Days That End in Y

I actually didn’t end up going to all that many breweries as I’d originally planned. Somewhere in the >1 month of travel between Dublin and Amsterdam, I decided to go to more art museums and historical sites rather than to more breweries and distilleries. Yeah, I regret it now. In fact, it occurs to me that I actually didn’t visit a single working brewery. All of them had been turned into museums!

Anyway, here are a few photos that I snapped at The Heineken Experience in Amsterdam. Apparently, I went in just the nick of time, though, as it closed soon after my visit for renovations until Summer 2008.

Some old bike presumably used for deliveries of beer.

The Heineken Experience includes a recreation of an old Amsterdam street.

Nope, these vats aren’t used for brewing any more.

Included in the tour are three beers (which are definitely not full-sized pints) and a gift of some sort. At the time I visited, it was a nifty bottle opener encased in a fake Heineken bottle.

The World of Heineken, i.e., Here’s a Bunch of Our Ads

Some crazily pink corridor. I don’t actually remember what was there. By that point, I was getting somewhat bored.

This is where they brainwash you—I mean, where they allow you to view old Heineken ads.

Stop #2 today was Dockside Brewing Company. This is tucked away inside the Granville Island Hotel, which just moved onto my unofficial list of cool hotels.

Dockside offers eight different brews. The one that really stood out was the Jamaican lager, which is a fruit beer that also has hibiscus concentrate. This was just perfect for a summer day. It was very well-balanced with a touch of sweetness and a subtle bit of hibiscus. It actually reminded me of a Trinidadian rum punch.

The good news is Dockside offers a beer sampler, which comes in a nifty wooden basket. Unfortunately, it only has six of the beers. However, fortunately, the bartender will likely offer you samples of the remaining two as long as you sit at the bar, so here’s a tip: sit at the bar and not at a table! Also, while you’re at it, get yourself some of the ridiculously tasty chili squid, which my friendly bartender Sean recommended.

After lunch, I kicked off the afternoon by visiting Granville Island Brewing, which I’d first heard of in Whistler. I hied myself there in time for the 2:00 PM tour and tasting to discover that both the 2:00 and 4:00 tours were full! Argh! In fact, the taproom itself was packed, and there was nowhere to sit. The brewery itself isn’t that large, so if you plan on going, I suggest getting that early or going on a less busy day. (This is a three-day weekend here due to BC Day.) A half hour or so later, though, the tap room had emptied out a bit, and I managed to sit down at the bar with my four samples.