In this article I will share my tasting experience with Koersprêt Special Beer and share a very cool background story of how beer brewing, cycling and friendship are the foundation of Koersprêt. Koersprêt is founded by Misael van Leeuwen and Peter Koning.
Koersprêt has 4 different special beers to offer: Gangmaker (Bubbly Blonde), Snok (Twisty Tripple), Bunny Hop (Fruity IPA) and Waaier (Wavy White Beer).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Koersprêt Special Beers – 4 Different Cycling Names, 4 Tour de France Leader Jersey Colors
From a marketing perspective Koersprêt has done a brilliant job. Each of the 4 special beers has a specific Dutch cycling related name. The used colors on the 4 beer cans are in line with the 4 colors of leader jerseys for each of the different classifications in Le Tour de France. The tabel below gives a simple summary:
| # | JERSEY COLOR | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yellow Jersey | General Classification |
| 2 | Green Jersey | (Sprinter) Points Classification |
| 3 | Polka Dot Jersey | Mountain Point Classification |
| 4 | White Jersey | U23 Classification |
If you want to learn more about the details for each jersey/classification check out the following articles: History of the Tour de France jerseys and how they got their colours and Tour de France jerseys explained. Now let’s have a look a the 4 different special beers from Koersprêt.
Koersprêt Bunny Hop – Fruity IPA Beer – Green Jersey
The first beer (you will find in the Tour package) is the IPA called Bunny Hop. Just as the Tour is more than just a race, our Bunny Hop IPA is more than just a beer. It’s an experience! Our Bunny Hop IPA is the perfect condiment during a sunny stage. This fruity beer is like a hilly stage through a beautiful landscape. Only this is a real journey through a landscape of flavors.
Personally I’m always a fan of India Pale Ale beers, simply because I like the little bitterness in combination with fruity flavors. The first reference to the India Pale Ale was found in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30 1835.
After a training ride the bitterness is something I prefer, despite the fact that my body composition will never allow me to compete in a green jersey sprinters qualification. Koersprêt Bunny Hop is certainly my favorite, despite the fact that the name Bunny Hop is not related to any cycling sprints. However it is a well known cycling term.
Koersprêt Gangmaker – Bubbly Blonde Beer – Yellow Jersey
Just like the leader during the Tour, the blond Gangmaker wears a yellow ”sweater”. Moreover, this blond beer has the perfect balance between malty sweetness and bitter hopiness. The Pacemaker is the perfect beer for the final sprint. This light blonde beer provides the necessary refreshment during the tension of the final sprint. Not only during the final sprint but also after the stage, this is the perfect beer to relax.
Blonde beers are always good. I’m an Affligem Blonde fanboy, and the Gangmaker is a lighter and super easy to drink blonde beer. When in the hot summer season the temperature is high and when you’ve lost a lot of fluid during training rides, this is the perfect social companion when discussing the ride with your cycling friends.
Koersprêt Waaier – Wavy White Beer – White Jersey
The white beer Waaier is the perfect way to cool down and refresh yourself. Drawing a Fan by the cyclists during the Tour is a relief for the cyclists and this is exactly what the wheat beer does for you. Because let’s be honest. Watching the Tour can be quite intense and a refreshing wheat beer is perfect to catch your breath.
Thanks to the refreshing elements of herbs and citrus in our delicious white beer, the Waaier is perfect during an intense stage or when you have finished a ride yourself. Want to drink a refreshing beer with your teammates after riding or during the exciting stages? Then the Waaier is really the solution.
The Koersprêt Waaier is also an easy to drink beer when the sun is shining, like most wheat beers. Paulaner, Franziskaner or Erdinger are well-known German wheat beer brands.
Also check out the article: “Erdinger Alkoholfrei Weiss Bier – Isotonic Recovery Drink” with some cool scientific information on why it has these isotonic characteristics.
Koersprêt Snok – Twisty Tripple Beer – Red Polka Dot Jersey
The Snok triple reflects the exciting and changing dynamics that a snooze can cause during a stage. Just like the thrill and excitement that a snooze can cause during the tour, the Snok triple also provides a perfect balance between tension and excitement.
This beer from our Tour package is the beer to drink during the exciting parts of the stage. With the Snok triple, you can enjoy a strong but tasty taste sensation, just like an unexpected attack or acceleration. The Tour is already hugely exhilarating, exciting and satisfying, but with the Snok triple in your hand, this intense feeling amplifies one sip at a time.
Living close to the Belgian border is an advantage as well, simply because a lot of strong triple beers can be found. I like tripple beers with a good dinner, so the Koersprêt Snok is my second favorite beer to enjoy with friends during the after ride “pasta party”.
How Koersprêt started ?
As mentioned in the introduction Koersprêt is founded by Misael van Leeuwen and Peter Koning. In 2019 Misael founded brewery Cattus. He developed it from a beer brewing course, purchasing an installation and working from the kitchen table to a start-up and scaling up the demand.
Misael had a long-standing love for the bicycle, while Peter Koning rode his bike for a living. Check out his procyclingstats over here. When Peter’s professional cycling career came to and end, his entrepreneurship began. The Koersprêt brand war born. The two men joined forces and a shared passion for cycling and drinking nice beer, their company started.
From serving friends and family to serving the larger cycling community, from brewing at the kitchen table to working with renowned brewers; the two men from West Friesland are on a mission.
Concluding thoughts and wrap-up
Each Koersprêt can will cost € 2,95 per can or you can order a pack of 4 cans with all the different tastes. The “Tour de France” pack will cost € 11,80 excluding shipping costs.
So if you can order Koersprêt beers through your local beer or liquor stores or let them reach out to Peter Koning to get it on their special beer shelves, this is the cheapest option. But if not you will get some tasteful special beers delivered on your doorstep.
What I really like is the philosophy behind Koersprêt and the individual beers. It is the post-ride socializing while enjoying a beer. This is often neglected in club-rides, which are focused (heavily) on performance and power-output.
In the gravel scene (Laurens ten Dam, Peter Stetina, Lachlan Morton) this social aspect of post ride beer drinking and bbq is more the general rule than the exception. Peter Stetina has a beer section on his own website. Despite the hard competition and fierce battles during the gravel race, the friendship outside the race is remarkable.
The Koersprêt team calls it Skôftig saamhorig. So if you are in for post ride socializing than get yourself a package of Koersprêt beers (made by and made for social cyclists).
Koersprêt West Coast IPA
Koersprêt Puncheur, Prime Pilsner
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