Like many (most?) of the major craft beer brands on the market, New Holland Brewing Co. is rebranding, but it’s also kind of making a lifestyle change. The Michigan-based beer company is embracing a “gezellig” approach to its brand and sales concept. It’s a Dutch word. According to the press release, it’s an all-encompassing feeling that spans from cozy to friendly, relaxing to comfortable, enjoyable to gregarious. Here’s how Brand Manager Adam Dickerson explained the gezellig culture quest at New Holland.
“At the heart of who we are, New Holland is here to inspire joy and create moments worth remembering with the people you care most about,” Dickerson said. “Our role in that is to be that beverage on the table that brings people together — the centerpiece to those moments.”
The logo is front and center on the overhauled packaging.
“That windmill is a symbol of our roots in Dutch culture,” Dickerson said. “But I think what we’ve done with the windmill now is clean, it’s fresh, it feels much more iconic than ever, and that’s our idea—to modernize that Dutch culture.”
New Holland wants to bring that gezellig lifestyle to its brands and properties. It had a Gezellig Virtual Concert Series in March. New Holland’s owner Brett VanderKamp is hoping to translate that gezellig lifestyle to its properties too.
“When I opened the brewery here in Holland there really wasn’t a social drinking culture,” VanderKamp said. “Now you walk 8th street and there’s public houses and establishments that welcome all walks of life and families. It’s really created a nice sense of community and we feel really proud to have helped pioneer that here.”
New Holland noted, when visiting the Pub on 8th in Holland or the Knickerbocker in Grand Rapids, customers will notice changes both subtle and overt that embrace that gezellig theme. Both of New Holland’s pubs are currently open, operating at 50 percent capacity, with sanitizer stations and spaced tables. Read its COVID-19 response and updates right here.
Some beer lineup news
While much of the core lineup remains, New Holland has invited a few new year-round offerings to the fold. These include:
- First off, Hazy River, is a 100 percent Citra-hopped, ultra-cloudy New England Style IPA with bright, hop-driven flavors of pineapple, mango and citrus.
- Then there’s Little Piglet, a new Session IPA that brings fresh hop cone bitterness at a crushable 4.7 percent ABV to the portfolio. As for the name, Little Piglet is an ode to the Dutch expression, “I’ll wash that little piglet!” meaning to get the job done. It surely will.
- Lastly, welcome Golden Sails, a clean, crisp lager that pairs well with just about any outdoor activity. Expect the new packaging to hit distribution this August/September in six-packs and twelve-packs.
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