All types of craft beer
The most popular Dutch and Belgian beer specialities at a glance. Read more about the characteristics of the different types and choose your favourite beers for your drinks menu.
Blond
Blond beer contains less hops than other beers, so it tastes a little less bitter. Delicious with strong cheeses and sweet desserts. The alcohol content usually ranges between 4% and 8%. Like its fresh taste, the light colour of blond beer suits spring and summer.
Amber
Amber beer is a top-fermented beer, fermented at 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. Its name refers to its colour: clear and amber. ‘Special B’ malt gives the beer its colour and a more intense flavour of spices or caramel. The alcohol content is between 4% and 7%.
Dubbel
A dubbel is a true Belgian classic. The term ‘dubbel’ refers to the amount of grain per litre of water used in brewing: the more grain, the more sugar and the more alcohol. Originally, dubbel was also seen as double the alcohol content of a single beer (3.5%). Dubbel is sweet with a light hop bitterness and a lovely brown colour.
Tripel
A strong, golden-blond beer with a sweet taste. As with dubbel, extra sugars are added. Tripel varies in colour between amber and blond and often contains more carbonation than pilsner. Now one of the most popular beers in the Netherlands. Tripel is a fairly heavy beer with an alcohol content of 7% to 10%. Goes well with fish and meat.
Quadrupel
As the name suggests, quadrupel contains even more grain than tripel. At around 10% alcohol, it is the strongest beer in the well-known line of abbey beers: blond, dubbel, tripel, quadrupel. The flavour is complex and often quite bitter. Quadrupels are top-fermented and bottle-conditioned, so a sediment often remains in the bottle, but it can be drunk.
India Pale Ale (IPA)
India Pale Ale comes from England and is popular worldwide. English IPA is more bitter but fruity thanks to aromas of citrus and tropical fruit. There is also American IPA, which has a stronger hop character. An IPA has a characteristic coppery colour. Alcohol content 5% to 8%.
Pale ale
A pale ale is much less pronounced than its big brother, India Pale Ale (IPA). It is a pale, top-fermented beer with a light colour and an alcohol content usually around 5%. Pale ale is soft, slightly sweet and fresh.
Weizen
Weizen is a top-fermented German wheat beer (around 5%) brewed with at least 50% wheat malt. It is characterised by its stable head and has a slightly sweet, soft flavour with aromas of clove and banana. It contains only grain, hops and water (unlike witbier).
Witbier
Witbier is based on wheat malt as well as barley malt and various spices. Thanks to the addition of citrus or orange peel, it has an exceptionally fresh taste. A typical summer beer. It is unfiltered, so it remains slightly cloudy. Alcohol content around 5%–6%.
Saison
Saison is a spicy, hoppy beer with a fresh character. Herbs or spices such as ginger or coriander are often added, giving it a special, distinctive flavour. Saison is blond or amber, with an alcohol content of 5% to 6.5%.
Fruit beer
Fruit beers have a sweet, fresh taste in which the fruit extract is clearly recognisable. Fruit or fruit juices are added just before fermentation. The bitter hop or sour flavour is less pronounced than in other beers. Alcohol content of about 5%.
Alcohol-free craft beer
Alcohol-free craft beers are growing fast: more and more are available in an alcohol-free version, and the taste keeps improving. Alcohol-free beer produced in the Netherlands may contain up to 0.1% alcohol. Malt beer from abroad may contain more.
Brown beer
There are different kinds of brown beer. Dutch brown beer is a bottom-fermented beer with a low alcohol content (oud bruin) and a sweet taste. English brown ale is also sweet, often with notes of chocolate and coffee. American brown ales are hoppier, more bitter and drier. The alcohol content ranges from 2.5% to 37.5%.
Bock
Bock beer is a well-known seasonal beer, available as autumn bock and spring bock. Autumn bock has a full, creamy flavour with notes of caramel and clove. The lighter spring bock is increasingly popular too; it has a malty, caramel flavour.
Stout
Stout is characterised by its dark brown to black colour and roasted, bitter taste. There are many types of stout, both top- and bottom-fermented. Stout is brewed with burnt or roasted malt. Stouts have an alcohol content of 7%–8%.
