DE KROMME HARING
Welcome to De Kromme Haring!
At De Kromme Haring, we’re passionate about crafting surprising, well-made, and delicious beers that are as enjoyable to create, as they are to drink.
Our journey began when biologist and homebrewer Stephen Grigg embarked on a transcontinental adventure from America via the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, experimenting with homebrews along the way. He finally settled at the University of Utrecht.
This happened to also be the hometown of Gijs van Wiechen, a local beer aficionado with roots close to the Dutch-Belgian border. Born within the cloud of heady fumes emanating from a local brewery a bottlecap’s throw away, Gijs would inevitably end up ditching his academic career to fully immerse himself in beer culture, finding himself installed as a manager at the infamous Kafe Belgie.
These two beer nerds seemed destined to meet, as the friend groups within the large village of Utrecht constantly overlap. This meeting came indeed through mutual friends, when Gijs was given one of Stephen’s homebrew beers, along with the infamous instructions “Tell me what you think of that”. Gijs found it to be one of the tastiest beers he’d ever tried! After some tentative emails, they chose to team up and turn their shared love for beer into something more.
In 2014, De Kromme Haring, a name Stephen conjured up in a fever dream, was born.
Beginning humbly with some contract brews for local bars, the harings soon knew that to realize their dreams they needed a proper home, with shiny tanks for brewing quality beers and a cozy pub where friends could gather to enjoy them together. This dream materialized in September 2016 with the opening of our brewpub at the Europalaan. In the following 7+ years Brewpub De Kromme Haring has blossomed into a must-do stop in the Utrecht beer scene, boasting delicious beers, a lively terrace, mouthwatering pizzas, and diverse cultural events.
The focus of De Kromme Haring has always been on brewing beer that is informed by the heritage of classic beers we enjoy, but also pushes the boundaries of taste. With over 20 years of brewing experience under our belts, we’ve developed a deep appreciation for English malts, American hops, and most importantly, yeast. We understand that while ingredients matter, fermentation creates the soul of great beer. For this reason we’re dedicated to careful yeast selection from our diverse in-house library of yeast strains, both “clean” and “wild, as well as monitoring of yeast health throughout the brewing processes.
De Kromme Haring is more than just a brewery; it’s a community. From the bars and shops that stock our diverse products, to the regulars at our brewpub, through to our dedicated team- we’re united by a shared love of honest, delicious beer, and of enjoying a beer in a place where friendship and respect are paramount.
So- Pick up a beer at your local bottle shop, order online, or grab a pint at your favorite bar.
Even better yet, join us at Brewpub De Kromme Haring, where…