In De Wildeman – One of the best beer bars in Amsterdam, Wildeman is located at Kolksteeg 3, 1012 PT Amsterdam (tel: 020-6382348), halfway between Centraal Station and the Dam. While they specialize in Belgian and Dutch beers, if you fancy German beer, you can ask for the German beer list too. Belgian beers are usually served on the tap. The bottled beer selection is less Belgian dominated than typical Dutch bars and once can find more than 40 Dutch beers, 20 German and 10 British ones. It is a bit difficult to locate, so arm youself with a map available on their website or from Google Maps.
De Gekraakte Ketel (The Cracked Kettle) – Another great speciality beer bar, serving over 500 beers from all over the world ranging from Dutch to Norwegian and American. It specialises in beers from small independent brewers. ‘Westvleteren,’ reputed to be one of the best beers in the world, and extremely hard to come by, can be found here.
Location: Raamsteeg 3, 1012VZ Amsterdam (tel: 020-6240745).
Café Gollem – A cosy little bar with over 200, mostly Belgian beers. Gollem was one of the first specialist beer bars in Amsterdam and is located right opposite The Cracked Kettle at Raamsteeg 4, 1012 VZ Amsterdam (tel: 020-6266645). It serves an extensive range of bottled beers – Belgian, Dutch, German, Czech and British.
Café Belgique – Just a couple of minutes walking distance from In De Wildeman, Belgique is a small bar serving Belgian (as if the name did not give that out!) beers, 8 on draught and 30 in the bottle. The beer menu is very detailed and informative. Even though located in the very touristic part of Amsterdam, local often frequent the pub, a sure sign of a good place.
Location: Gravenstraat 2, 012 NM Amsterdam (tel: 020-6251974).
Der Bier Koening – Not really a bar, but rather a store/shop selling 950 different beers and 300 different beer-glasses. Stocks a good range of Dutch and Belgian beers as well as British and German. The very knowledgeable staff is always ready to help you along to that next purchase. Not really a place to stop and sample but if you know what you want or just want some souvenirs for the Amsterdam visit, a great place to drop by.
Location: Paleisstraat 125, 1012 RK Amsterdam (tel: 020-6252336).
`t Arendsnest – One of the very few bars that erve only beer from Dutch breweries. 350 different beers, not counting approximately 250 seasonal beers such as Bokbier, brewed by more than 50 breweries in different parts of the Netherlands. The owner is very knowledgeable and together with his enthusiastic staff is more than happy to provide his customers with information and recommendations.
Location: Herengracht 90, 1015 BS Amsterdam (tel: 020-4212057).
De Ooievaar – Considered as the smallest proeflokaal (test room) in Netherlands, De Ooievaar is the proeflokaal of the ‘A.van Wees distillery de Ooievaar’ distillery, advertised as ‘the last authentic distillery left in Amsterdam’. Very limited selection but nice setting.
Location: Sint Olofspoort 1, 1012 AJ amsterdam (tel: 020-4208004).
In de Olofspoort – Another proeflokaal, specialising in jenever (gin). A good range, flavoured gins (including liquorice and a salty one), aged 5 & 10 year old gins and bitters (including their own brand Olofspoortje Bitter). The beer choice itself is a bit limited. If you have not tasted a proper jenever, this is a great place to start!
Location: Nieuwebrugsteeg 13, 1012 AG Amsterdam (tel: 020-6243918).
Brouwerij t’IJ – Sure, it is a bit out of the way, but how can you pass the opportunity to have some beer in a windmill? Brouwerij t’IJ is the test of a true beer geek 🙂 To top the location, it also has unusual opening time. The most popular beer is called Columbus, a beer loosely based on Belgian strong golden ales and weighing in at 9% abv.
Location: Funenkade 7, 1018 AL Amsterdam (tel: 020-3201786)
Heineken Experience – Located at the location of the original brewery, Heineken Experience is mostly a guided tour of old brewery. After going through it, visitors get a chance to taste/sample. Well worth the entry fees 🙂
Location: Stadhouderskade 78, 1072AE Amsterdam (tel: 020-5239222).
