Amsterdam
Amsterdam, and Holland in general, is a beer drinkers paradise
The Beers
Beware, as you'll be drinking lots of STRONG beers.
Apart from the three main MegaBreweries - Heineken, Grolsch, and Bavaria, Holland now has a very varied collection of MicroBreweries and BrewPubs dotted around the country. Similar to the explosion of independent brewers in the UK they have multiplied over the years and provide great (and some not so great) beers.
Most brew in the Belgian style, mostly strong, starting from around 5% abv up to 10-12% abv. The majority of the beers fall in the 6-10% abv range.
The most noticable thing is that even at the higher abv strengths you do not notice the strength until it's too late - simply put, you get pissed quickly unless you know what you're quaffing. So you learn, quickly, that you quaff rather than gulp as we do here. Treat it like a wine, drink slowly, enjoy, and you might just survive the night!
Another thing of note is that it is actually cheaper to drink these beers rather than the chemical lagers of Heinekin, Grolsch etc. 0.5L Heiniken 6.00 Euro and above - 0.33L independents 4.00 Euros - Smaller amount - Greater enjojment
The Bars & Cafes
In Holland, unlike the UK, they have managed to maintain their bars, or Brown Cafes, as they are called in the old traditional style. Whereas the UK completely changed the face of social drinking by turning many great pubs into faceless plastic palaces, the Dutch continue to enjoy drinking in pubs and cafes of character, style, and sometimes downright weird.
Why the name - 'Brown Cafes' - Because that is excatly what they are, untouched over the years slowly getting darker and dingier as the layers of nicotine built up.Simply summed up, bars of character, traditional, eclectic - wooden floorboards, mi-matched tables and chairs, adorned with brewing memorabila or festooned with weird and wonderful ornaments, just yearning to be visited. Even the newer pubs are being built with the 'traditiona'l theme in mind.
And Thus begins a journey of enlightenment and wonderment.
The Beers
Beware, as you'll be drinking lots of STRONG beers.
Apart from the three main MegaBreweries - Heineken, Grolsch, and Bavaria, Holland now has a very varied collection of MicroBreweries and BrewPubs dotted around the country. Similar to the explosion of independent brewers in the UK they have multiplied over the years and provide great (and some not so great) beers.
Most brew in the Belgian style, mostly strong, starting from around 5% abv up to 10-12% abv. The majority of the beers fall in the 6-10% abv range.
The most noticable thing is that even at the higher abv strengths you do not notice the strength until it's too late - simply put, you get pissed quickly unless you know what you're quaffing. So you learn, quickly, that you quaff rather than gulp as we do here. Treat it like a wine, drink slowly, enjoy, and you might just survive the night!
Another thing of note is that it is actually cheaper to drink these beers rather than the chemical lagers of Heinekin, Grolsch etc. 0.5L Heiniken 6.00 Euro and above - 0.33L independents 4.00 Euros - Smaller amount - Greater enjojment
The Bars & Cafes
In Holland, unlike the UK, they have managed to maintain their bars, or Brown Cafes, as they are called in the old traditional style. Whereas the UK completely changed the face of social drinking by turning many great pubs into faceless plastic palaces, the Dutch continue to enjoy drinking in pubs and cafes of character, style, and sometimes downright weird.
Why the name - 'Brown Cafes' - Because that is excatly what they are, untouched over the years slowly getting darker and dingier as the layers of nicotine built up.Simply summed up, bars of character, traditional, eclectic - wooden floorboards, mi-matched tables and chairs, adorned with brewing memorabila or festooned with weird and wonderful ornaments, just yearning to be visited. Even the newer pubs are being built with the 'traditiona'l theme in mind.
And Thus begins a journey of enlightenment and wonderment.
My last trip to Amsterdam |
Previous trips to Amsterdam |
Previous trips to Amsterdam |
