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

On 15 February 1864, Gerard Adriaan Heineken (1841–1893)^[4][5] got his wealthy mother to buy De Hooiberg (The Haystack) brewery in Amsterdam, a popular working-class brand founded in 1592. In 1873 after hiring a Dr. Elion (student of Louis Pasteur) to develop Heineken-A Yeast for Bavarian bottom fermentation, the HBM (Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij) was established, and the first Heineken brand beer was brewed. In 1875 Heineken won the Medaille D'Or at the International Maritime Exposition in Paris, then began to be shipped there regularly, after which Heineken sales topped 64,000 hectolitres (1.7 million U.S. gallons), making them the biggest beer exporter to France.

In 2013 Heineken joined leading alcohol producers as part of a producers' commitments to reducing harmful drinking.^[6]

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

• Medaille d'Or (Gold Medal) at the International Maritime Exhibition (International Exhibition of Marine and River Industries) in Paris in May 1875.^[7][8][9]
• Diplome d'Honneurs (Honorary Diploma) at the International Colonial Exposition in Amsterdam in 1883.^[7]
• Grand Prix (Grand Prize) at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889.^[7]
• Hors Concours Membre du Jury in Paris in 1900.^[7]

The two awards that are still mentioned on the label are the Medaille d'Or and Diplome d'Honneurs.^[10]

In 2014 Heineken celebrated its 150th anniversary. In 2015 Heineken won the Creative Marketer of the Year Award, becoming the second company to win the award twice.^[10]

The original brewery where Gerard Adriaan Heineken first started making Heineken is now the Heineken Experience Museum.^[11]

Production

Since 1975 most Heineken brand beer has been brewed at their brewery in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands.^[1] In 2011, 2.74 billion litres of Heineken brand beer were produced worldwide, while the total beer production of all breweries fully owned by the Heineken Group over all brands was 16.46 billion litres globally.^[12] Heineken has been sold in more than 170 countries. They’ve also been incorporated with numerous beer brands in different countries all over the world including Mexico, China, and Africa.

Advertising

Heineken was the major sponsor of UEFA Champions League and Rugby World Cup.

In 2016, Heineken became the Official Beer of the Formula One World Championship starts from Canadian Grand Prix.^[13]

• Official website