VAT'33
VAT'33 is a beer brand from Amersfoort, created by the people behind beer shop Hoptimaal and pub Tjaps. The beers are brewed at Rock City in the same city, without a brewing installation of their own. You may know them for hoppy New England IPAs like KEIPA and the Starscaper range, alongside a tripel, a blond and a doppelbock.
- LocationAmersfoort, Utrecht
- Founded2022
- TypeNanobrewery
- Untappd 3.73 · 15k ratings
- At Hoptimaal8 in stock · 11 in total
In stock now 8
Previously at Hoptimaal 3
Sold out. If a new batch is coming, you can ask for a heads-up on the product page.
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A hobby that got out of hand in Amersfoort
VAT'33 grew out of a beer shop and a pub. Hoptimaal opened on 1 December 2018 in the Vathorst shopping centre in Amersfoort, followed in October 2021 by pub Tjaps with 23 taps. In the early years of Hoptimaal, the founder started homebrewing with three friends: every Sunday they got together to brew a beer.
The brand itself started in 2022. For the tap at Tjaps, the founder was looking for a witbier (Belgian white beer) that could stay available all summer. Ruud, brewer and owner of Eembier, didn't have one, but offered to brew it. That is how Keiwit came about, the first beer of their own, a witbier with Hüll Melon and Nelson Sauvin.
These days VAT'33 brews at Rock City in Amersfoort. There is no brewing installation of their own. The address is Leeghwater 5 in Vathorst.
Balance, classics and hoppy detours
VAT'33 wants to make beers with a perfect balance. The core range consists of classics, and the brewery also looks for bolder beers and collabs. The name KEIPA refers to the Keistad, the nickname of Amersfoort. It is a New England IPA of 5%, with a version with black pepper and a low-alcohol version of 0.33% as well.
If you want it hoppy, look at Double Daddy and the Starscaper beers: double IPAs of 8%. Starscaper: Right Brain is hopped with Nelson Sauvin.
Sloppy Joe is a tripel of 8% that started at the kitchen table with three friends. HEY!Tjappie is a blond with maple syrup, made in collaboration with HEY!Pannenkoek. Dubaibock is a doppelbock of 9% with chocolate and pistachio.
VAT'33 at Hoptimaal
At Hoptimaal you can find VAT'33 in cans of 33 cl and 44 cl. Most of it is IPA, alongside a blond, a tripel and a bock. The strength ranges from 0.33% to 9%. On Untappd, Double Daddy, both Starscaper beers, Trailblazer and Dubaibock, among others, are rated highly.
Drink the hoppy beers as fresh as possible and cold, that is when the hops and the fruit come across best. The heavier beers, such as Dubaibock, Sloppy Joe and Double Daddy, you drink more slowly and a little less cold, from a glass you can let warm up.
Frequently asked questions
Where does VAT'33 come from?
VAT'33 comes from Amersfoort, the Keistad. The brand started in 2022 and came about with the people behind beer shop Hoptimaal and pub Tjaps in Vathorst.
What kind of beer does VAT'33 make?
Mainly New England IPAs and double IPAs, such as KEIPA, Double Daddy and Starscaper. They also make the blond HEY!Tjappie, the tripel Sloppy Joe and the doppelbock Dubaibock.
Does VAT'33 have its own brewery?
No, VAT'33 has no brewing installation of its own. The beers are brewed at Rock City in Amersfoort.
