But there are more interesting breweries to visit in Amsterdam, if you know where to look. Today we start off with a little gem in the far eastern part of Amsterdam: Krux. Krux is located on Cruquis Island. Once it was part of the harbor, where big ships would dock and deliver their goods, often from Asia.
The brewery is located at exactly such a site with a rich maritime and industrial history. Most of its industrial history has vanished, replaced by newer looking residential buildings. If you are lucky your apartment will overlook the last part of the water before it turns into the Ijsselmeer. Interesting, but not something unique these days in expanding cities. Yet in a courtyard of sorts stand three different buildings that are from another era.
The early twentieth century as it turns out. They were buildings of a soap manufacturer. Coconut oil was brought in all the way from Indonesia and turned into ingredients, for margarine for example.
The house of the owner now houses the brewery and brewpub. Some might remember it as the home of the Bruut brewery once. A brewery that Ward, the brewer and part-owner, was once part of but that split into several new businesses, Krux being one of them. Ward also has a personal connection to Dutch brewing history. It made him a technically very efficient brewer who can now use solid brewing techniques while making modern beers.
One for the brewery and the rest for the brewpub. The brewery is small with a capacity to make around liters batches that all goes into kegs. Some brews go into bigger tanks on the ceiling, with space for liters, and above the bar where beer is poured into directly from the brewery through a small hole in the wall. The rest goes into other kegs for the brewpub or other bars. Like Joost for example. Not surprising, the owner of Joost also owns part of Krux.
