MoreBeer Tour – finding the best beer in Amsterdam

Do you want to get to know Amsterdam, drink some amazing beer and get a free t-shirt for your troubles? Then this beer tour is for you.

First off, a confession: I have done this beer tour so many times I have lost count, but it never ceases to entertain me. Every time I have visitors who don’t live in Amsterdam I insist they do the tour with me, for a few reasons.

First, if you walk the whole way you get to see so much of this beautiful city it beats any tourist walking tour hands down. Second, the bars you visit during the tour represent the local beer culture in all its forms – from a brown café (a traditional watering hole, comparable to the great British pub) to a modern international bar with beers from all over the world. Thirdly, you get some free clothing (who has enough t-shirts? Not me!) and last but not least: it’s really fun.

The concept is pretty simple: drink a beer in each of the four distinctively beer-forward bars scattered around the city, save your receipts and exchange them for a t-shirt at the last venue. So fire up your google maps and let’s go on a search for the best beer in Amsterdam.

The MoreBeer Tour route

Proeflokaal Arendsnest – Herengracht 90, 1015 BS Amsterdam

This traditional, cosy bar along the canal serves beers exclusively from Dutch brewers. They have over 50 beers on draft and more than 100 beers on bottle, so you’ll never be short for choice. It was here where I started to understand why people say their local brown café quickly becomes an extension of their living room, I instantly felt at home here. You can soak in the rare sunshine on their canal-side terrace or enjoy the traditional look of their interiors over two floors.

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BeerTemple American Beer Bar –  Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 250, 1012 RR Amsterdam

Welcome home craft beer lovers, but beware, you may never want to leave. This place has to be one of my favourite beer spots in Amsterdam. Just around the corner from the Dam Square, this haven for American beers has 50 beers on draft and has roughly about 200 beers on bottles and cans. If American beer isn’t your thing but you enjoy the vibes, they also stock a good selection of beers from Haarlem-based Uiltje Brewing and of course their own house beers from Morebeer Brewing. Sit and sip outside and watch the busy world go by or get chatting to the regulars usually perched at the bar.

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Mikkeller at Morebeer – Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 4, 1017 NL Amsterdam

In the before times this bar used the be called Beer Loves Food, but recently it had a concept re-vamp and honestly, it has really elevated the local beer scene and made the tour just that little bit more interesting. Not only do they have an extensive offering of Mikkeller’s best beers along with a few other note-worthy breweries, they also serve up some really delicious, freshly cooked food. They pair their vegan and free-range meat menu with their beers so make sure you ask the chef for a recommendation!

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Craft & Draft – Overtoom 417, 1054 JR Amsterdam

They say you should leave the best for last, don’t they? This is where the tour ends and where you can redeem your free t-shirt. By far the busiest and liveliest of the four bars, Craft and Draft hosts 41 beers on draft from all over the world on draft and more than 25 beers on bottle and can – not to mention a mean selection of whiskies, too. Here you can run into an international club practicing their Dutch, a new brewery launching their latest beers, or discover it jampacked with local beer lovers mixing easily with out-of-town guests. A jack of all trades, Craft and Draft serves up whatever you fancy, and lots of it.  

The beer tour is a great way to get to know Amsterdam, in case you need an excuse to hop from one bar to another during the day. They’re all within walking distance from each other, but if you’ve had a few too many or are feeling particularly loafing, you can use the No. 2 tram for the first three and No. 1 for the last leg.