150 years of brewing excellence
Did you know that 1 in 3 people choose beer as their first drink of choice at the start of the night? Does anything compare to that first, refreshing sip of Heineken® after a long day?
For the last 150 years, Heineken® has mastered the star brewing principles that have enabled us to perfect that first sip feeling. These five-star brewing principles’ ensure Heineken® always achieves that high quality, characteristic taste no matter where in the world you take that first sip.
Represented by the points of the iconic red star in our logo, these five core brewing principles include our famous A-yeast, quality Pure Malt, a passion for 100% natural ingredients, an innovative horizontal brewing method and our verified Star Brewers.
Making a star
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The famous Heineken star is the symbol of Star Brewing. The 5 points of the star represent the qualities that make Heineken so uniquely premium and refreshing. Already at the first sip you experience the refreshing quality. Cheers and enjoy.
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It’s the ‘secret’, that gives Heineken its slightly fruity, famously refreshing taste, and also creates the sparkly bubbles and (moderate) alcohol. A-Yeast is Heineken’s hero, and the unique gist of refreshment.
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Only pure malt is good enough to let our A-Yeast do its precious job: delivering that crisp, deliciously fresh taste.
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A-Yeast is very sensitive and will only be happy and work well in horizontal brewing tanks that provide the exact right pressure… we do everything for happy A-Yeast
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Simply because nothing beats natural ingredients.
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It takes ten years of training and passionate dedication to become a Heineken Star Brewer. These masters of the craft make sure every Heineken has that deliciously refreshing taste – the one the world expects.
What makes Heineken® a Star?
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Heineken®’s A-yeast
A-yeast was a unique strain of yeast created by Heineken®’s founder, Gerard Heineken, back in 1886. Referred to by Gerard as ‘the secret of beer’, A-yeast is what gave Heineken® pilsner its special pure character and it has been a part of our recipe ever since. It’s what makes Heineken®, Heineken®
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Pure Malt
Pure Malt enriches our lager by adding a crisp, refreshing note to every sip, while also giving Heineken® that rich, golden hue. We carefully select the finest premium malts, with strict standards on protein level and quality, which has earned us the Pure Malt label. This badge of honour means we use no other additives, such as rice or corn – so you know you’re getting exactly what it says on the bottle.
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Natural Ingredients
Simply because nothing beats natural ingredients.
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Horizontal Tanks
Our 100% pure, natural ingredients undergo processes of cooking, cooling, fermentation and lagering. During the fermentation process A-yeast is added, which requires a larger surface area to ensure that characteristic, balanced Heineken® taste. That’s why, unlike most other brewers, we use horizontal tanks.
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Master Brewers
At Heineken® we are brewers first and foremost. Every brewer at Heineken® has to go through 10 years of training to become a Master Brewer to ensure the high-quality credentials of Heineken® are respected during the brewing process. Our global master Brewer Willem van Waesberghe directs this programme to ensure the quality and consistency of Heineken® is paramount, this is the reason why you can always rely on the same refreshing tase of Heineken® across all 192 markets its sold.