I'm back to report on the state of Dutch and Belgian beer, and I can say with assurance that I have never drank finer.
Although I did try any of the ones on the above list. (Because I forgot what they were).
In Brussels (yes I know that's in Belgium) I had my first Stella Artois (available in some Dublin pubs, but this was my first). Among the nicest pints I have ever had.
I then tried Hoegaarden because I remembered it being mentioned somewhere on this page. Another fine beer, but I couldn't live on it. The lemony flavour is nice, but just slightly out of place.
The cafe's in Amsterdam have the unsettling quality of only carrying, on average, two brands of beer. So choice was not great, even though the choice of cafe was great.
Heineken is a bit nicer there than here (as can be expected).
Other beers I tried:
Leeuw - the main draught beverage of the cafe closest to my hotel. It was good.
Vos - A strange experience. It smells rotten. Like they tried to combine the smell of beer and honey. It tastes really strange too. Not actually bad, but I wouldn't drink it often, if indeed, at all should the chance arrive. It tasted like a cross between a cider and a beer. What effect the makers were going for, I can't say.
Duvel - I only had the one, and can't remember really what it tasted like. During a week of drinking, they all begin to taste more or less the same.
Anyway Amsterdam is a great city and I hope to go backActually the whole country seemed unbelievably efficient. And in a good, non boring, way. Taking a train from Brussels to Amsterdam clearly shows how well they have to managed such a dense country.
Rijksmuseum, coffeeshops, cafes, cheese are recommended.
The Heineken experience and the sex museum are not.
) there and are in the know.
