What Groningen isn't already good and great at. Take the local beer brewery Martinus. Here, beer is brewed with craftsmanship. And with the name and beers like 'Peerd IPA' and 'Lager der A', the connection with the city is quickly established. Discover the story behind it. And feel free to stap inside, you'll love it.
Walking into de brouwerij, you don't really know where to start looking. To your right is the shop, in front of you are the bags of barley and to your left are several large brewing kettles. A little further on, Luca and Daniel are working on a fresh batch. You are right in the heart of the action. Some 2,000 litres of beer are brewed here every week, and from the café to the tourist office: Martinus beers can be found everywhere. That hasn't always been the case. About seven years ago, this building housed a printing company and paperwork instead of brews rolled off the conveyor belt. But it changed course. Beer had to be it.
A taste for it
''I couldn't sleep for nights,'' smiles owner Albert-Jan Swierstra. That was after a then client of his, who owned a brewery, told him that he could also brew excellent beer in his premises. It got Albert-Jan thinking. After all, the penchant for beer had seen the light of day before. Father Swierstra used to bring small brewing kits from England. Just for fun. Not knowing that this tradition would be picked up again years later.
So it happened: Albert-Jan and sons bought their first real brewing kit for 300 euros. Try it out, taste it and start again. They got a taste for it. Tentative plans were made for their own brewery. But first, off to Belgium and Germany to see how it's done. On their return, it was certain: beer instead of paper. Brouwerij Martinus was born.
From paper to beer
So to speak, at some point the printing presses gave way to brew kettles. The building was adapted: walls were broken open, a dome was added to the roof and a crane was installed. The result is a brewery that radiates openness. As a visitor, you can witness the entire brewing process. The fumes from the boilers will waft right up your nose.
Slowly walk upstairs towards the restaurant. But you don't leave de brouwerij behind: here you drink and dine among the brew kettles. In the kitchen, a fine meal is prepared for you with attention and craftsmanship. With flavours of the season. And almost everything is local, because that's what Martinus stands for, says Albert-Jan. ''The bond with Groningen is strong. Everything tastes better locally.'' And prettier, too. In fact, the labels on Martinus' bottles are by Groningen artist Kalle Wolters. The combination of the layered designs and bright colours immediately grabs your attention.
Round off the evening
At the very top of the building is the bar. In summer also a terrace. The whole place has a warm, living-room atmosphere. While a fresh beer is prepared for you, you can see a band building up, as jazz musicians perform here several times a month, in cooperation with the Jazz in Groningen Foundation. For connoisseurs, but also for those who want to discover it. Sometimes the jazz is fast-paced, sometimes a bit quieter. But it always sounds as good as Martinus beer tastes.
Towards the end of the evening, Albert-Jan taps the last of the beers. With a smile on his face, he looks back on a great afternoon and evening. But he also looks ahead. ''With Martinus we want to keep innovating, keep giving experiences. We certainly experiment, but we also stay close to ourselves.'' And close to Groningen. Towards other cities? No, it's nice enough here, thinks Albert-Jan. ''Groningen has my heart. Good atmosphere, nice people and just big enough. What more could you want?''
