[bpaulik@gmail.com]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post to the forum and looking for some advise from my fellow beer lovers.

I will be traveling to Amsterdam, Brussels and London for Christmas 2017.  I will be in Amsterdam for 4 days, Brussels 1 day and London for 2 days.

Does anyone have any suggestions for each place?  I'm thinking maybe 2 places in Amsterdam, 1 place in Brussels, and maybe 2 places in London.  I won't have a lot of time to spend on breweries/taverns but wanted to make the most of it.

Your suggestions are very much appreciated.

[chumley]

In Amsterdam, the Arendsnest.

http://www.arendsnest.nl/

I was fortunate to go there in early October, at the start over Dutch bock beer season.  They had over 20 bocks on tap.  I was in Heaven.

In Brussels, we had an excellent dinner here:

http://www.restobieres.eu/en/

Very beer themed menu.  For a bar in Brussels, I recommend Moeder Lambic.

[hopfenundmalz]

I hope you are not going to be in London on Christmas Day. As a tourist it can be grim, as things are closed, even the public transportation.

Where are you staying in London? I can give you some recommendations based on location as it is a big city.

[bpaulik@gmail.com]

Thanks for the reply's and recommendations.  I will defiantly look into them.

As for Christmas Day, we will be in Amsterdam.  We will be staying at the London Marriott Marble Arch.

[hopfenundmalz]

Thanks for the reply's and recommendations.  I will defiantly look into them.

As for Christmas Day, we will be in Amsterdam.  We will be staying at the London Marriott Marble Arch.

Nice hotel, stayed there, not the best area for pubs. The Victoria in Paddington is nice. Warwick Castle in Maida Vale was fine, but we sat outside in the summer.

The tubes are your friend for getting around. Get an Oystercard.

One area we like is Southwark, lots of pubs and Burroughs Market. Market Porter, The Rake, The George Inn, and so on.

There are quite a few along the Thames in Hammersmith all the way to the Fullers brewery in Chiswick. The Dove is a favorite.

Another favorite is the White Horse on Parsons Green.

Hampstead has some classics, Holly Bush, the Flask, and the Spaniard Inn.

Here are a couple of links.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/london-best-historic-pubs-the-ultimate-tour/

https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/england/london/experiences/news/photos/londons-15-best-pubs
I was somewhat taken aback to see that I had been to 12 of the 15.

http://www.fancyapint.com
This site used to be easier to use. The ratings are good.

I hope this helps.

[theoman]

Thanks for the reply's and recommendations.  I will defiantly look into them.

As for Christmas Day, we will be in Amsterdam.  We will be staying at the London Marriott Marble Arch.

Nice hotel, stayed there, not the best area for pubs. The Victoria in Paddington is nice. Warwick Castle in Maida Vale was fine, but we sat outside in the summer.

The tubes are your friend for getting around. Get an Oystercard.

One area we like is Southwark, lots of pubs and Burroughs Market. Market Porter, The Rake, The George Inn, and so on.

There are quite a few along the Thames in Hammersmith all the way to the Fullers brewery in Chiswick. The Dove is a favorite.

Another favorite is the White Horse on Parsons Green.

Hampstead has some classics, Holly Bush, the Flask, and the Spaniard Inn.

Here are a couple of links.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/london-best-historic-pubs-the-ultimate-tour/

https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/england/london/experiences/news/photos/londons-15-best-pubs
I was somewhat taken aback to see that I had been to 12 of the 15.

http://www.fancyapint.com
This site used to be easier to use. The ratings are good.

I hope this helps.

Some excellent tips here. I was there a couple weeks ago and had lunch at the Maltby Street Market (excellent food and beer) and while walking toward the Borough market, we stumbled across the Southwark Brewing Company. That was some of the best beer I had in London and decent prices, too. Last I heard, there were 107 breweries in London. Many have tap rooms. Keep your eyes open.

The Oyster card is nice, but even better is a credit card or phone (apple wallet or android pay) with contactless payment. Then you don't have to worry about topping up or paying the 5 pound setup fee. Just scan in and scan out. Totals are calculated at the end of the day (there is a maximum). Awesome.

[hopfenundmalz]

Thanks for the reply's and recommendations.  I will defiantly look into them.

As for Christmas Day, we will be in Amsterdam.  We will be staying at the London Marriott Marble Arch.

Nice hotel, stayed there, not the best area for pubs. The Victoria in Paddington is nice. Warwick Castle in Maida Vale was fine, but we sat outside in the summer.

The tubes are your friend for getting around. Get an Oystercard.

One area we like is Southwark, lots of pubs and Burroughs Market. Market Porter, The Rake, The George Inn, and so on.

There are quite a few along the Thames in Hammersmith all the way to the Fullers brewery in Chiswick. The Dove is a favorite.

Another favorite is the White Horse on Parsons Green.

Hampstead has some classics, Holly Bush, the Flask, and the Spaniard Inn.

Here are a couple of links.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/london-best-historic-pubs-the-ultimate-tour/

https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/england/london/experiences/news/photos/londons-15-best-pubs
I was somewhat taken aback to see that I had been to 12 of the 15.

http://www.fancyapint.com
This site used to be easier to use. The ratings are good.

I hope this helps.

Some excellent tips here. I was there a couple weeks ago and had lunch at the Maltby Street Market (excellent food and beer) and while walking toward the Borough market, we stumbled across the Southwark Brewing Company. That was some of the best beer I had in London and decent prices, too. Last I heard, there were 107 breweries in London. Many have tap rooms. Keep your eyes open.

The Oyster card is nice, but even better is a credit card or phone (apple wallet or android pay) with contactless payment. Then you don't have to worry about topping up or paying the 5 pound setup fee. Just scan in and scan out. Totals are calculated at the end of the day (there is a maximum). Awesome.

Things change. Sometimes a lot!

I remember when there were about 2 breweries in London, Fullers and Young’s. There had been some small ones, but they had closed. Then Young’s closed.

I was last in London about 2.5 years back, and have no recollection of the phone thing, or seeing anyone scanning their phone. Thank you for the heads up for next time. Awesome, indeed.

Edit - Mrs. R remembers the phone scans from that trip.

[bpaulik@gmail.com]

Thank you for the tips.  We had a great trip and I had the best beer I think I have ever had (La Trappe Quad Oak Aged Batch #21) at the Arendsnest (great place by the way), excellent selection of Holland beers.

Only made it to the Delirium Café in Brussels but met a local in there and spent some time with him talking about all the different Belgium beers.  It was a great experience.   We did a city tour and the tour guide suggested the Beer Planet but it was closed the day we were there.  He said they had a lot of rare beers. 

As for London, we made it to three of the pubs in the lists (The Grenadier, The Star and The Nags Head).  All three places had a lot of character and history.  The only issue we had was at the Nags Head.  The owner was in and we didn't realize cell phones were not allow.  When we got ours out he was very rude about the whole situation.  I can appreciate the rule to not allow cell phones but just the way he handled it.  It probably didn't help that he had a few to many drinks himself.

The other two pubs were great. 

I would also like to recommend The Windmill, Mayfair in London for their Pies (meat pie).  They were great. 

Thanks again