When you think of beer, the Netherlands are probably not the first country that pops into your head. After all, Belgium remains the number one beer country – although, being born in Belgium, I might be a bit prejudiced. Yet truth be told, the Dutchies are definitely stepping up their beer game these last years. New breweries are getting started, new beers are being brewed and new tastes are being acquired. All of that also asks for an inventive new concept and you can leave it to the Dutch to come up with some of the funniest initiatives.
That’s why we weren’t that surprised to learn about a new beer bar located in the Dutch city Maastricht, close to the Belgian border. Three friends, Sven van Oort (the cook) , Cayle Lackten (the beer man) and Philippe Piters (the investor and advisor), are planning to open a bar called The Loft this summer, right in time for the post-Covid-19 parties and right in the middle of the student neighborhood of the city. The three friends launched a crowdfunding campaign at the beginning of May and soon reached their 100.000 euro-goal. But what’s so special about The Loft, you ask? Well, their taps.
Unknown beers
In any normal bar, you’ll find three to five beer taps. Yet in The Loft, you’ll find 68 of them. And as if that wasn’t enough, you’ll be able to tap the beer yourself. Perfect if you’ve always wanted to try so. When entering the bar, customers will get a bracelet which they’ll then be able to charge with the amount of money they wish to spend. When they go to tap their beer, they can just touch the terminal with the bracelet to pay without any hassle. Very convenient, especially in times of Covid-19 when you may not want to touch too many hands or cash. However, The Loft won’t be serving many ‘big’ beers. They want to concentrate on smaller, unknown breweries instead. That’s why there’ll also be staff walking around, ready to inform customers about the different kinds of beer. Cayle Lackten, who already has a lot of experience in the beer business, will supervise it all.
Beer pairing
On the first floor, you’ll find the restaurant run by Sven van Oort, which specializes in pairing beers with dishes. Perfect if you get hungry in the middle of your night out or if you want to try something different – it doesn’t always have to be wine. So if you’re around Maastricht this summer and you want to see the best the Dutch beer business has to offer, you better pay a visit to The Loft .
