Amsterdam Microbreweries

One of the questions we get asked the most is “what are the latest trends of the Amsterdam food scene?”.  And while we would love to come up with a surprising and insightful answer every time, that’s not how it works. It’s usually some rather unexpected event that triggers us to recognize a new trend. And so it happened last weekend on a trip to our favorite wine and liquor store Ton Overmars.

There are a lot of new local microbreweries in Amsterdam!

Amsterdam microbrews

The Veterans – Brouwerij ‘t IJ and Brouwerij de Prael

It’s not that there were no microbreweries in Amsterdam before.

Actually, Brouwerij ‘t IJ has been around since 1985, and we have enjoyed many of their tasty brews throughout the years, especially on their lovely terrace by the windmill in Amsterdam Oost.

And it wasn’t just us, as Brouwerij ‘t IJ has been very successful. They extended their tasting room a few years ago and opened a second brewery in early 2013. So today you can find their distinct ostrich logo (a pun on IJ and ei, which means egg) in many bars and shops, and enjoy their regular selection of brews as well as seasonal specials.

Equally successful, although not around for quite as long, has been Brouwerij de Prael, another established household name in beers in Amsterdam, with its selection of beers named after Dutch chanson singers and tasting room smack in the middle of the red light district.

Given their success, and the microbrewery craze that swept the US, it’s probably surprising that nobody else was concocting fresh IPAs or mean Belgian Tripels around Amsterdam. But that has changed now.

The Rookies – Brouwerij Pampus, Two Chefs Brewing, and Butcher’s Tears

Over the last two years Brouwerij Pampus, Two Chefs Brewing, and Butcher’s Tears have started brewing, and we like what we taste!

The self-proclaimed old salts at Brouwerij Pampus spent much of 2012 and 2013 experimenting with different brews, gathering extensive feedback through their Facebook page and participating in countless beer festivals with a wide variety of beers. All their beers seem to follow a sailor’s naming scheme, such as the Drenkeling (drowning person), a Juniper Ale, or Seeheld (hero of the sea), an IPA that we quite liked for its bitter yet somewhat unexpected but lovely creamy flavor.

Two Chef's Brewing Amsterdam

Two Chefs Brewing also started in 2012. Coming from a background as professional chefs and looking for interesting flavors they are on a mission to put more barley, more hops and just generally more flavor back into beer. So far they have made available an IPA called Green Bullet, which indeed is heavy on the hops.

Butcher's Tears Grand Opening

The last newcomer is Butcher’s Tears, located in small-scale industrial zone by the tram depot in Amsterdam Zuid. The tasting room and website look distinctly grungy, but there seems to be a rather professional organisation behind it if the range of beers and the list of distribution points are any indication. We liked hanging out in their tasting room where both the Night Cap, a smooth pale ale, and the refreshing Green Cap went down well.

Where to Taste

Quite a nice list if we may say so! But there appear to be even more such as Brouwerij De 7 Deugden, which provides work opportunities to disabled people, Jopen, the pride of Haarlem, or Oedipus Brewing who are currently looking for investors through a crowfunding platform.

We are probably still missing a few, so best to do some exploring yourself. Here’s where:

Brouwerij ‘t IJ, Brouwerij de Prael and Butcher’s Tears have fun tasting rooms:

brouwerijhetij.nl/pub
Funenkade 7
1018 AL Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20 528 6237
Open daily 2pm to 8pm
Public transport: Tram 10 to Hoogte Kadijk stop or tram 14 to Pontanusstraat
Cuisine: Limited selection of cold snacks
Neighborhood: East
Vibe: Love all

deprael.nl/proeflokaal-2
Oudezijds Armsteeg 26
1012 GP Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20 408 4469
Open Tuesday to Sunday 12pm to 12am, weekend until 1am
Public transport: Any tram, metro or train to Central Station
Cuisine: Snacks and small dishes
Neighborhood: Red light district
Vibe: Living room

butchers-tears.com/tasting-room
Karperweg 45
1075 LB Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)6 5390 9777
Open Wednesday to Sunday 4pm to 9pm
Public transport: Bus 15 or tram 16 to Haarlemmermeerstation
Cuisine: Snacks
Neighborhood: South
Vibe: Artsy

Two of our favorite beer bars that serve some of the above, next to an amazing selection of specialty beers on tap and bottled, are Café Gollem and Arendsnest:

arendsnest.nl
Herengracht 90
1015 BS Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20 421 2057
Open Daily 2pm to 12am, weekend until 2am
Public transport: Tram 1, 2, 5, 13 or 17 to Nieuwezijds Kolk
Cuisine: Limited selection of cold snacks
Neighborhood: Canals
Vibe: Bar

cafegollem.nl/?page_id=14
Raamsteeg 4
1012 VZ Amsterdam
Open weekdays 4pm to 1am, weekends 12pm to 2am
Public transport: Tram 1, 2, or 5 to Spui
Cuisine: Cheese snacks
Neighborhood: Canals
Vibe: Dive bar

Or bring a few bottles home at one of these two great specialty stores, De Bierkoning and Ton Overmaars:

bierkoning.nl
Paleisstraat 125
1012 ZL Amsterdam
Open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm and Sunday 1pm to 6pm
Public transport: Tram 1, 2, 5, 13 or 17 to Dam
Neighborhood: Dam

tonovermars.nl
Hoofddorpplein 11
1059 CV Amsterdam
Open Tuesday and Wednesday 9am to 6pm, Thursday and Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm
Public transport: 2 to Hoofddorpplein
Neighborhood: South

ruudmaaz.nl – The Online Grocery Store for Foodies

We have complained many times about the poor state of food stores in Amsterdam, dominated by dreaded Albert Heijn supermarkets. With the online options even more limited we often ended up zigzagging all across town to get the ingredients we wanted in many small specialty stores.

A few weeks ago we discovered online grocery store ruudmaaz.nl which quickly has changed all that!

ruudmaaz.nl is a small operation with a big dream. The name is a play on “duurzaam”, Dutch for sustainable, as Ruud Maaz is set on providing Amsterdammers with an easy way to order the tastiest foods from local producers and entirely without plastic packaging.

The basics seemed well covered. Delivery is next day during a two hour time window in the evening. The selection is great and we quickly managed to put the minimum of € 50,= worth of groceries into our shopping cart and place our first order.

The arrival of our food certainly was a happy moment. Being used to delivery by a grumpy and sweaty Albert Heijn kid, the tone was set when the delivery team rang the door bell with a big smile. It was obvious that they were completely sold on the sustainable idea and proud of the tasty groceries they had in their bag. Everything was delivered right into the kitchen which looked like we had just gotten back from the farmer’s market.

There was milk and yogurt in glass bottles from local dairy producer Weerribben Zuivel, fresh fish from Fishes who also have a store in Amsterdam, smoked salmon from our favorite Frank’s Smokehouse, individually packaged sausages and organic chicken from Amsterdam based butcher De Wit, a whole week’s supply of seasonal local fruit and much more. Basically it was like all of our favorite shops had huddled together and sent us a great package of their best foods!

We’ve quickly adopted placing orders regularly and hope that ruudmaaz.nl continues to expand while maintaining the small scale spirit!

L'Amuse Cheese Store Amsterdam

I first read about L’Amuse, a new cheese store in Amsterdam, on Stadionweg, on Klary’s blog. She posted many mouthwatering pictures and a long write up of a cheese tasting. It all really sounded too good and I made a mental note to stop by L’Amuse on my next trip to my favorite bakery Le Fournil just down the road.

Then just a few days later I saw a feature on zestz about burrata, a fresh Italian cheese that is a mix of mozzarella and cream. I love the buttery flavor and smooth creamy texture of burrata. Unfortunately it’s hard to find as it’s only produced in Italy and cannot be kept for long. When I found out on zestz that L’Amuse sells burrata, I had to go there immediately.

l'amuse cheese store amsterdam - burrata

I did go and was not disappointed! The store is located on Stadionweg and has a modern, spacious design with a large wooden table in the back. The cheeses are on display in a large refrigerated display case. And the two friendly guys running the store know everything about them.

I asked about their favorites and recommendations and was very pleased to be allowed a small taste of the cheeses that interested me. They were all very good, but I had to decide and in the end went home with a brie de meaux, a sharp Montgommery’s cheddar and a fruity comté. And of course the main prize, a wonderful burrata.

In case you cannot decide, you might want to check out their web site, which has a complete list of cheeses with full classification and long descriptions.

l'amuse cheese store amsterdam - cheeses

www.lamuse.nl
Stadionweg 147
1076 NM Amsterdam
Tel: +31-20-6707559
Open Tuesday – Friday 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 17:00
Public transport: Tram 24 or bus 15 to Olympiaplein

L’Amuse Cheese Store Amsterdam

I first read about L’Amuse, a new cheese store in Amsterdam, on Stadionweg, on Klary’s blog. She posted many mouthwatering pictures and a long write up of a cheese tasting. It all really sounded too good and I made a mental note to stop by L’Amuse on my next trip to my favorite bakery Le Fournil just down the road.

Then just a few days later I saw a feature on zestz about burrata, a fresh Italian cheese that is a mix of mozzarella and cream. I love the buttery flavor and smooth creamy texture of burrata. Unfortunately it’s hard to find as it’s only produced in Italy and cannot be kept for long. When I found out on zestz that L’Amuse sells burrata, I had to go there immediately.

l'amuse cheese store amsterdam - burrata

I did go and was not disappointed! The store is located on Stadionweg and has a modern, spacious design with a large wooden table in the back. The cheeses are on display in a large refrigerated display case. And the two friendly guys running the store know everything about them.

I asked about their favorites and recommendations and was very pleased to be allowed a small taste of the cheeses that interested me. They were all very good, but I had to decide and in the end went home with a brie de meaux, a sharp Montgommery’s cheddar and a fruity comté. And of course the main prize, a wonderful burrata.

In case you cannot decide, you might want to check out their web site, which has a complete list of cheeses with full classification and long descriptions.

l'amuse cheese store amsterdam - cheeses

www.lamuse.nl
Stadionweg 147
1076 NM Amsterdam
Tel: +31-20-6707559
Open Tuesday – Friday 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 17:00
Public transport: Tram 24 or bus 15 to Olympiaplein

Marqt Opening Third Store

Today, concept supermarket Marqt is opening its third store, on Utrechtsestraat in Amsterdam.

Marqt is catering to foodies by turning around the traditional supermarket model of low prices, long expiration dates and overall convenience on its head, and instead focusing on local products and partnership with producers. Since its inception, I have been on the fence about Marqt. It’s certainly much better than the Albert Heijn stores everybody loves to hate. But it also falls short on its promise by being more expensive that expected, having a limited selection of products and inconsistent quality.

One thing that Marqt does very well is the interior design of its shops! They pick great locations and turn them into a modern Mediterranean market halls with beautifully tiled walls and irregularly arranged food stalls. The location on Utrechtsestraat sounds great too – an old, monumental building, close to the center but just off the beaten path.

They just released this promo video showing re-design of the building!

www.marqt.com
Utrechtsestraat 17
1017VH Amsterdam
Open daily 9:00 to 21:00
Public transport: Tram 9, 14 to Rembrandtplein; metro 51, 53, 54 to Waterlooplein

Why Amsterdam Expats Hate Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn is the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands and very much dominates the grocery business in Amsterdam. While most Dutch people happily do their groceries at AH, which is considered the upscale food source in the Netherlands, many expats develop a deep hate of their omnipresent stores.

So when I recently discovered the “I hate Albert Heijn” blog I thought I should share it with you. It might sound crazy that – as the blog states – stores are filthy, day-to-day items are frequently out of stock or that AH forces you to buy their own label and keeps phasing out your trusted brands. Unfortunately it’s true and I have even seen the pigeons in the store as depicted last week’s post.

i hate albert heijn blog