Where to Find the Best Beer in Amsterdam

This article has links to products that we may make commission from.

Amsterdam has a lively bar culture and a great love for beer and you’ll find evidence of both at almost every turn as you’re walking through the city. We are always in search of great places to drink beer around the world, so we were very excited to embark on an Amsterdam beer tour to find the best beer in Amsterdam.

BeerTemple - some of the best beer in Amsterdam
BeerTemple in Amsterdam

We were under the impression that Amsterdam was all about Heineken, with possibly a few Belgian and Germany beers factored into the mix, so we certainly didn’t expect to find such a big microbrew scene there.

Amsterdam has quite a few microbreweries beyond the big names and you can visit many of them on foot, so it’s a great way to see the city and try some great beer and food.

Where to Find the Best Beer in Amsterdam

Turns out there are tons of great places to drink beer in Amsterdam. Our tour began at a small beer bar called BeerTemple, which actually focuses on small-batch American beers.

We were happy to see a number of our favorite Northwest beers lined up along the wall next to the extensive, 60+ bottle list. But we weren’t in Amsterdam to try American beer. We wanted to try some unique and interesting Dutch beers.

BeerTemple's extensive draft beer selection
BeerTemple’s extensive draft beer selection

I’m not big on hoppy bitterness, so I tend to stick with darker, maltier beers. I was able to find quite a few locally brewed beers that showed the character and depth of Dutch microbrews.

I tried the Birrificio del Ducato Mikkie + Cattivella Creme Brulee Imperial Stout, which rang in at 9.5% ABV and was creamy and delicious.

Nick loves all things hops and believes the higher the IBUs the better, so he tried the Big Fat Five Double IPA with 75 IBUs, which was brewed by Het Uiltje especially for the 5-year anniversary of BeerTemple, and utilized some of our famous Northwest hops. Best of both worlds.

Bier Fabriek

Outside at Bier Fabriek
Outside at Bier Fabriek

Earlier in our stay in Amsterdam, we noticed a small urban brewery called Bier Fabriek. It was closed at the time, but we saw that it had a handful of beers on tap and brewing equipment in the window, so we knew we wanted to stop back by.

As luck would have it, Bier Fabriek was stop number two on our beer tour. It’s only been open for a short time and already has a strong following.

It was such a nice day that we sat at an outdoor table and ordered their two beers that are brewed in-house. I had the Nero, a dark porter with chocolatey and toasty flavors. Nick had the Rosso, a ruby red ale with fruity, malty flavors. Then we took a quick tour of the interior. Despite the small facade, the place is enormous inside.

Bier Fabriek's awesome table tap system
Bier Fabriek’s awesome table tap system

How cool is this? They have beer taps at every table. You can actually serve yourself beer at your own table. While they don’t have a ton of food options on the menu, they do serve a house specialty of charcoal-grilled, free range chicken that looked pretty delicious.

They also serve peanuts at the table to eat with your beer, and Sean told us they had quite a time training people to discard their shells on the floor. Apparently it’s not in their DNA to litter like it is in the U.S.

Wynand Fockink

Since we were already in the neighborhood, we took a slight detour from the beer tasting to visit a liquor distillery that’s located nearby, called Wynand Fockink.

This place has been around since 1679 and has grown into one of the largest distilleries in the Netherlands. They specialize in flavored liqueurs and jenevers (gin) and you can have a taste of anything on their shelves for 3€.

Wynard Fockink distillery
Wynard Fockink distillery

We tried the Oude Jenever and had to employ a new technique we’d just learned called slurping to make sure we didn’t spill it all over ourselves.

They fill the tulip-shaped glass right to the brim so you have to hold the glass steady on the bar and slurp enough out to then pick up your glass without it spilling. Alongside the tasting room is a shop where you can buy your own tulip glasses.

Browerij ‘t IJ

The final stop on our beer tour was to a small local brewer with a big local following, Browerij ‘t IJ. I still have no idea how to pronounce that. But they have great beer, so I’ll just let it go. Browerij ‘t IJ was opened in 1985 by Kaspar Peterson, a former musician, who was responding to the outcry for more hand-crafted beer in Amsterdam.

The main brewery is located in an old bath house next to a famous windmill and has a lovely outdoor patio where you can sip one of their eight standard beers and three seasonals.

Brouwerij de Prael
Brouwerij de Prael

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to journey the 16 kilometers outside of town where the brewery is located, so we had to make due with the brewpub in the city center. Brouwerij de Prael is in the Red Light District and is a bit hidden on a side street.

There’s plenty of room inside the bar to grab a stool and hang out at the bar, or you can sit outside at one of the few picnic tables. There’s no shortage of beer choices here. In fact, they have the most in-house brewed beers of all the places we visited in Amsterdam.

At any given time, there are probably 10 or more beers on tap. They have their regular lineup — a Weizen, an IPA, a Scotch Ale — along with a few seasonals. Nick had the Red Rye IPA and I had a Rauchbier they call Liquid Bacon, because why not.

Along with our beer, we had a traditional Dutch bar snack called Bitterballen. These little fried balls typically contain a mixture of beef or veal, beef broth, butter, flour for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper mixed together and resulting in a thick roux.

Traditional dutch snack called Bitterballen
Traditional dutch snack called Bitterballen

They are then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried. They look harmless, but you can easily be caught unaware of the molten-hot interior when you bite into one. Luckily, Sean had warned us ahead of time so we didn’t burn ourselves.

Conclusion

Three beers and a shot of gin were more than enough for us in one day. We had such a great time walking around Amsterdam for three hours acquainting ourselves with the city’s best drinking holes. Now we knew where to go back when we return.

If you’re looking for something else fun to do in Amsterdam, we highly recommend a food tour with Eating Europe. They have two neighborhood tours to choose from: Jordaan Food Tour and Food Tour in Haarlem. We love these tours because they include great stops and lots of tasty local foods.

Do you have a favorite Amsterdam beer spot? Tell us about it in the comments.

Be Prepared For Travel

Planning is the most important part of any successful trip. Do it the easy way:

🧳 Travel Packing List | ✔️ Why You Need Travel Insurance | ✈️ What to Do Before You Leave Home

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Like this post? Why not save it to Pinterest?
FOLLOW US on PinterestInstagramFacebook for more great travel inspiration and tips.

Beer Fabriek's two in-house brewed beers
Beer Fabriek’s two in-house brewed beers
Where to Find the Best Beer in Amsterdam

17 thoughts on “Where to Find the Best Beer in Amsterdam

  1. Alex-Wanderlust Marriage says:

    Great post! I lived in Amsterdam and remember when Beer Temple opened. That was a great day!!

    Beer Fabriek is new and a place I’ll definitely keep in mind for the food and beer group tour I’m leading through Belgium and the NL in September. Big cheers to you both!

      • Alex-Wanderlust Marriage says:

        It’d be great if you could both tag along as well! Love your wealth of beer knowledge! 😀

  2. Mags says:

    Oh man! I needed this last October when I was in Amsterdam. It looks like you guys found some great places.

  3. JC from Holland says:

    Amsterdam has lots of great places to drink a beer, specially the small cafe’s away from the tourist areas are super.

  4. EvaSturm of TravelResponsibly says:

    Uh, I love beer. I will definetly check out some of these places the next time I make it to Amsterdam 🙂

  5. Dana says:

    This is perfect timing! We head to Amsterdam in a couple weeks. My husband and step-father will love this – well not sure about the gin 🙂

    • Laura Lynch says:

      I’m not a gin fan either, but there’s plenty of beer! And don’t forget to get some fries with mayo, too! It’s a big thing there.

  6. Mesh says:

    Yaaaay for craft beer! This sounds like my kind of tour! I had no idea they had so much variety. This really makes me want to go back to Amsterdam.

  7. RaW | Ramble and Wander says:

    Okay, I don’t drink so maybe that’s why I don’t get this. Why would they want people to discard the peanut shells on the floor? Is it like part of beer culture?

    • Laura Lynch says:

      It’s a southern thing – creates atmosphere, I guess. Providing salted peanuts is a way to make patrons drink more beer, but peanuts are served unsalted in the Netherlands.

  8. Dave from Daves Travel Pages says:

    I love beer, along with pubs and bars, and I totally don’t understand the throwing the shells on the floor either !

    • Laura Lynch says:

      Haha, I can see why people think it’s weird. I thought it was really strange in Spain when people threw their napkins and toothpicks on the floor at pinchos bars.

  9. Vicky and Buddy says:

    I’ve never really liked beer, but I would love to explore Amsterdam. Because I love exploring, I think I would still do this tour. Thanks for sharing!

  10. Pingback: Unique Travel Gifts for Travel Lovers | Savored Journeys

  11. Pingback: How to Plan a Trip to Europe [+ 2-Week Europe Trip Itinerary] | Savored Journeys

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *