The Lager Is Back — And Den Haag’s Brewers Are Ready
Okay, I’ll say it: I’ve been ordering more lagers lately. Not because I’ve given up on the sour barrel-aged stuff — you know I’ll always come back for that — but because something has shifted. Den Haag’s best taprooms are quietly pulling a different kind of crowd right now, and it’s not the double-hopped IPA crowd. It’s people ordering a cold, clean pilsner and actually savouring it.
And turns out, I’m not imagining it. According to industry observers, the craft lager renaissance that started in 2025 has fully arrived in 2026. After years of hazy IPAs dominating tap lists, drinkers are craving simplicity again — crisp, balanced, sessionable beers that actually work with food and with conversation. The “extreme beer” era is contracting, and classic pilsners are filling the space.
What this means for Dutch speciaalbier
In the Netherlands, we’ve always called it speciaalbier rather than craft beer — and our brewing culture has always kept one foot in tradition. According to market research from IMARC Group, Dutch microbreweries have grown from around 200 to over 900 in recent years, with many now experimenting with local ingredients: North Sea seaweed, Zeeland berries, Utrecht-grown hops. That terroir-driven approach pairs naturally with the lager renaissance, where the quality of ingredients is front and centre.
Den Haag specifically is interesting here. We’re not Amsterdam — we don’t have that relentless export-everything brewing mentality. The breweries here tend to be smaller, more neighbourhood-focused, more taproom-oriented. And taprooms, according to recent market analysis, are exactly where growth is happening. Breweries that invest in hospitality, food pairings, and community programming are outperforming those that just focus on production volume.
The Van Moll Fest factor
One signal I’m watching: Van Moll Fest is returning to the Evoluon in 2026, billed as the Netherlands’ most curated craft beer festival. Every beer is hand-selected for taste, story, and character — no filler, just breweries that earn their spot. Events like this matter because they shape what local bars stock next season. When a festival this credible elevates a lager or a helles, it normalises it across the whole scene.
My take: if you’re a Den Haag local who got into craft beer through the hazy IPA era and haven’t touched a pilsner since, it’s time to reconsider. The best ones being brewed right now — small batch, local ingredients, properly lagered — are genuinely exciting in a way the category hasn’t been for years. Find your local taproom, ask what’s on the lager taps, and start there. I’ll be at mine this Friday. Santé.