Effervescent Refractions » reviews

Café Belgique, Amsterdam

Stephane — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 13:08:48 +0000

My friend and I were prompted to visit Café Belgique after talking to the friendly barman at Brouwerij ‘t IJ. He assured us that their beer ‘Vlo’ was better on tap and only available this bar. Like all good things in Amsterdam, this place is in a small side street and is not necessarily obvious even if you are looking for it. The bar is small but not cramped with just a few stools and a couple tables. On draft, Vlo of course stood out, and their “tap of the week” was St Bernardus 12 which was a good surprise. The bottled list is quite short and includes mostly common Belgians such as Rochefort or Gulden Draak. Snacks are tasty, and decently priced. A few cheeses are available and the “toasties” are also good. The air was a bit smoky but overall the atmosphere was reposing. Overall, service was quick and clean which I always appreciate. Not the best bar in Amsterdam by a long shot but definitely the place to try ‘t IJ Vlo!

rating: 70/100

Brouwerij ‘t IJ, Amsterdam

Stephane — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 00:25:21 +0000

It takes a bit of determination to get to the brewery since it is further than most other things in Amsterdam, however my friend and I walked there from Central Station in about a half hour. The old mill is much taller than I expected and is visible from far away as you walk along the canal. We got there around 18:30 and it was packed with smoke and a lively crowd. The atmosphere seemed inviting aside from the miasma of cigarette fumes. We walked up to the counter and found a busy barmaid serving drinks left and right to the loud but jolly regulars. We stood there looking at prices and the general ambiance before a friendly stranger sitting at a withdrawn stool intervened. It turned out he was a brewer and barman that also works at De Bierkoning. We had an interesting conversation with him about the brewery, beer and the Dutch language. After a couple minutes his eyes shifted quickly to both sides and he hunched to whisper “So… are you beer lovers?” to which we obviously nodded secretively. We mentioned Vlo, the beer they brew for De Bierkoning and our new friend confidently suggested trying it on tap at Café Belgique (where it tasted great, by the way). We did not stay very long after that and decided to grab a single from every one they brew which totaled to about 7€ for 7 bottles. What a bargain! I would definitely recommend a trip to ‘t IJ (pronounced “t’eye”) at least to purchase a few of their great beers and see the brewery. The bus 22 will take you there in less than 10mn from Central Station.

rating: 80/100

‘t Arendsnest, Amsterdam

Stephane — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 18:22:24 +0000

My friend Nick and I got to ‘t Arendsnest after a long (and wet) walk around the canals. The bar is fairly large and elongated with a nice rustic atmosphere and breweriana covering all four walls. The place was empty when we got there at opening but you could tell things would quickly get more cheerful with a few more people. The barman was very stoic and let us take our time with the impressive beer list. Everything you’ll find is from Dutch breweries, including the full lineups of some high raters like ‘t Ij, La Trappe or Scheldebrouwerij. Some interesting vintages were available at a good price as well as snack food (I recommend the trappist cheese). The lights are dim which makes it difficult to judge the color of beers. I also found the barman a bit timid but I would give the place another chance anytime, at least for the selection.

rating: 80/100

De Bierkoning, Amsterdam

Stephane — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 17:46:38 +0000

Explaining De Bierkoning is a bit difficult. Visiting it reminds of a feeling you might have long forgotten. The expression “like a kid in a candy shop” has unfortunately grown to a cliché, but the store truly evokes just that. The selection is absolutely enormous covering Belgium and Holland extensively as well as Germany and several other countries. The store itself is fairly small but everything is arranged efficiently and the staff is very helpful. As you enter you’ll notice a huge wall of glassware and as you walk down the hall, a few steps lead to the large mezzanine where most of the beers are found. Underneath is a small cellar area that stores a good selection of lambics, notably the full Cantillon lineup and a few rarities. The prices are remarkably cheap, especially when you get used to the import prices of France or the US. Most of the small bottles are in the 1-2€ range while my most expensive purchase was a Drie Fonteinen 1998 Oude Geuze (!) for less than 11€. Be sure to pick up a bottle or more of the ‘t Ij Vlo, which is brewed specially for the store owner! I spoke to him for a while and he was very friendly like most people in town. Of course I had bought a suitcase full of beer so it was the least I could expect.

rating: 100/100

In de Wildeman, Amsterdam

Stephane — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 00:00:58 +0000

My friend and I stopped here, freshly arrived from the station and decided to pop in for a beer around 12:30. The bar was empty but we were greeted by an amazingly friendly barman who sat with us to chat about beer. The selection is great and if you’re nice they’ll even bring out a secret card with a few extra choices (mostly Germans). The atmosphere is rustic and dusty but convivial, with many items of old breweriana hanging off the walls. The tap list is very good and most of the selection focuses on Dutch and Belgian breweries, with a few unusual but tasty choices. Prices are also great, especially coming from Paris where you could expect to pay double or triple what they were asking here. We made this our main bar after touring the other options, as we found it to be by far the best in Amsterdam. As with most places, their English ranged from good to perfect. The rest of the staff was fairly busy when we came back around peak hours so we did get to chat with all of them, but all seemed amicable.

rating: 100/100