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Amsterdam is a beautiful and historic city. One will almost immediately conjure images of windmills and canals. It is also a city filled with wonderful, tolerant people who enjoy good beer. As a beer geek, that is quite appealing to me. It would be easy to be stuck wandering into standard pubs and swilling a lot of Heineken. A true beer geek wants to enjoy more artisinal beer. That is also an easily accomplished task in Amsterdam.

In my numerous visits to Amsterdam, I have enjoyed drinking in quite a few fine beer bars. There are a lot of places with the basic  Heineken or Grolsch options. There are also a few places that really stand out. They also cover a good amount of real estate so you can pair your drinking exploits with other cultural activities. In this review, I want to take the beer drinker on a tour of the better beer bars in Amsterdam.

Those familiar with Amsterdam know that Centraal Station leads out to a large road called the Damrak. If one wanders through any of the alleys on the right, they will end up in a large pedestrian shopping strip. This is Nieuwendijk. This a a haven for the shopper as one can find numerous clothing stores and other shops. Consolation for the married (or unmarried) beer geek is that there are two excellent beer bars right in this strip. There are also good dining options including Middle East, Argentinan steakhouses and Thai along this shopping strip.

My favorite beer bar is called In de Wildeman. Those who read Michael Jackson likely have heard him extol the virtues of this bar. It features 18 beers on tap and has a couple hundred beers in bottle. They specialize in Belgian and Dutch beers. There was Unertl Weizenbock and Pardubicky Porter among the Dutch micros available on draught. They had some beers from an Amsterdam micro called Brouwerij de Prael. I will be writing a review on beers from that brewery later on. In de Wildeman is probably a great place to begin and end a tour of Amsterdam beer bars. I've always found beers I never tried before.

Also in the shopping area is Belgique. This is a couple minutes walking from n de Wildeman. To my great surprise, they specialized in Belgian beers. This is a tiny place with very few seats. It is still a nice place to crawl into for a Floreffe Blonde or Blanche de Namur. These are Belgian brews but I was unable to learn much about them. The place was lit by candle and it was quite busy. Both Belgique and In de Wildeman are down side streets which makes for a more authentic Dutch experience.

Once you have hit these two places you can stumble out to the Palace Square. You can take tours of the palace but I have never They had a carnival while I was there this Spring. Behind the palace is Der Bier Koening. This is not a bar. It's a beer store with roughly 900 different beers to choose from. You'll only wish you could stop and sample. It's something to remember if you wish to bring home some souvenirs. The staff there is very knowledgeable about the beers. They are quite willing to guide you on your selections.

There are a couple decent beer bars on Spuis straat. Hotel Cafe Corner Bar is right on the corner by a large shopping mall. Madame Toussard is also located right off the Palace Square. They had LaTrappe Wit and LaTrappe Blonde. I have yet to see either of these Trappist beers in America. Cafe Schuim is also down the street. This is a large room. There is a dining area with booths and plush seats. There is also a long bar. They have an extensive list of liquors and a nice beer selection. Kantjil is an excellent Indonesian restaurant on Spuis straat

There are plenty of fine pubs all around the city. You can plan your drinking around the day's activities. Let's say you want to visit the Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht. You can stop by Cafe Arendsnest. This bar is a couple blocks away. It also features the best selection of Dutch beers in Amsterdam. All 12 taps are devoted to Dutch beers. I ordered a flight so I could try four different beers: Jopen Hoppen (6.8%), Alfa Super Dortmunder (7.5%), Mayflower Triple Pelgrim (8%) and Czar Peter(8.5%). This is the place to go for Dutch beers. They have an outdoor terrace so in nicer weather you can sit outside and enjoy a fine Dutch brew. This is the Jordaan district and one will also find a number of restaurants and cafes in this area.

Heading toward the Liedseplein also has some good beer options. The Liedseplein is one of the happening night spots in Amsterdam. The Jam on the Dam festival shows were held at the Melkweg so I had to head this way anyway. De Beiaard is on Spui 30. This is another place with a great beer selection. They have a few Belgians to complement their Dutch beers. They are near a canal. You will often see people walk over to a bench by the canal beer in hand. Genootschap der Geneugten on Kerkstraat also features some nice beer choices. This place is also a couple blocks away from the Liedseplein. From Leidseplein you might want to stumble into Vondelpark to kick back and enjoy a few hours in the park.

A true beer geek was want to visit  Brouwerij t'IJ. This brewpub is located in an old windmill. This is an essential stop. It is a bit out of the way. It requires about a 25 minute walk from Centraal Station and it is away from the tourist area. You will pass the Schipwerk Museum about halfway there if you want to bone up on your maritime knowledge before draining a few glasses. The beers here include Columbus, Struis and Passij. These beers are strong Belgian style brews. I rescind all respect for any beer geek that visits Amsterdam and doesn't make a point to check this place out.

As you wander back from Brouwerij t'IJ, you will stumble upon the fabled Red Light District. There are a few beer options if you can drag your eyes away from the rather stunning window displays and grow weary of the special coffee. Elfde Gedob is on Zeedijk. This place has two floors and has over 50 beers in bottle to complement 5 tap selections. This was around the corner from the hostel on Warmoestraat. Cafe t'Loosje has some cheap prices and a few good beers.

In my Red Light District review I mentioned a brewpub that was formerly a convent. This used to be Maximillian's. They made some fine beers back in the 90s. Sadly Maximillian's is no more. Happily there is a new brewpub in its place. Bekeerde Suster is now in business. They only had one house beer. It is called Tom Tom. It is a golden lager weighing in at 6.2% abv. It was all right but I still miss Maximillian's. Hopefully, they'll expand their brewing operations in the near future.

Heading back toward the Damrak and the Palace, one might be lucky enough to stumble onto Wijnand Fockink. This is on a small side street Piljsteeg. This is a jenever distiller. I stopped there a couple times to have a couple jenevers with beer chasers. This is a great stop. The staff is friendly and helpful. They will educate you on the traditions behind jenever as well as guide you through dozens of choices to drink. The apple cinnamon jenever is quite a treat. You will also be alerted to the proper way to drink the jenever. They pour to the top of a small tulip shaped glass. You are expected to lean over and slurp off the top upon being served. Do not pick up the drink before slurping. It'll immediately get you pegged as an American. This place is hard to find but well worth seeking out. This is a nice little stop.

Of course, if you are heading toward the Rijksmuseum and the  Van Gogh Museum, you might happen by the former Heineken brewery. They now brew in the suburbs but the old brewery is still open for tours. You get to go through the brewery and then get some sampling time at the end of the tour. Time did not permit a visit on this trip but in the past, the sampling time lasted about an hour. A note for fans of the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. The building is being renovated. It will not be reopened until 2006 and the exhibits are on display at another site. A friend insists we walked past the alternative site but I don't recall it.

There are also numerous Irish pubs throughout Amsterdam. O Reilley's Pub on Palaistraat is a good one. Just beware. Guinness tends to be the most expensive beer in town. You will be delighted to get Belgian beers at low prices but there will be sticker shock involved if you order an English or Irish brew. Still, a pint of Guinness can be nice from time to time.

It is very easy to find good beer in Amsterdam. While basic lagers like Heineken and Grolsch tend to dominate, there is still a vital craft beer scene. Bokbiers are plentiful and many breweries are experimenting with Belgian styles. One can easily blend a full day of cultural activities with a few beer stops along the way. This is one of the friendliest cities in the world. The Dutch will be quite happy to help you indulge in a good Dutch or Belgian brew.