{"id":93976,"date":"2019-01-16T16:57:52","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T15:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=93976"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:11","slug":"cafe-in-de-smitse-is-now-offering-its-very-own-beer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/01\/16\/cafe-in-de-smitse-is-now-offering-its-very-own-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"Caf\u00e9 In De Smitse is now offering its very own beer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former law student Frank Smitshoek was a regular client of Caf\u00e9 In De Smitse during his days as a student. That\u2019s why it gave him great pleasure to walk into the student bar last year to give the staff a taste of the craft beer he had been creating alongside longtime friend Eric Krommenhoek.<\/p>\n

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De Smitse Campagnon Tripel.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Back when Smitshoek was studying, De Smitse was a dimly lit hole-in-the-wall caf\u00e9 with mustard yellow walls and a hardwood floor that reeked of old beer tucked beneath the Mandeville building. Since then, the caf\u00e9 has come a long way, trading its old home for a modern version of the classic Dutch brown caf\u00e9. Now just two years after settling into its new home in the Hatta building, the caf\u00e9 is serving up its own Smitse Tripel crafted by Smitshoek and Krommenhoek.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally you go to De Smitse to drink a beer, so it was very funny for me to be on the other side of things and deliver beer to them,\u201d said Smitshoek, who works in a law firm during the week. \u201cWhen they first asked us to make them a beer, we were just doing it as a hobby, experimenting with different ingredients in a 60-liter pan. We were happy to make something for them, but as a law student I knew that we would first need to register as a business, get permits, and do a whole bunch of other stuff before we could sell them beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tureluur<\/h2>
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The duo's homemade 60-liter brewing installation.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrank Smitshoek<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

After gathering the necessary paperwork, the two struck a partnership with a brewery owned operating out of Blue City, the abandoned waterpark-turned-innovation center for sustainability.\u00a0 What began as a hobby was quickly becoming something bigger, and suddenly the pair were sitting around a table wondering what to call their new brewery. Eventually they landed on the name Brouwerij Tureluur.<\/p>\n

\u201cTureluur<\/a> is actually a type of bird,\u201d said Krommenhoek, who studied in Utrecht and works as a physiotherapist. \u201cWe thought it was a funny name because when you drink a lot of beers, you become tureluurs <\/em>(dizzy).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDe Smitse wanted a tripel with a taste that is easy to remember,\u201d said Krommehoek. \u201cThey especially wanted it to include rosemary spice, which isn\u2019t something you usually put in beer because it has a natural, heavy taste. The rosemary, along with the juniper berries and orange we put in there is what makes the beer unique. It tastes like nothing you\u2019ve drank before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people will love it and some people won\u2019t, but that\u2019s how it is when you make a special beer.\u201d added Smitshoek. \u201cOur goal is to make a special beer that appeals to a special target group, so if someone says \u2018this isn\u2019t my taste\u2019, that\u2019s fine. In some ways that\u2019s actually a compliment because it shows we made something unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do students like it?<\/h2>

Smitshoek and Krommenhoek were experts in talking up their new creation, but whether or not it will become a staple of De Smitse selection is up to the students. That\u2019s why EM took a trip to De Smitse to buy a few lucky students a free round. Here\u2019s what they thought of the new Smitse \u2018Campagnon\u2019 Tripel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yannis Muller (Masters in Business Information Management)<\/h3>
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"De Smitse having its own beer only heightens my attachment to this place."<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cThe taste is rich. It envelops my mouth and keeps developing. Tastewise it\u2019s definitely a strong one. Even as I talk now the taste is still in my mouth. I really like it and I think for me, De Smitse having its own beer only heightens my personal attachment to this place. It\u2019s a game-changer for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maya Cordahi (Masters in Finance and Investment)<\/h3>
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"It kind of tastes like a candy."<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cIt\u2019s bitter and sweet at the same time. Actually, it tastes kind of like a candy. Actually I don\u2019t think bitter is the right word. I think it tastes sour. I like it, but this is definitely a taste you have to get used to because it\u2019s not something you commonly taste when you drink a beer. Would I get it again? Yeah, I would get it again for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tobias Sinding (Bachelor\u2019s in Communication and Media)<\/h3>
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Nice pour, Tobias.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cI think they aimed high but came up a bit short. And that\u2019s kind of what happens when you aim high. For me, it\u2019s a bit too sour and fruity, and the smell is crazy. Take a Tripel Karmeliet<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s sweet, it\u2019s nice, it entices you to drink some more. I\u2019m not really getting that from this beer right now but maybe if I drink a few more that will help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t