Next: a free tour on which you’ll receive food and drink-and one that you should take. For while the citizens of such countries as Germany or Denmark will argue loud and long over whether Holland produces the world’s best beer, no one will dispute that Amsterdam offers the best free brewery tours in Europe!
In other cities, the breweries take you through their premises, and then give you free beer. But in Amsterdam, they give you free beer, cheese, mustard, cigarettes and postcards! Typical of what’s offered is the free visit to the great Heineken’s Brewery, 30 Van der Helstraat (a short walk over from the Rijksmuseum), which you can make by appearing at Heineken’s between 10 and 10:30 a.m., Mondays through Fridays.
You’ll receive an informative guided tour of all areas of the huge plant (including the fascinating, clanking bottling works), and then be led into a richly-furnished beerhall where tables have been set with beer (unlimited servings, within reason, can be had), cheese, toothpicks for the cheese, mustard in which to dip the cheese, and cigarettes for a closing smoke. It’s all unusually convivial and pleasant. A similar tour is offered free by the equally-fine Amstel Brewery, 14 Mauritskade, usually from 2 to 4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
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