Excitement abounds at the prospect of another Borefts Bier Festival

Kaeru Beer is once again excited by the prospect of yet another year of fun, enjoyable conversation, wonderful beers, excellent people and memories to cherish.

Brouwerij de Molen’s Borefts Bier Festival is a benchmark against which other international beer festivals can always be compared, since the number and quality of participating brewers from an ever-increasing number of beer-loving countries is, frankly, quite astonishing.

Whilst many others do not have the capacity for anything quite as grand as Borefts, most compare well.  However, there are a few who attempt to host a beer-event, yet fail spectacularly: inability to interact with brewers face-to-face and speak about the beers; outdoors, yet no shade (a lesson in skunky, lightstruck beers — and timescales — is needed); extremely cramped with poor levels of facilities and service; few, if any, tables or places to relax; and suchlike…

Thankfully, Borefts successfully passes most, if not all, requirements: It’s rarely too overcrowded to be unpleasant; taps proliferate; standing in the sun is a choice rather than a mandatory requirement; the layout and approach allows plenty of communication with brewers, beer-professionals and other beer-lovers; there’s plenty of opportunity to take a breather (seating and standing-tables); and it’s overly spacious, with new spaces for more brewers seemingly appearing each year.

In summary, it’s a delight and a highlight of the beer-year.  Organised by beer-lovers primarily for the benefit of beer-lovers and beer-appreciators; less interested in its own image and popularity than being successful as a beer-event.

The tenth edition, too!  Who’d have imagined Borefts going from strength-to-strength.  Kaeru Beer missed the first few, unfortunately, but we’ve attended every year since and made great friends and connections from all corners of the globe.  We met people from the USA who flew into Europe for a weekend just to attend as paying guests; people from Japan doing pretty much the same; people planning their summer vacation around Borefts.  Each story is indicative of Borefts’ reputation in the beer-world, for sure.

See you in Bodegraven!!  And Kaeru Beer would like to see our friends and brewers from Japan represented again this year.  Thanks!