Cafe Gollum, Amsterdam- Beers & Bars of the Europe 2013 Trip

This post is the second in a series of posts describing the beers I tried and bars I visited on my April/May 2013 trip to Europe. Read Part One- The Micro Bar, Reykjavik here. 

When researching bars with a good selection of beers to visit on my couple of days in Amsterdam, Cafe Gollum was the one name that kept coming up over and over again. Almost 40 years ago, it became the first cafe in Amsterdam to serve Belgian beers (Hard to believe since they are neighbors…). The story, told by the cafe’s own website, is that the first batch of Belgian beers were brought in by a local Dutch lawyer who brought them back in a rental car, and they proved to be so popular that a local distributor started importing them shortly there after.

Today. there are 3 Cafe Gollums, the one I visited on Raamsteeg, a short walk from the courtyard known as Spui, and two other locations a little further afield. The Raamsteeg location has over 200 beers available, 14 of which are on tap, with seven rotating taps, and they say that 95% of the beers they have are Belgian beers.

I visited Cafe Gollum on two separate occasions, and was able to sample their vast beer selection. For my first beer, I had to have a Pawel Kwak, not only because it is an excellent beer, but also for it’s truly one-of-a-kind glass.

I also had a Gregorius, from the newest Trappist Brewery, Stift Engelszell in Austria, and was actually pretty impressed with this abbey-style dubbel. I also tries Mont des Cats, a beer from the French Trappist brewery Mont des Cats, although only the cheese from this brewery is, as of now, an officially sanctioned Trappist product.

The friendly and knowledgeable bartender also gave me a small sample of Chimay Red on tap, something rare in Belgium itself, and unheardof in the United States. Their rotating taps list was extensive and impressive.

On my second visit, I was able to try a Westvleteren 10, the middle beer from the only Trappist brewery not available in the United States. Gollum had the Blonde and the 12 (one of the highest rated beers in the world), but I was saving those for my scheduled visit to the cafe near the Sint Sixtus Abbey (Westvleteren’s brewers) a few days later.

Cafe Gollum is a great bar, combining a cozy environment with an outstanding Belgian beer selection. Due to the short length of this visit, I didn’t visit any other beer bars in Amsterdam, but it is hard for me to believe that there is any place with a better selection.

 

10 Responses to “Cafe Gollum, Amsterdam- Beers & Bars of the Europe 2013 Trip”

1. alison friebe says:

   June 29, 2013 at 9:42 am

   Last time we were in ‘Dam the one near Spui was closed. We are going again soon, has it reopened then?

   Reply
   • Erik says:

     June 29, 2013 at 4:48 pm

     I was there in late April and it was open. Their facebook page doesn’t say anything about being closed either.

     Reply
2. Jack and Jill (@JacknJillTravel) says:

   June 19, 2013 at 12:22 pm

   Omg!! I’d love, love to go back to Europe and drink my way around these beer producing countries. We can get a lot of good beer here in San Francisco, but it’s nothing compared to having them locally where they’re produced.

   Reply
   • Erik says:

     June 24, 2013 at 7:12 pm

     I made searching out good beer bars a priority, and it really paid off (as the 20 or so posts in this series will testify to.)

     I love the beer scene in SF, too, though- Russian River, Lagunitas, Anchor Steam just to mention a few!

     Reply
3. Leah says:

   June 17, 2013 at 10:06 am

   Now, this is my kind of post. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but I like to try different ones in Europe just in case I find one I really like. Sounds you had a great trip filled with some fab suds.

   Reply
   • Erik says:

     June 24, 2013 at 7:15 pm

     For me, travelling solo, finding the best beer bar in each city meant I always could find people to talk to. It’s great common ground (a passion for good beer) that I’ve started many conversations with and I’ve really enjoyed the people I’ve met over those beers.

     Reply
4. Lisa @chickybus says:

   June 16, 2013 at 11:18 pm

   This looks like a very enjoyable experience! Are some of those amber beers (please excuse my ignorance if that’s obvious)? If so, I’m a fan.

   I don’t know a lot about beer, but I do know that certain ones (eg, those in your photos) taste good and give one a serious buzz. 🙂

   Reply
   • Erik says:

     June 24, 2013 at 7:16 pm

     Yes! The one with the cool glass with the wooden stand is actually an amber. It’s called Pawel Kwak and is available at many stores in the U.S. It’s a little stronger than most of the ambers here, though 🙂

     Reply
5. snowbird says:

   June 14, 2013 at 11:10 am

   What FABULOUS glasses and array of beers there!!! Being a beer lover I’m really jealous!xxxx

   Reply
   • Erik says:

     June 14, 2013 at 5:06 pm

     Great place for sure. I’ve got at least another 10 posts in the beers and bars series coming, too!

     Reply