Kemker Kultuur – German Farmhouse Brewery

Near Münster is Alverskirchen, the home of Kemker Kultuur. Here Jan and Nicole brew their extraordinary beers on a farm according to historical models. With original ingredients, wood barrel maturation and the use of wild yeasts, the brewery has quickly made a name for itself in both national and international connoisseur circles since its foundation in 2017. Craft Beer in the original sense - here everything is handmade.

The revival of regional brewing history

A central component for the beers of Kemker Kultuur is the brewery's home yeast. Together with the maturing in various wooden barrels, this gives its beers a unique taste. Kemker's flagship is the Aoltbeer, in keeping with the tradition of the local beer culture. In other words: a pale top-fermented Alt (in contrast to the Düsseldorf Alt, the Altbier in the Münsterland region was always pale), fermented with wild yeasts and matured for a long time in wooden barrels. Then possibly a storage on fruits like plums or sloes. Within one year there are always several and different batches of the Aoltbeer to discover.

Another special feature is the use of so-called Grut-Mixtures, i.e. a mixture of different herbs, as a substitute for or supplement to hops. This is also typical for the region (by the way, for any region where hops were not known or available in the past). These beers develop an extraordinary taste, reminiscent of orange wine.

But that's not all - Kemker's portfolio also includes beer styles such as Saison, Berliner Weisse or Wild Ales. Some with dark malt, some with smoked malt, in any case always exciting and challenging. Another important process is the blending of beers of different ages - similar to the production of a Geuze - which creates complex and intense taste experiences.

What the region has to offer

Today Jan and Nicole brew about 20 different beers per year. They use regional products as much as possible. The fruits on which they store their Aoltbeer, for example, are for the most part even harvested by themselves. As well as many herbs that are needed for the production of Gruit beers. The apples for the Appelwien also come from fruit trees in the immediate vicinity of the brewery. In addition, they work together with friendly natural wine growers from Germany. Some of them even grow their own grain.

And their approach is not limited to beer. At their weekly farm sales, they offer home-baked sourdough bread, regional cheese and other specialties to go with the beer. Here too, the brewery makes use of sustainable products from the region.