My wife and I love Amsterdam. Amsterdam offers fantastic museums, art, architecture, food, people and craft beer. Offering access to beers from throughout the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world, Amsterdam is one of the world’s greatest beer cities.

So for this trip we made Amsterdam our starting point for touring the Netherlands by car in search of great beer. And we joined up with Brewin’ Bill and his wife for this excursion.

Brouwerij ‘t Ij

Our first beer stop in Amsterdam was Brouwerij ‘t Ij. Originally started in 1985 by musician Kasper Peterson, Brouwerij ‘t Ij is now Amsterdam’s largest craft brewery.

An old municipal bathhouse and adjacent windmill compose the original brewpub. The brewpub offers a wide range of beers. Many are Belgian-style beers that inspired Kasper to start the brewery.

The beers at Brouwerij ‘t Ij include:

• Zatte (8%ABV) – A Belgian-style triple that is slightly sweet with a mildly dry finish. This was Brouwerij ‘t Ij’s first beer.
• Natte (6.5%ABV) – A Belgian-style dubbel with reddish-brown color that delivers a roasted malt flavor with notes of brown sugar, nuts and plum.
• IJWit (6.5%ABV) – A slightly cloudy wheat beer with aromas of banana, citrus and spices. This beer is great for drinking while sitting in the sun.
• Flink (4.7%ABV) – A light, session pale ale that is dry-hopped with Galaxy and Mosaic hops. This beer goes down easily while delivering great flavor.
• IPA (7%ABV) – A clear, gold colored IPA packed with grapefruit flavor and a lingering bitter finish.

Brouwerij ‘t Ij makes several other beers too. You can try five of their beers in a taster flight.
In the mid-1990’s, Bart Obertop and Patrick Hendrikse took over and continue brewing the distinctive and delicious beers that draw such dedicated customers. In 2013, a new and larger brewery was established for bottling and kegging beers to keep up with the growing demand for ‘t Ij beers. The production brewery is just a short distance from the still operating windmill pub.

And they recently opened a new tasting room in Vondelpark, one of Amsterdam’s oldest and most beautiful parks. The tasting room is located in a 1937 modernist architecture building known as Blauwe Theehuis (Blue Thee House). This iconic building has been an eating and drinking gathering spot for years.

During good weather, people congregate on the terrace grounds to enjoy the sunshine and surrounding park.

My wife and I stopped during our walk through the park to relax, soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the tasting room.

In de Wildeman

Located in a former distillery, In de Wildeman (The Wildman) generates a unique, somewhat quirky vibe that I find wonderfully appealing. Combine that vibe with 18 beers on draft and a list of over 250 different beers to try and I just can’t resist visiting this pub as often as possible.

The staff are extremely knowledgeable about beer. And this no-frills pub is totally focused on serving discerning beer drinkers that visit from throughout the world.

On this visit, I had a very clear goal – try a beer from the blendery of Tommie Sjef, located in Den Helder, Netherlands. Tommie Sjef wild ales have developed a fantastic reputation and cult-like following in the Netherlands. And like I hoped, In de Wildeman had Tommie Sjef wild ales in their stock (even though I didn’t see it listed on their beer menu).

I tried the Tommie Sjef Rose’. This wild ale is refermented with red grapes and raspberries. Fruity and funky flavors abound with a smooth mouthfeel. What a delicious beer.

Proeflokaal Arendsnest

Did you know there are over 400 breweries in the Netherlands? Traveling around to visit just a portion of them would take quite some time and effort. A better approach is to simply visit Proeflokaal Arendsnest.

This beautiful pub only serves beers from the Netherlands. And with 50 different beers on draft and more than 100 beers on bottle, you can take a tour of Netherlands breweries while sitting on your bar stool.

The bar has an intimate indoor setting and a few outdoor tables on a terrace next to a canal. The staff are extremely knowledgeable about beer and very helpful.

Beverage selections also include ciders, whiskies, liquors and over 40 different types of jenevers (Holland gin). Various cheeses, sausages and other snacks are also available.

Arendsnest means Eagles Nest. Peter van der Arend opened the bar 15 years ago, as well as, three other successful beer bars in Amsterdam.

You can start at Arendsnest for Dutch beers; then to the BeerTemple for a large selection of American craft beers; then visit ‘Cause Beer Loves Food’ for a relaxing focus of craft beer and food; and finally visit Craft & Draft to try beers from many countries.

Final Thoughts

During our short stay in Amsterdam this trip we barely scratched the surface of all the breweries and pubs you can visit for great craft beer. I guess we will just have to return to this beautiful city soon. Amsterdam…Hello Again!