Tuesday 4 October 2016

Two Local Bars


It is always good to try the local bars when abroad.  It is there you get the feel for a place, though if course it can be a matter of pot luck as to what you come across.  Near our hotel in Amsterdam there were a couple of bars our group of ten met up at for a couple of pre-dinner drinks, having gone our own way during the day.  Both were friendly and accommodating, rushing to make tables up so we could all sit together and generally being friendly and welcoming. But the beers were a bit shall we say, pedestrian?  Nonetheless they gave a great impression of the city as being a place that you'll be treated well. That's just what you need when away.

Now one of the things that you really must do in Amsterdam is going for a "Rijsttafel" in an Indonesian restaurant. These restaurants are a relic of the Dutch colonial past, much as Indian restaurants are of ours.We chose one carefully and bloody good it was too. It was outside the inner city and thus less touristy.  We walked back to our hotel, the night being lovely and of course fancied a beer on the way. We knew by now to avoid these at all costs, any Heineken sign boozers. The choice is pretty poor and the prices rather high for what you get. This meant a bit more walking, Heineken being everywhere.  We eventually came across a nice little boozer that was worryingly empty at around nine thirty in the evening, but the the Gulpener sign assured us we'd find a beer or two that we'd like. Our host, a young laid back Dutchman, was happy to see us. He explained what beers he had available, insisting on us trying a taste of each before we made our choices. Perfect. In typical British fashion, us men sat outside drinking beer and watching the cyclists whizz by, while the ladies sat inside drinking wine.  Our host kept us up to date, by helpfully advising us when the women ordered another round, knowing full well that we'd follow.  This arrangement suited us very well. We left after three or four beers as the bar started to fill up. Great stuff and again the welcome and care was outstanding.  Well done Café Cees.

We had though noticed another bar near the hotel. Again signed for Gulpener, it was tucked away behind the Concertgebouw. On our last night, we were eating in the area, so we called in for pre-dinner drinks.  Our host here was of the more taciturn type, but us ten filled a round table and got on with things.  On the wall was a poster advertising Van Vollenhoven's Stout.  Sounded good and a squint at the price list showed it to be on sale. At the bar, we ordered two from our less than talkative barperson.  He rummaged silently. He had none after all it turned out, but recommended a bokbier from the tap.  Now it wasn't what we wanted, so I asked for a taste. After all he had recommended it. He answered in authoritative style. "No."  One word, that's all. Hmm. Ah well, it might have been the best beer in the world, but bugger him, his recommendation and his lousy attitude, so we ordered Orval and carried on. I reflected we'd brought ten people, along for a drink and we all had two or three, so a taste wouldn't have hurt. In case you are wondering, it is Café Welling

So what does all this prove? Well, when you have a choice, go where the welcome is warmest of course.
 
 This advice of course is only good if you go to a place more than once, but I offer it up nonetheless. Would I advise you not to go to Café Welling? Actually no.  It is a nice place with pleasant customers and seats outside. Just don't ask for a taste of the beer, or depend on affable chit-chat.

Annoyingly it is a Dutch habit to lose a bit of beer on pouring. They sort of pour a bit down the drain before applying the glass. That bit would have done me as a taster.

10 comments:

Andrew said...

We always find the local bars a bit hit and miss but have our favourites and are well looked after

As to the Van Vollenhoven's Stout, he wouldn't have any as it's no longer produced, it's now brewed by DeSchans after a little licensing discussion over a resurrected recipe by Heiniken, very good stuff if you can find it

Ronnie Rizla said...

To be honest I've been in some great boozers in Amsterdam but as I was off my tits most of the time it's difficult to remember any of them.From memory they all seemed to be near a canal.

Barm said...

The beer that goes down the drain is what has been sitting in the line and the tap, and could be warm or worse. I wish all bars would adopt this “annoying” Dutch habit.

Tandleman said...

That might be the theory, but unless the beer isn't shifting it is totally unnecessary. In any event a small splash is all that is poured. Not really enough to clear anything and just waste paid for by the customer. But I dare say cosmetically appealing.

Tandleman said...

That might be the theory, but unless the beer isn't shifting it is totally unnecessary. In any event a small splash is all that is poured. Not really enough to clear anything and just waste paid for by the customer. But I dare say cosmetically appealing.

Cooking Lager said...

If you went all inclusive you wouldn't have to go in local bars. Hotel would open the bar by 10am and you'd have free lout all day.

Confused of Chorley said...

I had a big argument in the pub tonight at the end of which I realised I didn't have a clue what I was talking about - even though I relentlessly ground my opponents into the submission.
Is there such a thing as widget glasses ?
And if so why don't all lager producers use these glasses in order to keep a perfect head on the pint all the way down ?
Because everyone drinking lager tonight had a head as flat as an anorexic's backside.
Someone said to me it's because the gazillions of tiny holes at the bottom of the glass breed germs and somebody else chimed in by saying that's why on the continent they always wash the glass first with one of those jets of water thingies behind the bar.
Then someone asked if you poured a pint of Guinness into a widget glass would it end up a complete 'mare.
So we spent a while looking at every different type of glass in the bar holding them up to the light and seeing if we could spot a widget.
Then Pneumatic Nora came in and we forgot what we were talking about because she has a set of norks that would poke your eyes out.
But still,trudging my way home tonight,I was still bothered by the unanswered question about widget glasses.
Can you or any of your erudite readers help ?

Tandleman said...

You mean nucleated glasses I think. Micro etchings on the bottom. Keeps the head. Wouldn't affect Guinness.

As for Johnny Foreigner? Well it is also oddly for head retention.

Tandleman said...

You mean nucleated glasses I think. Micro etchings on the bottom. Keeps the head. Wouldn't affect Guinness.

As for Johnny Foreigner? Well it is also oddly for head retention.

pp said...

@CoC
You mean nucleated glasses - in general all branded lager glasses have etchings on the bottom which encourage carbonated liquids to produce bubbles. Normal ale pint glasses don't have the etchings, so the gas tends to stay in solution when served in one of those.

Assuming you've got a nucleated glass, they can decline in potency over time as they get covered in a mix of protein and oils. In which case the pub needs to do a deep clean of their glassware, known as renovation. A decent pub will do this regularly in any case, but others may not be so scrupulous. Google the Cask Marque Glass Guide for some more detail on this.