These (beer) cafés are the place to be for all the best tapped, tastiest and freshest lager in Amsterdam
If you think that lager is only for camping, slumped with one hand in your pants and a lukewarm can in the other, then you really need to come out from under your rock. Lager is life. And yes, there should be other beer styles too. Correct. You want to be able to choose in the beer café. But a freshly tapped, cold beer on a hot day in the sun is, as we said, life.
Not every beer is the same and it is not poured equally well everywhere. That's why we have a nice list of pubs, beer cafés and tasting rooms in Amsterdam that serve this barley beer best and where it is always a good place to stay. Even if you don't order lager. But just do that.
With both a German and a Dutch pilsner on tap (and often everything in the bottle, but we're not talking about that now) you've come to the right place. A mix of Dutch brown café and English pub, you will find that atmosphere a bit In the Wildeman in the center of Amsterdam. Anyway, that beer. Gulpener is probably on tap (and you are probably familiar with it), but the reason why you should stop by is Jever. Gold, cold, Crisp en clean with a very fine bitterness. Bitterer than you know from Dutch lager, but therefore extra tasty and thirst-quenching. You get it with a generous dollop as standard, just as they serve it in Germany. Add a portion of smoked beef sausage and a handsome woman/man who sticks to one.
With only Dutch beers on tap, an afternoon at Arendsnest is certainly an adventure. Don't expect four taps of Dutch (anyone can do that), but no fewer than 52 Dutch beers flow out of the tap every day. Something for everyone, but start with a well-taped Chateau Neubourg from Gulpener. Sounds as fancy as it is (this is what they call fancy beer in the South) and that is how it is served. The barmaids and bartenders look neat and the Château comes in a kind of champagne flute. Inside it is a brown café 2.0: a bit sleeker, but with that coziness.
If you call lager pouring champions, then De Ster should not be missing. One of the first cafes you encounter when you walk out of Amsterdam Central Station and it may even look a bit like one tourist trap. But whoa, wait: that's not it. Busy when Ajax plays, but just Dutch fun on other days and therefore with the best tapped Amstel in the city. Cold, clear, perfect foam head (that lasts until the last sip) and includes a nice chat with the bartenders and a cup of the cat. So don't pass by quickly, but go and see how everyone should pour their beer.
Not only the golden oldies from Mokum can tap a good beer, the (fairly new) proves that Taverno Willibecher in Amsterdam North but beautiful. The German pilsner Jever is on tap as standard, so you can enjoy a bitter and fresh pilsner as standard. What is not standard here is the snack menu. Not cubes of cheese and liverwurst, but one fusion of German and Turkish cuisine. In winter you sit comfortably inside (and they cook on an open fire, so it always smells good), but in summer you go out onto the mega terrace and then, in the sun, it is that perfect moment of a delicious, clear beer.
With a name like that you can't help but serve a good beer. Where do they tap it? That's a bit crazy. The English Reet (that's what most people call it) does not have a counter as you are used to, but the taps can be found at the back of the kitchen (if you can call it a kitchen..). They serve wonderfully clear Heineken here, but slightly better than most. And besides, it's very simple. Sand on the ground, furniture that has surprisingly survived the passage of time and everything is brown. Pub brown that is, and that is the best brown.
The Three Bottles is an enigma in itself. Hidden on the Gravenstraat near Dam Square you will find a café that feels like a time machine. On the left is the bar, on the right are all barrels with gin and other liqueurs, the meatball with gravy is why some people book a holiday to Amsterdam again and on weekend days you should not think that you are going to end the evening here, because then they are usually closes around 21pm. Delicious. Add to this a perfectly tapped Gulpener from bartender Johannes (and come on, you actually need a headbutt here) and then you finally know what is meant by hanging out at the bar.
When the sun shines, it shines all day long Walhalla in Amsterdam North. They have transformed the piece of vacant land opposite the brewery into an urban desert/beer garden and it is nice to sit there. Especially if you order the Apollo Amsterdam Pilsner. A very good malt and hop balance ensures a refreshing beer with lots of flavor and a fresh aftertaste. The folks at Valhalla don't call them Apollo for nothing Golden Boy. On Sundays there is often live music that, either outside or between the brewing kettles, makes you want to get your feet up. Or at least bend your knees up and down in a very Dutch way.
At the busy intersection of Nassaukade and Tweede Nassaustraat, where someone is always almost hit, you will find Checkpoint Charlie and their house lager from Weihenstephan from Freising, Germany. A delicious Bavarian pilsner as pilsner is meant to be. Nice bitter, clean and the way the Germans drink it: in half liters. You can also order a vase, but there is no table service at Checkie (we might say), so do yourself a favor and don't keep walking back and forth. There is currywurst, there are toasties and the atmosphere is that of a mix between a neighborhood café and a punk bar. Recommended.
A nicely drafted Heineken on tap, something everyone can enjoy Dopey's Elixir that. But even better is the fresh Brand Up, a Czech style pilsner and therefore slightly more bitter than a Dutch style. With 24 beers on tap and a wide choice of bottles and cans, it is wonderful to sit on the terrace in the sun or inside the brown taproom.
More tips
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Beer tasting room In de Wildeman – a beer oasis in the city center of Amsterdam
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There it is: a list of Dutch breweries and only the nicest ones (with the tastiest beer)
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On German Beer Day you can't drink anything other than German beer – a list of the best
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Taverno Willi Becher, Amsterdam North – now with a new mega terrace!