Bierbrouwerij De Vlijt

The Netherlands

"Within a year Brewery De Vlijt was selling 40.000 litres of beer..."

Veluwse Schavuyt beer brand

For 125 years there was no local brewery in Apeldoorn, a city in the province of Gelderland, centrally located in the Netherlands. That changed in 2010 when Bierbrouwerij De Vlijt started out as a small brewery in historic building Het Achterom in the city center. Under the brand name Veluwse Schavuyt the first beers were produced.

In two years time it couldn’t meet the demand anymore because of the growing interest. A new brewery was founded and established in the boiler room on the premises of the former Zwitsal factory. However the brewery filed for bankruptcy in 2022.

Social brewery in Apeldoorn

Veluwse Schavuyt was used as the brand name for six different beers produced by Bierbrouwerij De Vlijt. There was a weekly produce of about 3,000 liters of craft beer. They also took their social responsibility as a business, and that means, among other things, including people with poor job prospects in the work process.

Beer tasting at Proeflokaal De Vlijt

Right next to the brewery was a tasting room where a over 100 years old Argentinian bar was installed. The nicely decorated mahogany wooden panels gave a warm and cosy feel to the place where the beer flowed from eight tap handles. Originally this bar and its cabinets used to belong to a pharmacy and that happened to fit really well in this environment.

Zwitsal complex in Apeldoorn

This unique industrial heritage was once the factory complex of Zwitsal, a company started by a former local pharmacist. Baby care products, but also painkillers, were produced In two separate factories. After 65 years the production came to an end and the city of Apeldoorn bought the premises.

Besides Bierbrouwerij De Vlijt, there still is a wide variety of entrepeneurs that have a workspace here. Apeldoorn is overall a pretty ‘green’ city with quite a few city parks. The main attraction not to be missed is the National Museum and former royal palace Paleis Het Loo that was built in 1685.

So is there nothing left to do in terms of beer in Apeldoorn? Not to worry, here's the good news: in 2020, brewery Puik Bieren opened its doors in downtown Apeldoorn!

Updated: 01-01-2025