#FoundersFridays: Meet Sebastiaan Zoet

#FoundersFridays is an interview series about Amsterdam’s wellbeing economy: for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. Each frontrunner answers questions on their entrepreneurial journey, learnings, milestones, and bottlenecks, as well as on Amsterdam’s and the Dutch impact and innovation ecosystem. It’s a platform for entrepreneurs to speak their minds freely and pass on their learnings to anyone considering founding an enterprise.

For this #FoundersFridays interview, we spoke to Sebastiaan Zoet, founder Queer Beer, a new Amsterdam beer brand made for the queer community, by the queer community. For every beer purchased, Queer Beer donates 10 cents to a cause that supports the community (right now that is LGBT Asylum Support). Doing good by drinking beer! 

Why did you start Queer Beer?

The idea had been brewing for a while. I love beer. I enjoy brewing it; I had already started brewing at home using a homebrew kit. My father is a nutritionist, and my brother is a chef, so food has always played a big role at home. During the pandemic, I thought of starting my own beer brand, but who starts a beer brand when all the bars are closed? In hindsight, it was the perfect time, as people began drinking a lot of craft beers at home. The final push came when I noticed that some big beer brands were exploiting the queer community in their advertising and campaigns. Heineken acquired Oedipus with their famous Mannenliefde beer, and Bud launched Bud Light, promoted by a trans influencer. Bud’s core audience wasn’t happy about it and made that very clear. Bud dropped the influencer immediately. That’s when I thought: we can do it better. I don’t need to become the next Heineken, but I do want to make a difference and give back.

Is the beer world an inclusive space?

No, I think the beer industry—speaking bluntly—is dominated by men, particularly white, straight men with beards and beer bellies. It’s a lot of the same.

I saw a gap in the market. During Pride, I noticed a lot of pinkwashing—big brands spending heaps of money on a boat to be very visible to the queer community, but staying conspicuously silent for the rest of the year. No beer brand truly gives back to the community. Many beer ads still feature two men at a bar being served by a woman with long blonde hair and big boobs. Take Lidl’s beer, Kordaat. The slogan is something like: “for decisive men.” Bullocks, beer is for everyone. I have so many female friends who love a good beer. 

What makes a beer queer?

Primarily, the fact that queer people make it. We give back to the queer community: 10 cents from every beer sold goes to a cause within the community, preferably one focused on marginalized groups within it. Our contributions now go to LGBT Asylum Support, an organization that supports LGBTQI+ asylum seekers in the Netherlands.

Does a queer beer taste different?

Queer means "different," so I wanted to create a truly different beer that captured that sense of otherness in its flavor. This community is spicy, so I wanted chili in the beer. But this was a bold choice: what if it didn’t taste good? If you’re a big beer brand with 21 crowd-pleasing flavors and the 22nd is surprising, that’s fun. But what if the only beer you launch is really out there? It was a risk. It turned out to be a well-balanced beer: a hoppy wheat beer with mango and chili. It’s surprising and very drinkable.

The queer community isn’t the easiest crowd to please. On the one hand, they love beer, but I can’t show up with a heavy stout, it needs to be something you can drink all night. On the other hand, many queer people are serious beer enthusiasts who want something striking, special, and above all, delicious. I think we managed to satisfy everyone this way.

The birth announcement for your beer ("There’s a new beer in town") was a big hit. How did that come about?

I came up with the birth announcement myself. I had no marketing budget, so I had to get creative to build brand awareness. At the time my social media feeds were flooded with gender reveal parties and baby showers. I wanted to poke fun at that. It also felt like my baby, this beer brand. So I put on a stork costume, got on my bike, and delivered beer and beschuit met muisjes (toast with sprinkles)—rainbow sprinkles, of course—all over the city. The media loved it, and Queer Beer got a lot of attention right away.

Can you talk about the different phases Queer Beer has gone through after the launch?

Haha, many phases! I haven’t been doing this for long, but it already feels like I’ve been through it all: euphoric phases, stressful phases, disastrous phases. That might sound dramatic, but that’s how it felt. Since I rent brew kettles from a brewery in Ghent, transport can sometimes be tricky. A week before Pride, they informed me the beer might not make it to Amsterdam in time. I had orders all over the city; this was my moment to shine, and the order might not be there on time. Bars need reliability; you're out if you mess up your first order. Luckily, the beer arrived just in time, but I lost some sleep over it.

To counter that, the startup phase was amazing. I organized a launch party expecting about 50 people, but 250 showed up. The media picked up the story, and the beers were a hit. During Pride, orders came flooding in from everywhere, and I worked day and night. It was insane. Then we ran out of beer. So I had to rush to Ghent to brew more. Now, things are slowing down a bit—wheat beer is more of a summer drink. I need to push it again, and visit bars to see if people are willing to reorder. Ultimately, Queer Beer needs to become profitable.

Why cans instead of bottles?

Beer is traditionally bottled. However, thanks to the government’s deposit programme, canned beer is becoming more popular. You get a refund, two cans fit where one bottle would, so it’s more convenient for bars to store, and consumers now see the value in cans. For a long time, canned beer wasn’t considered cool—it had a cheap image—but that’s changing. Canned beer stays fresh longer, and the flavor is better preserved. I value sustainability, and so does my target audience. The LGBTQI+ community is well-represented in climate activism.

What’s a recent win for Queer Beer?

We recently launched Queer Beer for Business. I wanted to contribute to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  Employers don’t always prioritize diversity and inclusion—they lack time or fear making mistakes. But they’re always up for organizing drinks: fun, socializing, and connecting. That’s where I can help.  We organize events like Drag Bingo for companies and spread awareness. We’ve already supplied beers for Pride events at KPMG and Deloitte, powerful companies. I hope this helps foster workplace acceptance of the queer community.

What’s been a recent challenge?

Distribution is everything, as I learned this year—and I don’t have a driver’s license. Could there be a worse match: someone without a driver’s license running a beer brand? I’m taking driving lessons like crazy now. For the moment, I use a cargo bike. My legs are steel by now, and it’s super sustainable. But it means I spend whole days cycling through rain and hail and delivering outside the city is tough. I thought we’d find a distribution partner faster, but it’s more expensive than expected.

Which venue would be a dream spot for Queer Beer?

Café ’t Mandje on the Zeedijk. It’s the oldest queer bar in Amsterdam with such a rich history. I’d love to be part of that.

What are Queer Beer’s goals for the coming months?

We’re launching a new flavor early next year! I can’t say much yet, but it’ll have a fun name and a surprising taste. We’ll launch it with a bang. I also hope to expand Queer Beer beyond Amsterdam.

And long-term goals?

I want to create a queer beer festival! There are some beer festivals already, but I want one specifically for the queer community. And I want a queer taproom. If you want to go out as a queer person, most places only start buzzing around 10 or 11 p.m. There’s a real need for a place where you can grab a beer before heading out and where we can continue hosting our events.

What do you need to make an even bigger impact?

Time! I work most weekends and evenings. And a network. I have the best friends who are always there for me. If I post in a group chat, “Hey guys, I’m hosting a market—who wants to work a bar shift?” The response is: “So fun, count me in!” I just need more of my friends, I guess. 

If you’re an Amsterdam-based founder working on an innovative solution that solves an urban or social challenge, and you’d like to share your story with our audience, email impact@amsterdam.nl