Heineken

Heineken Lager Beer (Dutch: Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛinəkən]), is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken International. Heineken is well known for its signature green bottle and red star.^[3]

History

Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the Haystack brewery in Amsterdam on February 15, 1864. In 1873, the HBM (Heineken's Bierbrouweij Maatschapij) was established, and the first beer is brewed, with the brewery's name being changed from Haystack to Heineken. In 1875, Heineken won the Medaille D'Or at the International Exposition in Paris, then began to be shipped there regularly. Heineken sales topped 64,000 hectorlitres (1 hectorlitre = 26.418 U.S. gallons) and it was the biggest exporter to France. In 1889, Heineken receives the gold medal of honour at the World Exhibition in Paris. In 1990, Heineken received a special Jury Prize in Paris.

After prohibition was lifted in 1933, Heineken was the first European beer to be imported to the United States.^[4]

In Heineken's early years, the beer won four awards:

• Medaille d'Or (Gold Medal) in Paris in 1875.^[5]
• Diplome d'Honneurs (Honorary Diploma) at the International Colonial Exposition in Amsterdam in 1883.^[5]
• Grand Prix (Grand Prize) at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889.^[5]
• Hors Concours Membre du Jury in Paris in 1900.^[5]

The two awards that are still mentioned on the label are the Medaille d'Or and Diplome d'Honneurs.^[6]

Production

Two glasses of Heineken beer

Since 1975, most Heineken brand beer has been brewed at the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands.^[1] In 2011, 2.74 billion liters of Heineken brand beer was produced worldwide, while the total beer production of all breweries fully owned by the Heineken Group over all brands was 16.46 billion liters globally.^[7] Sold in more than 170 countries, Heineken is the world's most international premium beer. It has been incorporated with numerous beer brands from different countries all over the world including, Mexico, China, and Africa.

Present Day Heineken

• In 2014, Heineken celebrates its 150th anniversary.
• In 2015, Heineken wins the Creative Marketer of the Year Award becoming the second company to win the award twice.^[8]
• The original brewery where Gerard Adriaan Heineken first started making Heineken is now a museum. The brewery is now called the Heineken Experience Museum. Guests can walk around having the same kind of atmosphere just like back when it was still a brewery. The smell of fresh brewed beer still lingers in the air because guests can go home with a personalized beer with their name on the label. ^[9]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heineken.

• Heineken.com