"There Are Only Two Things I Can't Stand In This World: People Who Are Intolerant of Other People's Cultures... and the Dutch."

If you're not a Pilsner or Pale Lager kind of person, you're not going to like the Netherlands. Nearly all beer produced in the Netherlands (95%) is pale lager. Certain Bocks and Witbiers are produced as specialty beers to complement the main pale lager brands for each brewery. Many well known brands of pale lagers are brewed and exported from the Netherlands, including beer from Koninklijke Grolsch N.V., Amstelbrouwerij, and of course, Heineken International N.V. The world's third largest brewery behind AB InBev, and SABMiller. Thanks to these and other large international brewers, The Dutch export more beer as a percentage of their total production than any other beer production nation on Earth. More than half of the beer made in The Netherlands is shipped to other countries.

A small number of beers actually worth trying do exist in the Netherlands. The country is host to the only Trappist brewery outside of Belgium. A small group of microbreweries also specialize in British style ales and bitters. Bavarian Wheats are also gaining in popularity. But overall, if you're in the Netherlands and you don't order a Pils or a lager, for all intents and purposes, you're not ordering a beer.

Gezondheid.

Rated Dutch Beers


12-28-11 - Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V. Tilburg's Dutch - 2.92, Belgian Dark Ale, 5.00%
11-24-11 - Grolsch Bierbrouwerij N.V. Grolsch Premium Lager - 2.41, Euro Pale Lager, 5.00%
5-16-10 - Amstel Brewery Amstel Bier - 2.45, Pilsner, 5.00%
5-14-10 - Amstel Brewery Amstel Light - 2.01, Light Pilsner, 3.50%
Date Expurgated - Heineken International N.V. Heineken Pilsner - 2.21 Pilsner, 5.00%
Date Expurgated - Heineken International N.V. Heineken Light - 1.87, Light Pilsner, 3.20%

Popular Beer Styles in The Netherlands

  • Pale Lager
  • Pilsner
  • Trappist
  • Dutch Breweries with Rated Beer

  • Amstel Brewery - Zoeterwoude, The Netherlands
  • Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V. - Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands
  • Grolsch Bierbrouwerij N.V. - Enschede, Netherlands
  • Heineken International N.V. - Amsterdam, Netherlands