Team
Makers
Kleiburg is the beer of the Kleiklooster: a spiritual and hospitable place in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer. They are a social enterprise and are inspired by traditional Belgian monastery beers and give them an innovative twist.
About the maker
In his search for a contemporary way of believing, Johannes van den Akker came up with the idea of starting a monastery in the Bijlmer. Together with others he started a small community in Kleiburg, an apartment in the Bijlmer. They believe that it is not good for a person to be alone, hence why they live together. They want to celebrate the beautiful and happy things together. In the face of sadness and setbacks, they do not want to abandon each other. In this way they give flesh and blood to their faith in Jesus. The doors of their house are always open.
The productionprocess & sustainability
Kleiburg Brewery brews classic beers with a modern twist. They have a nice wide range, from a light wheat beer to a heavy quadrupel. Kleiburg tries to make responsible choices in all factors. Sustainablility in people, raw materials and consumption. In their tasting room they use herbs from their own garden, which is also one of Amsterdam’s greenest terraces. The energy comes from Amsterdam Energie, the city’s energy cooperative. Eventually they hope to grow some of their hops themselves and the residual product of the beer process, spent grain, is occasionally used to make bread. An own bakery is therefore their next logical step. Furthermore, they sell a large part of the beer in their own tasting room, which means that hardly any kilometers are traveled.
Social enterprises
Kleiburg intends to build an ecosystem of social enterprises with a monastery, brewery, tasting shops and other crafts. Places where attention is given to people, products and the environment. Places that provide shelter, work and attention. Perhaps in the long term also a monastery farm so that food is visibly grown, processed and prepared again in front of the consumer. In this way, they want to build an ecosystem that contributes and gives back to the Bijlmer instead of just using the Bijlmer and its residents.
