After reading our 1-2 articles, it can be easily understood that we, as OitheBlog, are keen to try different drinks in the countries we visit.. We have a temptation to drink until we choke like this, there’s nothing we can do. With the same enthusiasm, we came across a story in our “what we drink, where we drink” research we started before we went to Germany, which made us say, “people create beautiful blogs,” and then we contacted the site owner Cihangir Gümüştaş. its main protagonist is The Love of Beer. A great resource for those who are interested in the subject, a variety of beer, a variety of comments, moreover, one who understands these things, knows what’s best, our “brother, have you drank 3 red Tuborgs, you’re done” logic. someone far beyond. We loved this blog so much that we asked them, “Can you prepare a little guide for us?” we asked for it and thank goodness he didn’t break us either.. Come on, you’re good again.
We have many reasons to go abroad now. When you get a cheap flight ticket and a suitable hotel, it can sometimes even be suitable for domestic holidays.. Many factors such as sea, history, eating and drinking are among the reasons that push us abroad.. The most important and only factor for me is “beer.”
Although there has been a beer revolution in Turkey with the diversification of beer shelves recently, I still don’t think there is enough variety of beer.. For example, when you want to drink a Weissbier or Kölsch, you may not be able to find a beer to drink.. Schneider Weisse is sold in our country, but its availability is a bit problematic. Or to go to a nice Beer Cafe and drink a variety of unpasteurized fresh beers from tap, with limited alternatives. We wanted to take a tour of Europe during the 10-day Eid-al-Adha Holiday (the main purpose is to drink beer) last October.. I wanted to share with you three beer places whose taste (really) remains on our palate, on this trip where we followed the trail of good beer and beer venues on the Germany-Belgium-Netherlands route.. Let’s get started.
Germany/Cologne
I think Cologne is the most gothic city in Germany It also has a unique culture in beer.. Kölsch, the local beer of Cologne, produced and served only in Cologne, makes up a large part, perhaps all, of the city’s beer culture.. Even though I drank Paulaners I bought from REWE in the evenings, it seems impossible to escape Kölsch in the places we sit during the day. one of the few ales. 1 out of every 20 beers drunk in Germany is Kölsch, but this number may be 19/20 in Cologne.
Our preferred place to taste Kölsch, served in 0.2 small glasses Altstadt‘ Beer house named Paffgen located in the Old Town (Old Town). Once inside, the gothic air surrounding Cologne catches you here, too.. After climbing the 509 steps of the famous Cologne Cathedral (aka Dom), located in the city center, one by one and then descending the same steps, it is an ideal place to relax with the last energy left in your body and have a beer for fatigue.
A 0.2 Kölsch costs € 1.70. The taste is definitely very soft and refreshing.. As you can see, the waiter is constantly showing the Kölschs lined up like a tea tray and distributing them to the tables.. Before I forget, there is a rule when drinking Kölsch, if you don’t cover your glass, they put the beer on your table without asking you.. Keep in mind.
A note about Cologne’s neighbor Düsseldorf.. There is an ongoing conflict between these two neighboring cities.. This is even reflected in football matches.. The important point for me is that this conflict between the two cities is also reflected in the beer culture.. There are two different types of beers in these two cities, just 30 minutes from each other.. Düsseldorf’s answer to Cologne’s Kölsch is Altbier and when you sit somewhere in Düsseldorf, if you want Kölsch, they look up to you.. There were even people who made a joke out of it.
Belgium/Brugge
I would probably die if I didn’t define those two famous cliches for this city! “A medieval fairy tale city” and “Venice of the North.” Cliché but true! As soon as you enter the city through the historical gate, you get the feeling that you have come to a very different place.. The bridges you cross over and the canal flowing underneath do not remind you of Venice.. Brugge means bridges anyway.. Although there are relatively few places to visit in this city, where life slowly flows and where chocolate, lace, waffles, potatoes and beer are the cornerstones, there are many places to drink beer.. This city even has a beer wall!
We chose t’Brugs Bieratelier (Beer Workshop). This is not a place to find all sorts of Belgian beers. Actually, t’Brugs Bieratelier has a thematic structure.. They offer 12 different beers each month and give their guests a beer tasting. The place is right at the entrance of Bruges, but I cannot describe it because it is a city where every street is similar to each other.. That’s why it’s best to look at the website.
This place attracted us with 2-3 tables on the pavement and a huge Beer Tasting board, but we decided to visit the city first and then come towards the end of the day to relieve our tiredness.. After a pleasant tour of Bruges, we were set up at our table at t’Brugs Bieratelier in the evening, in a beautiful weather, and we began to wait for our beers.. We tried 6 different beers and this tasting cost 16€. In fact, I can say that this was the only stake we ate in Europe.. For 6 beers of 0.20 each, this money is a little too much under normal conditions.. However, the atmosphere of the place and the street air (for example, the phaetons or street musicians slowly clapping behind you while you sip your beer) made this feeling of ripping off last a very short time and it was truly an unforgettable evening for us.
As for the beers, the October menu included De Ranke, Carolus, Dupont, Fort Lapin, Timmermans and Bourgogne des Flanders. Along with the beers comes a beer menu.. In the menu, there is information about the beers you drink at that moment.. What malts and hops were used, what taste does it have, how many degrees should it be drunk?. In this way, you can also do palate gymnastics.. We first drank and made our comments and then we got support from the menu.. We knew that, ah, this taste means that our tasting practice was like this.
If the weather is nice and you can sacrifice 16€ for 6 0.2 beer beers (it is also possible to buy 3 of them for 8€) I would definitely recommend you to stop by.
Netherlands/Amsterdam
Actually, this city, which is famous for its many different things, can draw a very different portrait from a beer lover’s eye.. Since we have nothing to do with the “famous” features of Amsterdam, we went on a beer hunt from the first day we came to the city and visited two wonderful places in this direction.. The first of these is a beer shop and the other is a Beer Cafe.
De Bierkoning
The moment you enter this place, which is the King of Beer in Turkish, you lose contact with the world. at least for me it was. This is a shop where you can find hundreds of types of beer all over the world.. Belgian, German and British beers are a must, but American beers from miles away are waiting for you on the shelves.. That famous appointment is waiting for its owners at Westvleteren de Bierkoning, which is almost rationed.
If you love beer, this shop is definitely the place to visit! It is possible to find good beers such as Westmalle, Chimay or Paulaner in the markets, but if you want to indulge yourself with a wide variety in this city dominated by Heineken, drop a few beers in your suitcase and bring them to Turkey, I suggest you stop by De Bierkoning.. They also sell many brands’ own glasses.. Prices are very affordable. The 33′ Westmalle (both Dubbel and Tripel) is €1.50, while the 50′ German Weissbiers start at €2.
My advice is to visit this shop from day one if you’re going to be in Amsterdam for a long time. it will be in the direction of you to come and stock up. Then you can sip the beer you put in your bag after taking a break on the canal tour, in the park or cycling.. On the way back, stop by again and buy as much beer as you can fit in your suitcase.. Before I forget, De Bierkoning is only open until 21:00 on Mondays and closes until 18:00 outside of that.
The Beer Temple
Beer After the King, now it’s the Beer Temple! I found this place via Foursquare. When you list Beer Cafes on Foursquare, starting with the highest score, the place at the top is The Beer Temple.. I think this is a very, very good performance for this young venue that was opened on September 9, 2009!
There are many beers available in the venue, which is also very close to Dam Square.. You can follow the menu on the chalkboard on the wall.. It is possible to drink more than 30 beers from tap. In addition, it is really pleasing to be able to reach many American beers in the heart of Amsterdam.. There is also a place for Westvleteren in this rich menu.. Price 15€. If you sacrifice this money, you can also drink this beer, which is shown as the best beer in the world by many authorities during your visit to Amsterdam.
It has a dark and dim atmosphere inside.. I decided to buy Brewdog PUNK IPA, which had not yet come to Turkey at that time, and my wife remained loyal to the classic Leffe preference, but this time our Leffe was from the tap, not from the bottle.. Paintings on the walls and decorations with beer on the ceiling really transform the place into a beer temple.