Founded in 1996 by owners Jason Spaulding and Brett VanderKamp, the New Holland Brewing Company brewed its first batch in June of 1997. The Company goal was to brew hand crafted beer that would be unique to West Michigan, something that had not been done since before prohibition. Somewhere between prohibition and now, the Art of making beer was lost. It had been broken down to Science. Large breweries making ridiculously large batches of tasteless industrial lagers. The two set out to create a brewery whose goal was to reintroduce people to beer. Beer that had taste, made the way it should be. Small, all grain batches, personally looked after every step of the way, from the selection of grain and hops, to the packaging in the bottle.

The idea had been talked about. It had been dreamed about. But could it be done? Yes. Much to the dismay of their parents, Brett quit his job in Colorado and Jason stopped pursuing graduate school. Both worked full time organizing and plannig. It took two years of work to bring it together. A living document, called a business plan, grew from three pages to 150 pages. Investors were llined up. A building was found. A brewery was built. Formulas were finalized. Beer was made. And New Holland Brewing Company was born. "New Holland" the perfect name for a brewery. A "New" generalion of beer drinker. A "New" renaissance of beer appreciation. They "New" it would work.

Personal History

Brett and Jason both grew up together in Midland, Ml. They have known each other since days of Little League. Both attended Midland High School and then went on to Hope College. The two of them played Soccer there and also joined the same Fraternity, OKE. Brett graduated from Hope College with a BS in Geology in 1994. Jason graduated from Grand Valley State University in 1995 with a BS in Health Sciences, emphasis in Microbiology. Both were homebrewers in College. They honed their skilis and joined forces creating an elaborate home brewing machine. It consisted of old kegs, thermos coolers, pulleys and platforms, a system that would truly make Dr. Frankenstein jealous. Truly a far cry from the Brewing System they use today.