Getting to know: Excosa Brouwerij
Excosa Brouwerij is popular. When the brewery makes a public appearance, passionate brewers Nico Landheer and Jan van Trooyen take central position amid the commotion. Their bar at a beer festival is abuzz, and it can be something of a challenge to negotiate the thronging hordes who circle the taps in anticipation of being served an Excosa Brouwerij beer. The lure of a classic beer brewed with a twist and a healthy dose of patience and passion is seemingly insatiable.
Both brewers maintain an exacting standard for the quality of their beers, which is evident from the calibre of their Brisant Tripel or Dubter, which is, as the name may indicate, is a classic Dubbel with a porter twist. Nico Landheer and Jan van Trooyen have also brewed their own eponymous beer at Excosa Brouwerij — the Troyaanse Landheer — which is loving described as a form of pure relaxation.
Reaching perfection with a beer’s taste, recipe and production methods is a labour of love for the duo who hail from the South Holland town of Boskoop, which could be described as the commercial garden of The Netherlands owing to its large number of nurseries cultivating many internationally-recognised fruits, shrubs, plants and flowers.
With such natural progeny in the surrounding landscape nearby, there is something fantastic in the air, water and ambient environment of Boskoop that contributes immensely to the brewing process at Excosa Brouwerij. That special sprinkle of nature’s magic dust giving the beers their own unique identity; the X-factor that separates the everyday from the distinctive.
Boskoop may not be familiar to many outside of The Netherlands, but its neighbouring town, Bodegraven, will be instantly recognisable to most national and international beer-travellers as the home of De Molen and the Borefts Beer Festival. There must certainly be something charmed in the air within the two towns.
Excosa Brouwerij openly admits its beer are brewed with military precision, but there appears to be little in the way of pomp and circumstance. The beers may be the result of a meticulous lifecycle of development and experimentation, yet they’re also a reflection of the two distinct personalities from whence they begat. It’s unlikely any beer will ever leave Excosa Brouwerij unless it is something special that meets the self-imposed constraints of the brewers; and the high standard is unmistakable in the taste and aroma of the beers.
One thing Excosa Brouwerij offers that most other breweries don’t is the opportunity for Joe Public to brew his or her own beers in the brewery, using the same equipment in which your favourite beers are produced. Design, labelling and bottling included. There is, needless to say, a consultation about your planned beer before you even begin to brew, which is further evidence of a consistent and superior output, whether they’re official Excosa Brouwerij beers or not.
The beers can speak for themselves in relation to their quality, so pull up a chair, grab an Excosa Brouwerij beer or two and settle-down to listen to their discourse. It’s a speech that’s hard to ignore.