Last Friday, it was time for another specialty beer tasting! Just like previous editions, it was once again a fun evening filled with great food, good conversations, and plenty of beer. For those who don’t drink beer, we organized an iced tea tasting. Once again, this edition was a great success and definitely worth repeating!
First, a good meal
Around 5:30 PM, the computers were switched off, and colleagues gathered in the cafeteria to kick off the weekend together. But before the first specialty beer was poured, we made sure everyone had a good meal. From kapsalon and sandwiches to döner and shawarma platters, there was something delicious for everyone. And despite the generous amount of garlic sauce, nobody seemed to mind. With full stomachs, we were ready to start the beer tasting.
Tasting, comparing, and discovering
Especially for the tasting, our colleague Laura created a beautiful presentation in which every beer was introduced. This allowed us not only to discover how each beer tasted, but also where it came from. Throughout the evening, we also played a variety of board games and other games.
Everyone quickly agreed on the first beer: the highly carbonated beer felt a little too heavy right after dinner. So we quickly moved on to the next one.
Beer sommelier Erik!
This edition was once again hosted by a familiar face: our former colleague Erik. As a certified beer sommelier, he enthusiastically guided us through every beer. Dressed in a stylish beer apron, Erik shared interesting facts about each beer with plenty of passion and expertise.
The line-up:
- Mariken van Nimwegen Blond
- Insel East Coast IPA
- Secret of Citra IPA
- Funky Fluid Oranje (Final Eight)
- Weihenstephaner Vitus
- KruimelSnor
- Westvleteren 8
- Kasteel Bruin 2009
- Red Raven Infused Barkley
- Coffee Stout con Castañas
The scoreboard clearly showed that the darker beers were the crowd favorites.
The best beer of the evening
Although taste is personal, everyone agreed on the winner. The best beer of the evening was Kasteel Bruin 2009, a sixteen-year-aged quadrupel with rich flavors of raisins, plums, toffee, and caramel. With an average score of 8.27, it was without question the highest-rated beer of the night. It also won during the previous edition and remains the number one favorite among our beer enthusiasts.
The winner was followed by Westvleteren 8 in second place with a score of 7.38, while Weihenstephaner Vitus claimed third place with a score of 7.27.
The least popular specialty beer was Coffee Stout con Castañas, which received a score of 5.09. Opinions were divided, as its strong coffee flavor wasn’t appreciated by everyone at the end of the evening. Possibly because most colleagues were already quite full after tasting the previous beers. Heineken Pils finished at the very bottom of the ranking, although it wasn’t part of the official competition.
On to the next edition!
Once again, our specialty beer evening was a great success. It was an evening full of great stories, unique flavors, delicious food, games, and above all, plenty of fun with colleagues.
Would you like to join us at the next beer tasting or one of our other team activities? Then take a look at our open vacancies. Who knows, maybe we’ll be raising a glass together at the next edition!
