{"id":61879,"date":"2019-01-07T12:43:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T11:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horecatrends.com\/?p=61879"},"modified":"2019-01-07T12:43:28","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T11:43:28","slug":"lowlander-beer-christmas-tree-to-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horecatrends.com\/en\/lowlander-beer-christmas-tree-to-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Lowlander Beer | Christmas tree to table"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some Christmas trees in the Netherlands will end up in beer! From 2 January, the botanical brewer has collected unwanted Christmas trees from Dutch consumers, bars and restaurants to transform them into bottles of its 2019 Winter IPA. Chief Botanical Officer Frederik Kampman: \u201cEvery December, about 2.5 million real trees bring Christmas spirit into our homes. By New Year, most of these end up in the chipper, on bonfires or piled at the roadside. We have found another use for them: in beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

From tree to tipple<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The folks at Lowlander Beer<\/a> went against the grain more than ever this winter by creating a light, refreshing brew for cold, wintry days instead of a typical dark, heavy beer. For that first batch of Winter IPA, the botanical brewery bought the spruce needles from its usual supplier, but in 2019 Lowlander wants to give the beer its subtle flavour using needles from donated Christmas trees. At least six hundred kilos of needles are needed to produce the 2019 batch of Winter IPA.<\/p>\n

In order to collect enough trees, Lowlander didn\u2019t just going door to door. Big hitters such as event venue RAI, the Amsterdam botanical gardens and several restaurants\u00a0 joined their mission to re-use the country\u2019s leftover Christmas trees; they donated their trees to Lowlander after the festive period. Although only the needles are needed for Lowlander\u2019s Winter IPA, the brewery intends to re-use every piece of every donated tree in limited-edition products that include gift sets and bottles of a new creation currently bubbling away in its brew kettle: Lowlander Botanical Brut, a limited-edition sparkling beer made with spruce and Champagne yeast.<\/p>\n

The Lowlander Christmas tree to table campaign<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To make the collection, processing and re-use of all these trees possible, after Christmas Lowlander \u00a0launched its \u2018Tree to Table\u2019 crowdfunding campaign.<\/a> Kampman: \u201cWe will collect the trees ourselves to make it super easy for anyone wanting to donate after Christmas. Straight after collection we need to preserve the quality of the needles so that we can make beer from them. The remains of the trees also need to be turned into the elements of the Tree to Table Botanical Brewkitchen dinners that we\u2019ve got planned \u2013 to make this happen we need to pay experts who can turn the leftover trees into, for example, delicious cheeses and smoking chips. By crowdfunding the Tree to Table process we will give the Lowlander community a stake in the project \u2013 and the chance to be among the first to experience everything we produce.\u201d Through the crowdfunding project, new products such as Lowlander Botanical Brut and the Winter IPA gift set will be available for advance purchase, as will tickets for the Tree to Table series of pop-up dinners. Lowlander Beer\u2019s Winter IPA (5%) is brewed with spruce needles and juniper berries. A refreshing White IPA with hoppy tones and a resinous citrus kick.<\/p>\n

Check out this video about their initiative:<\/p>\n