By Stuart Whytcross

Nederland’s and Heineken

On my travels, I reckon you can get a pretty good feel for a city in terms of the beers offered in the hotels mini-bar. Upon opening the fridge in our hotel in the Red Light District in Amsterdam, I was greeted by a selection of Grimbergen and Leffe bottles. It was at this stage I was really regretting not researching Amsterdam and its breweries and pubs. Not that these were Dutch beers, but any country that recognizes good beers surely possesses a great beer culture?

Amsterdam wasn’t on my Beer Travels at all, but it had been recommended by several other travelers we met as a ‘must.’ Needless to say I was overwhelmed and excited at the beer culture of the city. In terms of beer culture, Amsterdam is thriving. Obviously they cater for their market (loads of male pom’s on bucks parties and footy trips) by offering Amstel and Heineken on tap in many small sports style bars. But you won’t have to walk far to discover some terrific outlets with some fantastic Belgian and trappist beers, and of course a good selection of local Dutch beers available both on tap and in bottles, and here is a selection of the most noteworthy.

‘Old Nickle’

‘Old Nickle’ is one that you definitely must check out when in Amsterdam. Old Nickel is a comfortable family-owned hotel located in the very heart of the city, and only a short walk from Central Station. The cosy bar specialises in mainly Belgian beers and is decorated with wood-carvings and panelling from the Captain's quarters of the famous Admiral Michiel de Ruyter's 17th century ship. Here I was actually able to get a pint of Fassla’s Bambergator from the cask — something that I couldn’t even get at Fassla when I was in Bamberg.

 

Old Nickel is worth checking out in Amsterdam,
 they also have reasonable rates for accommodation up stairs.
 

Het Elfde Gebod

Het Elfde Gebod is a cozy place whose beer selection emphasizes good taste – 7 beers on tap and 60 bottles. Compared to a couple of other places in town, the list of beers is relatively short, But there is loads of quality, including most of Belgium’s serious lambics, and even  Westvleteren, this small bar illuminated only by candles is worth a stop.

 

The Elfde Gebod
 

Brouwerij't IJ

"Brewery the IJ" is a small 250,000L organic brewery located directly under the windmill De Gooyer in an old public bathhouse and they have been brewing there since 1985. Beers on offer include: 5 regular beers on tap and also 4 seasonal beers. My personal favourite is their 7% seasonal Wit beer:

• Pours a Cloudy dark yellow with a white detergent like but surprisingly persistent head, Marmalade and Orange Citrus aromas with some strong Banana esters and Tropical Fruit juice. Great depth of flavour and balance with sweet malt, mandarin flavoured candy, and alcohol.
  

 

A must try whilst at the brewery is the ‘Skeapsrond’, a sheep’s cheese from the Dikhoeve farm in Ransdorp, a village just outside Amsterdam. The sheep that produce the milk for this organic cheese, are fed on the spent grain from the brewery.  The cheese is quite strong and pairs excellently with the ‘Struis’, a 9% Dark Strong Ale.  Their salami is also worthy of a mention.

 

The tasting room is full of character, peeling paint on walls, water leaking from the ceiling in several places, and a massive collection of beer bottles.

 

Whilst I was there 5 brewers came from the brewery and sat down to have a cup of tea and biscuits with some of the regular drinkers before heading back to work. One of the younger regulars I was talking to was quite surprised and impressed that I was interested in beer, as opposed to the majority of other male tourists my age in Amsterdam. I remember him saying to me “Girls are all the same, Grass is all the same, Beers are not the same.”

The brewery is well worth a look, but be sure to visit on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday when they are running the guided tours which are usually run between 15.00 and 16.00.

Heineken Experience

I’ve seen and heard plenty of reports (particularly on beer related forums) that the Heineken Brewery Tour is not worth the €15 entry fee. I would have to disagree. Don’t get me wrong, the “Heineken Experience” is a massive advertising billboard for the company, and upon exit you feel as if your actually part of the Heineken family.

 

The Former Heineken Brouwerij, now home to the Heineken Experience

The art-deco style Heineken Brewery
 

There is plenty to see and do here, and it’s quite different to a conventional brewery tour. But that’s probably due to the fact that Heineken stopped brewing in this industrial facility in 1988 to move to bigger premises further out of town. It was in 1991 that it changed to an information centre and then later closed for renovations.

In 2008 it was reopened after a massive investment that transformed the building into four levels of historical artifacts, product exploration, beer tastings, and interactive exhibits, all employing the latest high-tech multi-media technology.

The Heineken Experience is exactly that — an experience — as it takes you through all aspects of beer, not just the brewing. The multi-storey complex has many rooms dedicated to everything about the beer industry. Some of my highlights include:

• A 360 degree style Cinema with different Heineken Commercials from across the world-I did notice that it has quite an interesting glass bottle ceiling…obviously the commercials were good!
• Brew U: which is worth the admission fee alone just for the novelty value! They have somehow managed to convert the entire beer process into an interactive ride, from brewing to bottling. You sit in a small room in front of a screen and the room moves around, such that when the grain is roasting the room gets hot, when your up to the fermenting stage the room is filled with bubbles, and you even get wet when they are showing you the sparging of the grains.
• Heinekens Innovations: with more that 200 years of brewing, they have invented and patented loads of bottle designs, kegs and dispensing systems, bottle openers etc which are all on display.
• Heineken Champions League: Trophy’s, memorabilia and on demand highlights of every game where I was able to relive Liverpool’s memorable night in Istanbul in 2005.
• The world bar: A selection of bars where you get to drink your two included beers.

This place is massive, and to see it all properly you will need to allow a minimum of three hours. A look at their website will give you some idea of how big this place really is. If you’re in Amsterdam for a couple of days, the Heineken Experience is definitely worth a look; after all it is one of Amsterdam’s most popular tourist attractions. However if you're expecting a normal brewery tour, you will probably be let down.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an amazing place, and would be well worth travelling to even if they didn’t serve beers at all … (ok well maybe its not that great … is anywhere that great?) However they do produce a great range of beers, predominately in Belgian styles.

 

Warmoesstraat Street with the mass of Heineken and Amstel Beer Signs
 

If the Netherlands was situated anywhere else in the world, im sure we would all have heard how fantastic it is in terms of their wide varieties of beer and great selection. However the fact that its right beside Belgium means that I feel its always going to be overshadowed.

But don’t get me wrong, there are some terrific Dutch breweries that make some outstanding beers. Just like there are some average Belgian’s. But for me personally, the best part about Amsterdam in terms of beer is the fact that it’s so close to Belgium!

Next month: Whiskey and Brewery tours in Scotland.