Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
april 2016 / the tasting panel / 103 uniqueness was recognized early on, including winning the Grand Prix for design at the 1889 World's Exhibition in Paris. On our recent visit to Heineken's brewery, constructed in 1973 and located about 27 miles outside Amsterdam, Head Brewmaster Wilhelm van Waesberghe led a tour of the enormous facility, which produces nine million barrels annu- ally and is almost completely automated—only two men monitor it on weekends, and even they can opt to work from home. Van Waesberghe, who is both passionate and serious about his job, started at Heineken in 1995, and became Brew Master in 2013 in order to concentrate on consistency across the company's 66 breweries around the world. All Heineken in North America comes from the Dutch brewery. "We have a basic recipe for Heineken and that's how it should taste, but every year brewers have to alter the recipe to get the taste we want to have," Van Waesberghe explained. "Brewers like to talk about the original recipe, but for us, if you want to get the same taste, you need to change the recipe. And that's the craftsmanship of brewing." On a regular basis, 50 trained tasters, including Van Waesberghe, blind taste samples from Heineken's breweries around the world, testing with their educated palates to see whether they match what the Dutch brewery is putting out. If not, Heineken's Brew Masters activate a "consistency and continuity protocol," examining every possible variable to determine the root cause of the inconsistency, and correct it. A few things constitute the signature taste of Heineken's clear, bright lager; one is a pronounced banana note, result- ing from its unique "A-yeast," and the other is horizontal fermentation. Neither is proprietary or secret; for a while, Heineken hid the fact that it fermented in horizontal vats, but then gave up, realizing that anyone wishing to copy them would ultimately fail, since it's the entire set-up that delivers a great product. The "A-yeast" was developed in 1886 by a scientist who had studied with Louis Pasteur. "At that time, we sold our yeasts, so about 75 percent of all lagering yeasts in the world are Heineken yeasts," says Van Waesberghe matter-of-factly. "But we think we have mastered dealing with this yeast better than anywhere else in the world." The horizontal vats are a large part of that—the A-yeast prefers not to have too much liquid below it. Heineken is proud of its history, and behind the scene of the "Heineken Experience" in Amsterdam, where visitors proceed through an extensive interactive tour that shows all aspects of the brand, there is an archive holding many keys to the company's roots. Maarten Rijkens, Chairman of the Heineken Foundation, has been with the company since 1972 and oversees the archive's mission to preserve the legacy of Heineken in three senses: the family, the brand and the company. It's a story of building a global brand while staying true to its original mission: to provide a consistent product, a clear and bright lager that satisfies thirst worldwide. In 1864, Heineken began with Gerard Adriaan Heineken writing to his mother, asking for money to buy a brewery. PHOTO COURTESY OF HEINEKEN Head Brewmaster Wilhelm van Waesberghe at Heineken's brewery, which was constructed in 1973. Maarten Rijkens, Chairman of the Heineken Foundation, with a photo from the 1889 World's Exhibition in Paris, where Heineken's iconic green bottle won the Grand Prix for design. PHOTO: RACHEL SIGNER PHOTO: RACHEL SIGNER