De Bekeerde Suster

De Bekeerde Suster is a brewery, tasting room and café restaurant located at Kloveniersburgwal 6 in the heart of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The name — Dutch for "the converted sister" — refers to the converted nuns ("Bekeerde Susters") who lived at the Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene of Bethany, founded in the mid-1450s as a refuge for women seeking redemption. The monastery developed a strong brewing tradition, and the nuns' beer became a sought-after local product. The modern business, which opened in 2004 according to Wikidata, operates on the site and grounds of that Bethaniën Monastery and presents itself as an institution of Amsterdam beer heritage. The venue combines a working steam beer brewery with a restaurant and tasting room. Exclusive beers are brewed on location for the House and its sister cafés, and the menu pairs these beers with food such as Flammkuchen and Old Amsterdam Onion Soup, according to guest reviews featured on the official website. De Bekeerde Suster also hosts private events, including dinner parties, weddings, corporate gatherings and guided brewery tastings for groups of roughly 10 to 100 guests. The business is part of the Ramzy Group, whose website is linked from the De Bekeerde Suster site. It is a private, privately held hospitality and brewing operation rather than a listed company. Its positioning rests on the combination of a central Amsterdam location, a centuries-old brewing narrative tied to the Bethaniën Monastery, and an in-house microbrewery that supplies both the main venue and affiliated cafés.

De Bekeerde Suster traces its story to medieval Amsterdam. In the mid-1450s, the Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene of Bethany was built as a refuge for women seeking redemption from what the sources describe as sinful lives. The women who arrived were taken in and cared for by converted nuns known as "Bekeerde Susters" — former sinners who had found a new life in the monastery. As the community grew, housing and feeding the nuns became increasingly difficult, and beer-making was adopted as both a daily staple and a source of income. Because brewing involves boiling and fermentation, beer was also a safer alternative to contaminated water in medieval Amsterdam. The nuns' beer became highly sought after and appreciated, and beer-making and selling became central to the monastery's identity. The modern De Bekeerde Suster operates on the site and grounds of the Bethaniën Monastery. According to Wikidata, the brewery opened in 2004. It presents itself as a brewery, tasting room and café restaurant that honours the monastery's legacy by running a steam beer brewery on location, where exclusive beers are brewed for the House and its sister cafés. The venue is located at Kloveniersburgwal 6, 1012 CT Amsterdam, and is part of the Ramzy Group. Today the business combines brewing, dining and events. Its website promotes celebrated beers and food in the heart of Amsterdam, private event spaces for 10 to 100 guests, and corporate tastings that include a visit to the brewery followed by a beer tasting. Guest reviews highlighted on the site praise the frothy beer selection, outdoor seating and dishes such as Flammkuchen and Old Amsterdam Onion Soup.

• 2004

  Modern De Bekeerde Suster brewery opens in the Netherlands, per Wikidata.

• 1450

  Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene of Bethany founded in mid-1450s as a refuge for women; brewing tradition develops.

Historic Amsterdam microbrewery, tasting room and café restaurant rooted in the brewing heritage of the medieval Bethaniën Monastery.

• Steam beer

  Brewed on location in the in-house steam beer brewery.

• Exclusive house beers

  Brewed for the House and its sister cafés.

1. 1De Bekeerde Suster Amsterdam | Microbrewery and Tasting Roomdebekeerdesuster.com
2. 2De Bekeerde Suster | Our Storydebekeerdesuster.com
3. 3De Bekeerde Suster | Private Eventsdebekeerdesuster.com
4. 4De Bekeerde Susterwikidata.org