Beer and brewingAbout the history of beer and beer brewingSince 1996 the Open Air Museum has been holding a permanent exhibition with the title: 'Bier is dranck voor alleman' (‘Beer is a drink for everyone’).In the restored brewery from the village of Ulvenhout in Brabant, and the new building located next to it, you can look back over the history of beer and brewing in the Netherlands. The status of the brewer over the years is explained in an unusual way. For example, you can interview a 19th century brewer using a keyboard and headset. Brewing equipment and various kinds of drinking vessels are on display. And, of course, attention is also given to the history of breweries in North Brabant. From the Middle Ages through to the middle of the 18th century, everyone drank beer on a daily basis. At that time, beer mostly had a much lower alcohol content than it does today, which meant that children were also able to drink it. There were not actually many alternatives. Water was unreliable (dirty) and dairy products were not thought to be particularly healthy at the time. Beer as a social drinkNowadays, beer mainly tends to be consumed on social occasions, in bars or at home in front of the TV. This aspect also clearly emerges in the presentation. Visitors can take a seat at a bar and, at the touch of a button, watch various goals from football’s European Championships and World Cup. Finally, in the auditorium at the brewery, you can see how brewing used to be carried out. The brewing process today is also explained. Parts of the film were shot in an old brewery in Brussels and the extremely modern production halls at Heineken. |
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