Gentiana 2021 – Kemker Kultuur

Kemker Kultuur was founded in 2017 by Jan Kemker and his partner Nicole Marzec with a an ambition to revitalise a long-forgotten craft beer brewing tradition in Münsterland – and the young couple has quickly made a name of themselves both inside and outside of the international craft beer scene.

Kemker Kultuur’s beers are made from locally sourced grain varieties, well water, and wild hops, herbs, fruits and berries that Jan and Nicole forage themselves.

But it’s not only the labour that’s manual at Kemker Kultuur, all of the beers are fermented by means of native yeasts and wild bacteria, and this is exactly what gives the beers their deep and complex aromas as well as their long-aging capabilities. The beers are aged in old wine barrels from 6-12 months depending on the style and are blended between different vintages in order to increase the stability of the beers and the complexity of their flavours.

Kemker's “house” beer is the Aoltbeer, a seasonally inspired interpretation of the historic Münstersch Alt, a sour ale that’s pale in colour and fruity and wine-like in character.

Towards the end of the harvesting season the Aoltbeer is often mixed with stonefruit like plums and mirabelle or with sloe or wild herbs, and occasionally the beers are macerated with grape pomace from other young German natural winemakers like Piri Naturel in the Nahe Valley.

As Jan and Nicole say: “With real fruit comes real flavour with all its subtle nuances.” We couldn’t agree more and we strongly recommend that you try it out for yourself!