With a third place at the National Beer Tapping Championships, Sebastiaan is now the best of the family

It was a family battle for a long time, which he has now settled in his favor. Because while his brother Nick and his now deceased father Gerrit previously won the preliminary round for the Dutch championship, Sebastiaan always remained stuck. “They always teased me about that, a bit of taunting.”

But in October, the operator of De Zeedijk in Onderdijk won with flying colors and so he got rid of all that whining. And after last night’s third place, he has the highest final ranking at a National Championship. “We can get rid of that whining,” he says, laughing.

It was close together, in the RAI in Amsterdam. In the end, Redeker was only two points away from gold and one from silver. “At first I was disappointed. You want to win this competition. But after a few beers I was satisfied with third place.”

The National Beer Tapping Championship is a serious matter, as it turns out. “A serious sport,” one jury member even said. “Several aspects are being looked at,” says Redeker. “For example, it is about the treatment of the glass, which must be thoroughly clean. It is also about how neatly you can work and of course the foam head. This must be the same for all glasses. You also have to skim the foam alive, if the foam is still running.”

Next year a new opportunity for the operator. “I was already 6th and 11th and now 3rd. I have to become Dutch champion one day. But then you have to win the preliminary round first, that’s difficult enough. In any case, I’ll keep practicing. When it’s busy, That’s difficult. But when it’s a bit quieter in the café, I’ll pay attention.”