Beer
I know it for sure that the moment you glanced at the title, you knew beer would follow. There is no need to say that Amsterdam is the beer heaven. No matter you are a beer lover or not, give a chance to Amsterdam beers before you leave. Pick yours among the plenty of tasty brews. You can pay a visit to any brewery and taste from hundreds of Dutch beers. My top 5 is
- La Trappe (foamy and butter like)
- De Schans
- Klein Duimpje (a prize winning, coffee flavored)
- De Hemel (raisin flavored)
- Christoffel Nobel (fruity)
If you are not open to different tastes, you can have “the Heineken experience”. It’s literally an unforgettable experience to visit there. The museum’s advice is to get drunk before going there in order to lose your appetite! It’s more than a museum actually that showcases old funny beer commercials, or a man bathing in a pool of beer and there, you can have as much beer as you want!
If you are short of time, and still want to taste different beers, you can visit The Bierkoning and get the chance to try from 950 types of beer! They also sell beer glasses and other types of beer products! The address is Paleisstraat 125 1012 RK Amsterdam.
Cheese
Dutch cheese is another legend especially for the cheese freaks. When you are in Amsterdam, there will be a wide variety of cheese to taste but as you can guess Gouda is the most popular one. You may be familiar with Gouda but I bet you haven’t tasted as many types as you can in Amsterdam. Gouda is classified by the duration it has been aged. If it is aged for a month, it is called “jong”; for 4 months, it is called “belegen”, for 10 months, it’s called “oud” and if it’s aged for more than a year, it’s called “overjarig”
Just like Gouda, there are many other popular types of cheese in Amsterdam which are Geitenkaas, Maasdammer, Boerenkaas, Bleu de Graven. Let’s have a close look to these mind blowing cheeses.
Geitenkaas
This cheese is made of goat milk and it’s semi hard. It is used in sandwiches and for grating in general.
Maasdammer
Its taste can remind you Emmentaller, the Swedish cheese with its sweet taste.
Boerenkaas
It’s made with unpasteurized milk and has a creamy structure.
Bleu de Graven
If you like rich flavors, this cheese will be your favorite with its rich and mild flavor.
Now, you know which type of cheese you like to taste. Well, where should you head to for trying them? To have a general idea about Dutch cheeses, you can visit Cheese Museum that is only 5 minutes from Anne Frank Museum. From central station, you can take tram 13, 17 and bus 21, 170, 171 to get off at Westermarkt. Or, for a professional cheese tasting tour, you can visit Reypenaer Tasting Room to shop from delicious cheeses or visit their historic warehouse. For more information, you can visit the official website of Reypenaer.
Stroopwafels
Yes, you should definitely not leave Amsterdam before tasting Stroopwafels! As you can guess it kind of waffle that is made from two thin layers of waffle that has caramel syrup filling between. It’s simple, sweet and absolutely mind-blowing. You can find them anywhere in Amsterdam streets as a snack or, if you need more specific advices, you can visit Lanksroom where locals prefer for a divine stroopwafels session. It’s a historic tearoom and a bakery that is located by the canal and it’s famous for its large and crispy stroopwafels. You can pick your favorite among coffee, fig, caramel or linden honey fillings! If you need more detailed information about this stroopwafels heaven, you can take a look at the official website of Lanksroom.
Image Credit: Quinn Dombrowski