November | 2019 | TheBeerProfessor

When people learn that you enjoy craft beer, it is not unusual for them to give you some as a gift. Nowadays, it is common for my oldest daughter to give me craft beer as a birthday or Christmas gift. But every now and then I receive a gift of beer on occasions when I do not expect it. Such was the case last week when I was in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (colloquially known as Den Bosch) in the Netherlands. I was there to attend a workshop on Cities4People: Towards Smart, Safe and Sound Cities. The workshop was held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS). On the first afternoon of the workshop I made a presentation on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity, and their role in contributing to the quality of urban life.

Presenting on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

After the afternoon presentations were complete there was a beer and wine reception, where workshop participants could network before dinner. Halfway through the meeting, Caroline Crevels, one of the organizers of the conference presented me with a gift. It was a gift of craft beer. What impressed me the most about this particular gift, however, was the effort and thoughtfulness that had went into selecting it. Caroline had visited a local bottle shop (Bottle Shop Den Bosch), and told the individual on duty that she was looking for a gift for a visiting craft beer lover and scholar. That individual then curated a selection of four beers, explaining to Caroline the significance of each one. Caroline took notes, and referred to these when presenting the gift to me. I was extremely touched with the care that she had taken.

Caroline Crevels (left) presented me with a gift of craft beer at a reception held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.

The four beers that Caroline presented me with were:

De Cam Oude Geuze: a Lambic-Gueuze brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam Brewery in Gooik, Belgium. It has an ABV of 6.5%.
Imperial Stout: a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster, England. It has an ABV of 7%.
Oeteldonker: a Dry Hopped Amber Ale brewers by D’N Draok Brewery in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. It has an ABV of 6.1%.
Odravein: a Barley Wine beer brewed by Põhjala Brewery in Tallin, Estonia. It has an ABV of 12%.

The four beers I received as a gift while in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

Of the four beers, the one that peaked my interest the most was Oeteldonker. As Caroline explained, the Oeteldonker is brewed once a year, and the beer and the timing of its release is connected with the Carnaval season in Den Bosch. Carnaval is a celebration that takes place on the three days preceding Ash Wednesday. Although connected to the religious observances of Lent, Carnaval’s origins can be traced to pagan spring festivals. Carnaval was a time to feast. During Medieval and posted-Medieval periods, food remaining from the winter had to consumed, lest it would soon start to rot and decay.

Oeteldonker Beer, which is released on 11/11 each year

While I was familiar with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA and the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I have to admit I never knew that there was a similar event the southern Netherlands. It does, however, have a long history. Indeed Carnaval has been the subject for a number of 16th century artists, including Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His 1559 painting The Fight between Carnival and Lent shows the juxtaposition of the religious (see the church on the right hand side of the painting) and the secular (the inn/tavern on the left hand side). The abstinence associated with Lent was preceded by a period of feasting. Beer features in Bruegel’s painting. At the bottom center-left of the painting is a large man riding a beer barrel. All indications (meat pie on head, pork chop attached to barrel, butcher knives in his belt etc.) are that he is a butcher. As butchers provided meat for Caranaval, his appearance in the painting is appropriate

The Fight between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Source: Wikipedia Commons

A close up of the butcher riding the beer barrel in Bruegel the Elderr’s painting

While the real spectacle of Carnaval does not begin until the three days before Ash Wednesday, preparations start on November 11 (11/11) each year. On that date, city councils vote for a Prince of Carnaval for their town. When the first day of Carnaval arrives, the Mayor of the town nominally transfers his or her authority to the Prince. Once this happens, normal daily life is suspended and the party begins. In Den Bosch, the city temporarily changes its name for the three days of Carnaval, and is re-named Oeteldonk. The name Oeteldonk has its genesis in Den Bosch’s geographical setting . According to my research “donk” refers to either a sandy hill or a low lying swamp (or perhaps a sandy hill in a low lying swamp). The word “oetel“ is thought refer refer to a Bishop Adrianus Godschalk who, in the late 19th century, wanted to ban carnival. The bishop was from the village of Den Dungen, where Van den Oetelaar was a common last name. Oetel is, therefore, a playful reference to the bishop. A symbol of Den Bosch’s Carnaval is the frog. Frogs were common in the swampy land surrounding Den Bosch. A defining characteristic of Carnaval is the reversal of social roles and the suspension of norms about desired behavior. The color and spectacle that is Carnaval can be seen in this video.

Oeteldonker beer, brewed by Brouwerij D’n Draok in Den Bosch, is inspired by Carnaval. It is brewed once a year, and is released on 11/11. Only 1,111 bottles of Oeteldonker are bottled each year; so I feel privileged to have one. In Germanic folklore, the number 11 is considered the “fool’s number”, and much of Carnaval involves playful, yet foolish, behavior.

The four beers were given to me just before the American Thanksgiving holiday. My oldest daughter, Kirsty, was visiting my wife and I from Cincinnati for that holiday. And, as Kirsty is also a craft beer aficionado, I thought it would be nice to share them with her. So before we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal, her and I opened and shared each of the four beers. As we did so I reflected on the generosity of Caroline and my other Dutch friends, and gave thanks for their wonderful generosity and friendship.

I was in Charlotte, NC recently. I was there to attend the 42nd annual Applied Geography Conference. As is customary in my conference travels, I used any spare time I had to explore the local craft beer scene. This was my third visit to Charlotte, since 2012, so I actually was quite familiar with the growth of the city’s craft beer sector. During my last visit in 2016, I had visited three Charlotte breweries (Birdsong Brewing Company, The Unknown Brewing Company, and Heist Brewery) as part of a Charlotte Brews Cruise tour. Charlotte has also been one of my case study cities for my academic work on America’s burgeoning craft brewing industry. With my colleague Isabelle Nilsson of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, we examined the impact of craft breweries on property values. Our research showed that being within one-half mile of a craft brewery increased the value of single-family homes by 9.3%. In another piece we examined the role that craft breweries have played in the revitalization of Charlotte’s historic NoDa neighborhood.

NoDa is a fascinating neighborhood, with historical ties to North Carolina’s textile industry. Production of textiles began in North Charlotte (as NoDa was known then) in 1903 with the opening of Highland Park Mill No. 3. Two other mills were subsequently opened in the neighborhood- Mecklenburg Mill In 1905 and Johnson Mill In 1916. At that time, North Charlotte was geographically separated from the city of Charlotte, being located three miles north of the city.

In close proximity to the Highland Park and Mecklenburg mills were mill villages. These villages, constructed by mill owners, provided homes for the mill workers and their families. Mill villages had basic services such as a school and a church. At the nexus of the two mill villages was a commercial district, where services such as grocery stores, a barber’s shop, a drug store, etc. could be found.

By the mid-1960s, low-cost labor in developing economies in Asia and Latin America posed a serious threat to the American textile industry. Mills closed and employment dwindled. The impact of this overseas competition was felt in and around the Charlotte region, The Highland Park Mill No. 3 and the Mecklenburg Mill closed in 1969, while the Johnson Mill closed in 1975. The closing of the mills signaled tough times for North Charlotte. People left the neighborhood, seeking employment elsewhere and abandoned homes fell into a state of disrepair. Poverty, crime, low-income housing, drug houses and prostitution came to characterize the neighborhood.

The revitalization of the neighborhood began in the 1980s, when two artists, Paul Sires and Ruth Ava Lyons, opened the Center of the Earth Gallery on North Davidson Street. Other artists quickly followed, and North Charlotte became a small, but thriving, arts community. The neighborhood still faced challenges, however, and remained rough around the edges. The Great Recession of 2007-2009 was not good to the neighborhood , which was now known as NoDa. The neighborhood survived, however, and today is home to a diversified range of businesses, including cafes, restaurants, bakeries, yoga studios, and breweries.

The first brewery to call NoDa home was NoDa Brewing Company, which opened its doors in October 2011. Today, the neighborhood is home to ten breweries. While in Charlotte, I had the opportunity to visit four of them Birdsong Brewing Co., Heist Brewery, Protagonist, and Wooden Robot Brewery. Of the four, Heist has the strongest connection to the neighborhood’s historic textile industry. It is, in fact, located in the old Highland Park Mill. Inside the brewery, their is a framed description of the mill’s history.

Heist Brewery is located in the historic Highland Park Mill

The history of Highland Park Mill is displayed in Heist Brewery

Visible from Heist Brewery are a number of the single-Storey homes once occupied by mill families. Some of these have been restored by local residents. The mill homes are protected by protective easements, a legal document signed by both the homeowner and Preservation North Carolina, which prevent homeowners from making changes that compromise the home’s historical integrity. As recently as 2015, NoDa’s refurbished mill homes were selling for anywhere between the high $200,000 and the mid $400,000.

An old mill worker’s home in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. This home is visible from Heist Brewery.

Charlotte has a vibrant craft beer scene. As is the case in many cities I have visited, craft beer has a habit of connecting the beer drinker with a community’s history. To a large extent, this is due to the fact that many craft breweries, in search of inexpensive real estate, occupy older abandoned buildings in historically interesting neighborhoods. Thanks to my wonderful hosts, Isabelle Nilsson and her husband Jeff, I had the opportunity to experience the NoDa neighborhood, complete with its wonderful craft breweries and fascinating history.

TheBeerProfessor

Monthly Archives: November 2019

The Gift of Beer

From Mills to Breweries: Charlotte’s NoDa Neighborhood

Musings on Beer