beer challenge
The couple submitted one of their beers to the Dutch Beer Challenge. “There were a total of 500 spectators. In the end, 93 received an award. We finally got a silver medal for our porter (a dark beer less than six percent by weight), Juan beams.
“We have actually sent the beer, not to win the prize, but to have the jury’s report to look at; Where are we now?” the brewery says.
Ingredients that are black
Beer production in Krakeel is a little different than in larger breweries. “We simply get our water from the tap, where other breweries measure exactly how much oxygen is in the water and how much they should use. There is a water softener, so maybe that’s what made our beer so good,” laughs Juan.
The beers of The Black Beer Society all contain one black ingredient. Consider ingredients such as licorice, black malt, black passion fruit or blackberry. “Our beers are all on the edge. I like to balance just on the edge. “Love it or hate it” I always say,” says Juan.
Beer sommelier
Juan will soon go to Austria to become a beer sommelier. A beer sommelier can recommend to people in restaurants what kind of beer they can drink with the dish. “You learn about brewing, combine beer with food and get to know other ingredients.” Sigrid will soon also start a beerista online course.
The Black Beer Society’s beers can be found in fifteen stores, including Marcels Slijterij in Hoogeveen.