I come from a rather warmer part of the world than Amsterdam, and so am very lucky to be able to drink a cold beer on a warm day for about 8 months of the year when I'm home. This does however leave 4 months where inevitably one switches to red wine or whisky as ones tipple of choice. With a much longer and colder Winter, the ever industrious Northern Europeans have thought of a handy solution to this. Winter and Autumn "bok" beers are quite a bit stronger and darker than their summery friends. So while you might be in the middle of a post festive season detox, there are a couple of delicious beers waiting for you despite the cold weather.
For an environmentally conscious beer, the Ij Brewery (or Brouwerij 't Ij in Dutch) is based in Amsterdam and makes a number of delicious, fully organic beers. They have a number of seasonal beers like the Ijnde Jaars (a Dutch play on "Years end") available from November to January, the Paasij - March to May, and the Ijbok - September to November. Not only are the beers organic, they are delicious. Besides the seasonal beers, for summer I would recommend the Ijwit (a wheat beer), and in Winter the Columbus (which at 9% volume, packs quite a punch - but takes the edge off the cold nicely!). As an alternative to the pilsner (or Plzen - the most "normal", lightest beer), try the Natte, a little more tasty and a year round winner.
While the beers are available in more and more places in Amsterdam, the brewery also has a bar. It is a great place for a drink, with a good sized terrace which can be quite crowded on a sunny Sunday afternoon! The bar is open every day from 15:00 until 20:00 and serves some snacks - including a cheese made from sheep's milk. In a perfect example of reusing, the sheep are fed on the malt dregs from the brewing process. The brewery and bar are located to the East of the city centre, and you can spot them from a distance as they stand directly below the highest wooden windmill in the Netherlands. You will of course find them on the Eco Amsterdam map as well (see the link in the top right of the blog).
If you're really interested in beer, you can even do a tour of the brewery on Friday's at 16:00 or by appointment. I'd recommend this over the mass produced "Heineken Experience" ANY day! If your local bar doesn't stock this organic beer, they may have another, try asking for organic beer whenever you order - you may be surprised by a beer you haven't tried before, have an interesting conversation with the bartender or at the very least, show that there is a demand for beers that are brewed with the planet in mind.
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mmm beer
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