Best places for craft beer in Amsterdam

The Dutch have been brewing beer for decades, with hop gardens and breweries first emerging in the Middle Ages. Although the Netherlands is renowned for its world-famous pale lagers like Heineken, Grolsch and Amstel, in recent years more and more smaller breweries have developed their own specialty beers and the scene continues to expand. Here are two of our favorite places where you can enjoy a delicious pint of craft beer in Amsterdam.

Brouwerij ‘t IJ

Brouwerij 't IJ is a small, modern and very popular brewery situated next to the only windmill in the center of Amsterdam. Opened in 1985, it serves a wide variety of house beers and still more seasonal and small-batch brews.

Oedipus Brewing

The four founders of Oedipus Brewing, Alex, Paul, Sander and Rick, started selling their beer at the Art and Music Festival in 2010. Oedipus also has a brewery and taproom in Amsterdam-Noord, where you can have beer tastings, beer dinners (where they're working with a restaurant to develop an exclusive menu) or enjoy live music. If you want to try extra-fresh beer on a Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., you can taste a beer right off the bottle line.