Category: weihenstephan

Weihenstephan racks up award in Amsterdam

Weihenstephan has racked up several awards around the world and in Amsterdam.

At the “Australian International Beer Awards” the Weihenstephan „Kristallweißbier“ won the overall price of best beer. The “International Beer Challenge” in Great Britain awarded Weihenstephan a gold medal for its “Hefeweißbier”. And the Weihenstephaner “Kristallweißbier” received a gold medal during the yearly Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival.

weihenstephan receives gold medal in stockholm

And finally it was the Dutch’s turn to praise Weihenstephan during the Bockbier Festival in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam in late October. Of a total of 60 sampled beers, only two were placed in the “worldclass”: Weihenstephan’s “Vitus” and their double bock “Korbinian”.

PINT Bockbier Festival Amsterdam October 2007

If after all the awards you crave a fresh and tasty Weihenstephan you can check out my September post about places in Amsterdam that serve Weihenstephan.

Weihenstephan in Amsterdam

What a nice day! Sunshine, warm temperatures and blue sky. Such a pleasant surprise after this year’s wet summer and the arctic temperatures of the last few days.

To me, warm weather is weissbier weather and I am currently enjoying a cool Weihenstephan Hefeweizen!

weihenstephan ad

For all of you who have never tried Weihenstephan, I encourage you to go out and have one. Like many other German “Weizenbier”, it’s very different from Belgian “witbeer”. It has a much fuller and smoother flavor. It has a wonderful cloudy appearance when poured into the typical tall half liter glasses and will charm you with its herbal and yeasty fragrance.

If you are craving a “Weizen” now, here are some suggestions where to get one:

  • Hesp on Weesperzijde has Hefeweizen on tap! Great! Just make sure you ask them for a proper Weihenstephan glass rather than a terribly unfitting Grolsch pint.
  • Restaurant As by the Beatrixpark has Hefeweizen in bottles and a great terrace to go with it.
  • Grungy cafe Soundgarden on Marnixstraat (do they have a web site?!?) has a dark Weihenstephan for you to enjoy on its secret terrace.
  • Then there are brown cafe Westers (no web site either!?!) on 1e C Huygensstr near the Vondelpark, Jordaan institution De Tuin on 2e Tuindwarsstraat (nope, no web site either…) and Cafe Bax on Ten Katestraat.
  • And cafe Gollem on the Spui not only has a web site and over 200 beers on offer, including Weihenstephan, but even an image of the good stuff on its home page!

Of course you can also buy a few bottles or crate. Here are two suggestions:

Prost!

Terrace at Ter Brugge

There are few good terraces for an after-work beer in Amsterdam, especially in the late summer (not to mention that we never had a summer in 2007…). Around the canals, terraces get no sunshine because of the low sun and the narrow streets and canals. And there aren’t many good places further out and about.

Hesp is a good one and favorite of mine – especially because they have Weihenstephan.

Yesterday I discovered another one: Ter Brugge on Overtoom 578. While guests at nearby and more popular Gent were sitting in the shade, Ter Brugge had great sunshine from 5pm on until late!

Google maps: Overtoom 578, Amsterdam

Weihenstephan and Charcuterie at As

The folks at As found the perfect location for their restaurant. The terrace is right on the edge of Beatrix park, both quiet and somewhat mysterious – you certainly wouldn’t expect a restaurant here. And the building is part of a former church complex which makes it creative and inspiring. Throw in the creatively designed interior, with long, simple yet stylish tables and benches.

I sat down on one of the tables for a quick break and was in for a pleasant surprise: As serves Weihenstephan, a great, smooth, slightly sweet Weiss-bier that fills your glass with a nice cloud of yeast from poured from the bottle.

I had a charcuterie platter with my Weihenstephan – just a great combination for lunch on a terrace. The platter had parma ham, lard, chorizo, salami and little lumps of meat that made me very curious. The waitress, who had explained all cold cuts in great detail, challenged me to try and guess. The flavor was that of very tender, marinated beef. But the consistency was much smoother.

Turned out they were “eendenmaag” (literally “duck stomachs”; please post a comment if you know the correct English word). I had never had them before and must say they are delicious.

The parma ham, usually the star of such a platter, was the least good: cut too think and very salty. The chorizo on the other hand was great. I often find chorizo too fat and overwhelming because of too many spices. The one at As was good and clean. I also very much liked the salami with a subtle anise flavor.

I will definitely be back for dinner – a set menu, made from ingredients found fresh on the market that same morning. Seems that more people have discovered this gem – reservations were recommended.

Google maps: Prinses Irenestraat 19, Amsterdam

Web site: www.restaurantas.nl

“As” in NY Times article “36 Hours in Amsterdam“