The Old Centre & the Canal Ring

Best time: Monday to Saturday, starting at about 2pm. In de Wildeman is closed on Sunday, and De Bekeerde Suster doesn't list Sunday hours. BeerTemple opens at 2pm on weekdays and Café Gollem at 4pm Monday to Thursday, so starting at 2pm gets you to both after they open. Friday and Saturday nights in the Red Light District streets around De Prael get very crowded after 9pm. Opening hours change, so check each venue before you set off.

The stops

1. 

   Proeflokaal Arendsnest

   Herengracht 90, 1015 BS Amsterdam

   Canal-house tasting room that has poured only Dutch beer since it opened in 2000: 52 taps and around 50 bottles and cans, including house beers from its sister brewery Poesiat & Kater and regulars such as Gulpener, Two Chefs, De Kromme Haring and Walhalla. There's a list of Dutch jenevers too. Open noon to midnight Sunday to Thursday, and to 1am Friday and Saturday.

   Open in Google Maps

2. In de Wildeman

   Kolksteeg 3, 1012 PT Amsterdam

   Classic beer café in a former distillery tucked down an alley off the Nieuwendijk: 18 rotating taps and about 250 bottles, mostly Belgian and Dutch (Trappists included) with British, American and German guests, plus aged vintage bottles and a cider list. Open noon to midnight Monday to Thursday, noon to 1am Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

3. 

   De Prael

   Oudezijds Armsteeg 26, 1012 GP Amsterdam

   Big, multi-level tasting room in the oldest part of the city, run as a social enterprise that employs people who find it hard to get work elsewhere. Brewing on site stopped in late 2024 and the house beers now come from outside Amsterdam, but they're still on tap alongside a full food menu, and there's a four-beer guided tasting for €18. Open from noon daily, usually until midnight; listings differ slightly, so check before a late visit.

   Open in Google Maps

4. 

   De Bekeerde Suster

   Kloveniersburgwal 6, 1012 CT Amsterdam

   Brewpub-restaurant with copper kettles in the bar, on the site of a medieval convent whose nuns brewed beer. House beers, a canal-side terrace and a full kitchen. Open noon to midnight Monday to Thursday and noon to 1am Friday and Saturday; Sunday hours aren't listed on its website.

   Open in Google Maps

5. 

   BeerTemple

   Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 250, 1012 RR Amsterdam

   American-style craft beer bar run by the Arendsnest team: around 50 taps, with about 30 American and Canadian beers, at least 10 European ones and house beers from Poesiat & Kater, plus 100 to 150 bottles and cans. Bar food runs to wings, chicken strips and bitterballen. Open 2pm to midnight Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 1am Friday, noon to 1am Saturday and noon to 10pm Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

6. 

   Café Gollem

   Raamsteeg 4, 1012 VZ Amsterdam

   Amsterdam's original specialist beer café, open since 1974 in a tiny room near the Spui: 14 rotating taps and around 200 bottles built on Belgian classics, with Dutch beers and international guests (Westvleteren 12 and aged Orval are often in stock). Open 4pm to 1am Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 3am Friday and Saturday, and 2pm to 1am Sunday.

   Open in Google Maps

Getting there: Arendsnest is on the Herengracht near the Brouwersgracht, about a 10-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal. The route finishes at the Spui, about 5 minutes from the Spui tram stop and 15 minutes' walk back to Centraal.

De Bekeerde Suster to BeerTemple (about 0.8 km) is the longest leg. Cross from the Kloveniersburgwal via the Oude Hoogstraat and Damstraat to Dam Square, then go along the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. The rest of the legs are under 600 metres.

Optional detours: Het Elfde Gebod (Zeedijk 5), another Gollem beer café, is two minutes from De Prael. Wynand Fockink (Pijlsteeg 31), a jenever tasting room dating from 1679, is just behind Dam Square. Hours for both weren't checked for this guide, so confirm them before you go.

Cyclists use the narrow lanes too, so stay on the pavement, and keep an eye out at bridge crossings.

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Tasting quantities and inclusions are set by each tour operator and can change. Check the listing before you book.