Heineken has been around for over 140 years and is one of the most globally recognized beer brands today. The brewing process consisting of utilizing only three ingredients (barley, hops, and water) has remained unchanged since the beginning, which may account for its success.  We spoke with Willem van Waesberghe, Heineken’s Global Brew Master to learn the intricacies of this iconic beer. van Waesberghe is currently starring with Benicio Del Toro in the brand’s latest’s campaign.  Heineken is brewed in 65 breweries in 40 around the world, and each country has a master brewer. They are linked together, all reporting to van Waesberghe who has the final word on the product.

From a single brewery in Amsterdam Heineken has grown into a successful global business. Of course its American success is linked to the fact that after prohibition was lifted in 1933, Heineken became the first European beer to be imported to the United States. In addition to Heineken the global parent company has over 250 brands under its portfolio including Amstel Light, Sol, Tecate, and Dos Equis.

HOMBRE: What is the process utilized to ensure every Heineken tastes the same throughout the world?
Williem van Waesberghe: There are fifty tasters and they taste everyday, you can taste a maximum five or six fresh ones in a row and then you get the verdict on how it tastes compared to the reference and then you get the feedback. We know our recipe so well that it’s easy to advice, to tune up a little bit more, or tune down the bitterness. It’s never a disaster that needs to be destroyed, they would know that already in the brewery. The master brewers there understand what they do and with our recipes we make sure we don’t have these issues. In total there are seventy brew masters in Heineken total. Every country has at least one.

H: How did you become Global Head Brew Master for the brand?
WvW: I have worked twenty one years at Heineken and four years as the global head brewer. I love beer. I’ve been a brewer first in breweries. Then I headed the R&D (research and development) department and as brewer I needed to direct the research. That made me capable of expressing a little bit easier to explain in layman’s terms what beer is about. If you do your research then you have to translate it into layman’s terms.

H: What would you say is the key to your success?
WvW: The key to my success is exactly that; that I can speak about difficult things in an easy language… and I know how to brew beer. I can’t touch Heineken, but there are plenty more brands to play with.

H: How involved are you with the other brands?
WvW: It depends a little bit if they need advice. It’s not under my guidance but if they want advice or if the master brewer looks for new recipes or interesting concepts then we have a sort of community of master brewers to exchange recipes and I can help.

H: What are the keys to success of the brand?
WvW: There are a lot of things, but the basis is the beer. If the beer tastes bad, then forget it. You can’t sell a bad beer. If you focus on the right consumers, if you can express that well, if the brand’s DNA is correct, that’s all marketing stuff and plays a big role. But in the end you need to have a good consistent product. That’s key.

H: How was it working with Benicio?
WvW: Despite his reputation he’s a nice guy. I’m not allowed to say that too much (laughs).

H: What advice can you offer to prospective brew masters, or anyone in general?
WvW: Brew a lot of beer (laughs). You have to understand that the world changes around you and you need to be adaptable and flexible, especially as a a brewer.

Ricky Martin

H: What does the red star represent?
W: The star is an old medieval sign for brewing. It’s used by a lot of brewers. There a lot of ways to look at it. You can say these are the three ingredients, yeast, and craftsmanship. The five point star is the way to look at the golden ratio in architecture, the ideal ratio of length and width. In the middle ages they used it to design buildings and architecture. It’s also linked to witchcraft. It’s a medieval sign for things you don’t really understand, but it’s nice.

Heineken’s Global Brew Master Willem van Waesberghe with HOMBRE Magazine’s Francisco Romeo