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Beer Drinking In Amsterdam, Netherlands
Shortcuts:Beer Festivals Best Beer Bars Bottle Shops Breweries and Brewpubs Drinking Laws Amsterdam is an amazing place for beer lovers given its close proximity to Belgium. Belgian, Dutch, and other European beers are everywhere. Many of the bars are very old and have a lot of history, making this a very educational destination for beer drinking. The best time to visit is during the spring and summer months when most bars and restaurants offer outdoor seating. Amsterdam Beer Festivals: PINT Bokbierfestival - This is the Netherlands largest beer event and is held annually at Beurs van Berlage at the end of October. As the name suggests, this festival is dedicated to Bock beers and there are usually over 50 to be tried. In 2004, there were 58 beers 51 of which were Dutch. 70,000 people attended the 3 day festival in 2004. Meibokfestival - Since 1997 this beer festival has been held around the end of April. It is located at the Brouewerij De Prael and showcases a variety of bock beers from around Europe. Amsterdam Beer Bars: Where do I start? Amsterdam has no shortage of nightlife or bars and too many good ones to list here. Brown Cafes are a must visit and are the equivalent of a neighborhood dive bar. These are some incredibly old bars and they usually have quite a few of the local beers on tap. Below are some of the best bars for beer drinking. Gravenstraat 2 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1012 NM Located behind the Nieuwe Kerk, this small bar offers 8 draught beers and 40-50 bottled. As the name would suggest, this is a great place to go if you are interested in Belgian ales. Raamsteeg 4 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1012 VZ This is a well known brown cafe near Dam Square that has 9 beers on tap and around 150 in bottles. It is probably the most likely place that you will find the elusive Westvleteren (although they are often out) with the exception of the Cracked Kettle bottle shop across the street. Their bartenders are very knowledgeable and friendly. Herengracht 90 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1015 BS This bar specializes in Dutch beers and has 23 on tap and around 120 in bottles. Spui 30 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1012 XA This bar located in the Spui district has a great selection of European beers including a few from local brewery De Bekeerde Suster. Raamstraat 29 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1016 XL About 130 beers available, mostly Belgian. Amsterdam, Netherlands 1012 AN Not only is this a very beautiful, cozy bar, but they also have a nice Belgian beer selection - about 5 on tap and over 50 bottled. Kolksteeg 3 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1012 PT This bar is located in a small alley about halfway between Central Station and Dam Square. Usually you will find about 17 beers on tap and 200 bottled. This is one of the best bars for beer lovers. Bottle Shops: Most stores such as Albert Heijn have a good selection of regional brews and it will take you a while to lose interest in their selections. If you are looking for something harder to find, you should be able to locate it at one of the stores below. BierKonking (Beer King) - Located behind Dam Square, this is the only beer store you need to know about in Amsterdam. They have over 950 beers in stock and tons of glassware and other accessories. This is the most likely place to find Westvleteren beers in Amsterdam. The person that works there is very knowledgeable and friendly. Bert's Bierhuis - Located in Old-West Amsterdam, this beer store carries around 800 beers from all over the world. They also periodically organize afternoon beer tastings. Cracked Kettle - This is a newer bottleshop that opened in 2005 and is located right across the alley from Gollem and is about 2 blocks from Bierkoning. They have a smaller collection, but have hard to find items. They will also deliver in Amsterdam for orders of 30 Euros or more, and they ship internationally. Breweries and Brewpubs: While there is no shortage of beer in Amsterdam, there aren't many breweries. Amsterdamsche Stoombierbrouwerij De Bekeerde Suster De Snaterende Arend Brouwerij De Prael Brouwerij 't IJ Drinking Laws: The drinking age in Amsterdam is an unbelievably low 16 years old for beer and wine. For liquor, you must be 18. To my knowledge, there are no laws governing the hours that alcohol can be sold. The latest most bars are open is 1am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, although there are sometime exceptions. Bars in the Red Light District will tend to be open the latest. Drinking and driving is a serious criminal offense and will result in fines and a possible license suspension. The limit is 0.05% and includes riding bicycles. Despite Amsterdam's relaxed laws, you cannot have open containers in the street. Learn more about Amsterdam |
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