A Trip to Amsterdam

A few weeks ago Vertigo Beers went on a weekend jolly to Amsterdam. As well as being a beautiful, mystical looking city with an amazing history and rich social scene, Amsterdam also has a fantastic range of craft beer pubs showcasing the best of Europe and beyond. Here are a few we checked out.

Beer Temple

The first place we stopped in at. Beer Temple's focus is American beer, with 30 lines and 60 canned and bottled varieties, a broad range of which you rarely see in England. This was a perfect place to chill and decompress upon arriving in the city. The staff were very helpful, taking the time to chat with us about styles and flavours, allowing us to enjoy a few halves and soak up the atmosphere.

Beer Tasting Room in the Wildeman

We sought out this wonderful bar after a long night out on the town. This place has so much character and definitely reflects what you might imagine a Dutch style bar to look like. The barman was great too, and clearly had a well of knowledge when it came to chatting beer local to the region, of which they had an abundance. I only wish we could remember more of the conversation.

Beer Bar at Foodhallen

On the second day we made the short jaunt to Foodhallen, a huge warehouse style set up with a massive selection of delicious food from the many food stalls. We went for the divide and conquer tactic, each of us choosing a different dish to share by the busy Beer Bar. The young dude here was cool as a cucumber during service and was more than happy to make suggestions when it came to pairing beer with our feast. Highlights included the De Eeuwige Jeugd brewery and their mouth watering hazy wheat IPA. It was hot in there and a cold bottle of the Hapkin Blonde from Alken-Maes hit the spot too, and also helped to wash down the taste of herring.

Beer Loves Food

We stumbled by Beer Loves Food on the way back to our hotel one evening. The bar is on a side road so just off the beaten track, which means it's not a place that gets crammed with tourists, definitely resulting in more of a local's vibe. We came back the following afternoon and had a lovely time, enjoying a great selection of beers from their carefully curated list. The Juice Punch V10 NEIPA from Brouwerig in particular went down a storm. We also had some tasty cheeses whilst we were there. It felt rude not to.

Gollem's Proeflokaal

Now this place is a stone cold must. The dark red lighting and eclectic old school interior provides the coolest setting whilst you sit and try some of the best Dutch, Belgian and other international beers you are likely to find in Amsterdam. We opted for some classics, including a Kriek and Geuze Boon which we obviously paired with more cheese. What totally made the night was the fiery ginger cat sitting next to us. He did not want to be stroked too much but he made for some fantastic company.

Café de Spuyt

After having a mosey around Rembrandt's gaff and accidentally strolling through the Red Light District in the middle of the day, we found ourselves in need of a beer and did the customary craft beer pubs near me google. We headed over to Café de Spuyt and totally fell in love with this cosy and intimate spot. Like the other craft beer bars we found, the beer selection here was fantastic, including some corkers from Two Chefs Brewing and Amager Bryghus which we very much enjoyed. The combination of the jazz music playing and the extremely chilled vibe made for a very special experience.