Monday 14 September 2009

I'm a jammy git

Beer Nut said "Amsterdam is the best city I've been to for beer." After contemplating his possible lack of travel experience, I did me some thinking. About life, beer, the present and the future.

Dangerous, I know. Thinking. It's been a while since I jerked the cogs of my mind into motion. Rust trickled from my ears. But there was the odd funny flicker in the cinema of my consciousness.

Despite having my head firmly jammed between the buttocks of the past, I do pay attention to the present. With half an eye. Like how I "watch" television and fiddle on my PC simultaneously. Much as I would love an Edwardian pub in town (Mild, Bitter, Porter, Stout, Burton on draught. Bass Pale Ale, Guinness, Barclay's Russian Stout and Bass No. 1 in bottle), I can't complain. I really can't complain.

When I first lived in Amsterdam, back when mastodons still roamed the earth, there were already a couple of beer bars. Beiaard, Wildeman, Belgique, Gollem. When beer - good beer - meant Belgian beer. A thrill for me, who'd had little contact with the stuff. The world moves on. Hairy elephants disappear. Other countries start brewing good stuff.

Good German beer is as hard to find in most of the world as it is to miss in its Franconian homeland. Not in Wildeman. Schlenkerla Fastenbier By gravity. The Bock, too. You can't get much better than that.

Arend's Nest. Finally somewhere that showcases Dutch beer.

No, we can't complain about lack of choice. Then this week. Peter van der Arend's new pub opened. Beer Temple.

It's billed as an American beer pub. But it's more than that. Thankfully. There's stuff from the likes of Mikkeller and Ellezelloise. I'd give you more details, but it was a bit crowded.

Another place tot tempt me to town. Like I said, I'm a jammy git.



Beer Temple
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 250,
1012 RR Amsterdam.
http://beertemple.nl/

4 comments:

Mike said...

As long as Beer Temple can offer a good cross-section of American and Scandinavian beers (not just the C-hops infected variety), I hope they succeed. However, if this is a temple for the worship of C-hops, it will, IMO, do more harm than good.

I, for one, hope it will be the former.

Barry M said...

Ron, you are a jammy git. Last week was my first visit to Amsterdam, and I really didn't expect the huge range of choice available there. I really enjoyed it, and it would take a lot longer than two days to do it all justice. That Affumicator was bloody great. How come I can't get stuff like that in Münster? Bah!

John said...

Those beer faucets look authentic. They have a snappy feel to them and have no means of measuring the flow. It's all on or all off. Nothing in between.

The overly long handles and huge stainless steel urinal-esque trough is genuine too.

Uniform polo shirts are spot on. Nothing reaks more of team-building-fun then a group of adults in matching polo shirts. However, it's a shame the fella in the picture does not have it tucked in to a pair of belted jeans or chinos. That loose hem flapping in the breeze is the one chink of long haired Old Europe invading an otherwise serene picture of wholesome apple pie.

DrJohn said...

I agree with Barry. I've visited Amsterdam on 8 occasions and the beer selection never dissappoints. And now this new venue! I'm planning my next trip already. And I hope you survived the visit of the two (non) hairy Irishmen okay!