Amsterdam: A Study in Contrast

As part of my trip to Europe this fall, I spent a couple of days in Amsterdam.

I wasn't sure how it would fit into my beer-centric trip, coming between Cologne and Brussels. The only Dutch beer I was familiar with before visiting was Heineken - and I didn't know much more than that.

On our second day, in the afternoon, we visited the enormous Heineken outpost downtown, by the Rijksmueseum. There we paid 18 EUR for a trip through the 'Heineken Experience' - a super-slick, no-expense-spared trip through the history of the brand. There was - no kidding - a motion ride through the brewing process, featuring hot lights and a buckling platform. Various rooms were dedicated to Heineken's involvement with soccer teams, musicians, artists, and other cultural icons, all featuring gimmicky things like 'shoot-your-own-music-video'. Finally, at the end of the tour, we got 2 33cl glasses each of Heineken as well as a small commemorative glass.

The whole experience was fascinating to me, because the entire focus of the tour was on things other than the beer itself. It was more an introduction to Heineken's brand, with an incidental glass of beer provided. It was 'corporate' in a way no other brewery visit has been. It really makes me appreciate how beer-focused most of the micro/craft breweries here in the States are.

Immediately afterwards, we decided to try to find some local craft beer, because the Heineken - while fresh and quite good - wasn't what we were looking for. After a few tram stops, we ended up at IJ Brewery, featuring a small tasting room and a handful of more interesting beers.

IJ had a wit, a pilsner, a porter-like dubbel, an ISA, a strong beer, and a blonde. Of these, the ISA was the most surprising - it was extremely bright and citrusy, with just enough malt backbone to support the heavy hopping. It tasted so thoroughly American to me that I doubt I could pick it out of a lineup of other ISAs. On reflection, though, perhaps it was so good owing to stark contrast with the other beers I'd had since arriving in Europe (my beer diet up to that point had been rich in pilsners, kolsches, and hefeweizens). All of the other beers were excellent, as well - even the traditional styles had a certain unique flair I've not experienced before or since.

The contrast in Amsterdam's beer felt a lot like beer in the US. Their big macro beer, like ours, is driven by branding and marketing and not quality. And if IJ is any indication, their micro scene, like ours, also values the beer they produce more highly than any other aspect of the business, and it shows.