"There is always something happening around a beer ...."

WELCOME TO THE HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE!

PROST!

 

78 degrees yesterday - sunny - what else could we do but drink cold beer?  The walk to the Heineken Brewery was a fantastic one - it took us to an area in Amsterdam we had not yet ventured.  Sure there were canals, cafes and coffeeshops along the way... but, there were DIFFERENT canals, cafes and coffeeshops.  A nice 35 minute stroll down the Prinsengracht and we were there - almost a straight shot from our apartment in the Jordaan.  Erik was proud of himself, as always, for leading us there after only glancing at Google Maps.  I am at fault for not trusting him - I fail to trust his sense of direction every time we leave the house.  That can't be a bad thing - I mean, I'm surprised on a daily basis!  And, after that surprise party a couple weeks ago, I now know, I love a surprise!

 

Being from St. Louis, I was skeptical at first.  After all, my first trip to the Anheuser Busch Brewery was less than a year ago (when the ShamRocks came to visit) and I did not want to believe the Heineken Brewery would even compare.  Well, it certainly does.  In fact, I think AB has a little to learn. 

 

The Heineken Experience is very interactive - there were tons of little ways to personalize our experience.  We could bottle a beer with our names on it, make our own Heineken commercial and ... so on.  It also featured "BREW U" - where, we were ... well, brewed.  We stood on a platform with a group of 10 or so and watched a video that took the ingrediants through the brewing process.  It was fun because it shot a bit of water out at us (just a sprinkle) and moved like a ride - we even had to hold on! Four minutes of fun.

 

The biggest difference is the tasting room.  We got a bracelet with two buttons - for two beers. The tasting room is one big party!  We were surrounded by music (Stevie Wonder's Signed Sealed Delivered ... yes, I was dancing), people singing, smiling, laughing ... it was a really happy room.  There was also a chance to pour your own Heineken but that would cost you both of your buttons.  We almost RAN to the other line (where we would get TWO beers).  

 

Heineken did fall short, however, on the horse front.  Simply put, the Clydesdales in STL are bigger and better!  I was surprised that there were Heineken horsies at all, I thought that was a AB thing - now, I'm not going to refer to them as Clydesdales.  I just can't.  So, the Heineken horsies were cute and they had nice stables.  They had names, too - like Thony and Cornelia.  But, I had to turn my nose at them - they just do not compare to the majesty of the AB Clydesdales!

 

It was a fantastic afternoon - so glad we didn't miss this one ... loved the brewery and the bier!

 

Some pictures .....

 

notice the tulips!

in bier Heaven

on my tip toes

Heineken Horsie

SUGAR loaf MOUNTAIN - so close!

Mr. Heineken wanted to create a bottle that could be used as bricks in third world countries - the bricks had to be interconnecting.  This is an example.  Great idea, but it never made it to production.

 

 



One of the ceilings was made entirely of Heineken bottles

Cheers,

Kate & Erik

4/21/11 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOON!)