Latest reviews from Alkmaar

“Great spot in the heart of Alkmaar, a 10-minute walk from both the train station and from The Scrapyard. This place has a very Belgian-style taplist with 20+ taps. 0.15L pours of all beers available and staff are happy to give generous free tastes. My 0.15L pour was €3. Pretty typical European pub, done up nicely enough. Service is friendly enough and chill. Worth a stop when in Alkmaar.“

mcberko 350 days ago

“Alkmaar is a 37-minute train ride from Amsterdam Centraal and is well worth the effort to visit due to this place and Alkmaars Bierhuis. This is the highlight of Alkmaar though. It’s Moersleutel’s bar, featuring an impeccable taplist of 20+ taps, with tons of imperial stouts and other big beers, including some guest taps. 0.15L pours of everything available, and staff are happy to pour free generous tastes. Their beers are massive, so prepare your liver accordingly. Beer quality is very high. Service is pleasant and chill, not pressuring you at all and happy to leave you be. Wonderful spot, just an easy 10-minute walk from the train station. Highly recommended.“

mcberko 350 days ago

“Visited on a rainy Thursday afternoon and some times after that. Really cozy lunchroom / bar with lots of wood and decorations. Lots of outside light due to the windows on 2 sides. Lots of plants as well. Bar is located in the back, some stools at the bar, all the other seating are wooden tables and chairs. Nice 60's and 70's rock and soul music playing. They have around 70-80 beers, no big surprises here but they stock the full range of (available) Zeglis beers and serve as a taproom for them. All decent to good brews. They serve snacks and a meal too, didn't try any except for the bitterballen. Love these kind of places, so I'll be back soon“

Borresteijn 966 days ago

“Visited with wife and kids for a lunch on a weekday. Centrally located in Alkmaar, next to the 'Big Church'. Sat outside on their small but cozy patio. Inside is relatively basic and bare, but cozy enough. Had some great lunch here, menu is small but of great quality, had some really excellent food with a Middle-Eastern/North-African touch, for decent prices. Beer selection is small but out of the ordinary, with rotating taps and bottle selection. They now have a beer made by De Moersleutel for their anniversary. Service was very efficient and friendly. Will definitely visit again.“

Borresteijn 966 days ago

“Decor is as advertised. Eclectic large outdoor area with containers and table built from pallets. But what makes this place outstanding are the large number of big dark beers on tap in 15 cl glasses. One can sample a few fabulous 12+% BA stouts and walk away. Can also buy cans for take away. Near to train station. A must visit from Amsterdam“

Gerbeer 986 days ago

“Visited on a Friday afternoon. First passed by on my way to Bierwinkel Alkmaar, but a bottle of Schlenkerla caught my eye, so returned later. Large liquor store with a huge selection of craft beer, both classic and modern stuff. Delighted to find stuff like Saison de Dottignies besides Moersleutel and Firestone Walker beers. Prices are good, slightly below that of it's colleague around the corner, although Bierwinkel Alkmaar focuses more on Untapp'd customers. Great service, chatty owners. Will definitely return here.“

Borresteijn 1140 days ago

“Nice little beer shop with a focus on local and modern beers. Lots of cans, some hyped stuff but it means the owner is on top of beer trends. Great selection of beers, decent prices, went home with a lot more than I planned, and will certainly return here.“

Borresteijn 1291 days ago

“Visited September 2019.“

fonefan 1312 days ago

“Visited September 2019.“

fonefan 1312 days ago

“Interesting. Wide range of beers from around the world. Regularly change of assortment.“

franclh 1336 days ago

“Cosy, staff knows about beer. Mostly local beers. (8-2020).“

franclh 1336 days ago

“Nice locatio, interesting new beers on tap, connected to national beer museum. Service is good. (29-8-2020).“

franclh 1336 days ago

“Visited on a friday evening. Sunny weather so most people took place outside on the big terrain. I wanted to sit close to the 'bar' though. Big rough warehouse/industrial environment fitting the Moersleutel name. Solid tap menu of Moer and Frontaal beers, as well as some international guests. Guys on call tonight were very friendly, constantly chatting and joking around. Overall I had a great evening here.“

tricksta_p 1371 days ago

“Visited on a sunny friday afternoon. Pretty dark wooden interior. Sat at the bar in order to have a chat with the owner. We talked of Eastern European beers from Estonia and Russia mostly, which dominated his fridge. Taps were a bit unremarkable, but I did find a nice Pühaste. Overall a nice bar that I would revisit if Alkmaar wasn't such a long way for me. Friendly service.“

tricksta_p 1371 days ago

“Easy reachable by car and train. Large parking nearby. Nice industrial look. Large outside sitting area. 20 Taps, mostly Moersleutel beers at this time, but also some others including harder to find Lambiek Fabriek jonge Lambiek, La Calavera Valvu Line and a Kinnegar IPA. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Prices are ok. Nice place to relax and have some good beers.“

EvNa 1381 days ago

“Visited on a Thursday evening. They'd just moved inside the warehouse with the bar, so unfortunately not all taps were pouring beers yet. Located close to the train station and not far from central Alkmaar. The inside location wasn't very cosy yet, the outside location looked nice. It really is a scrapyard of sorts. Beer selection is great if you like Moersleutel, obviously, but they also stock some nice guest beers and loads of cans. Prices are high, can't say that the more or less standard price of €6.20 for 15cl of your own beers is cheap. Nevertheless, certainly worth a visit.“

Borresteijn 1621 days ago

“Visited September 2019. Nice walk ( if it wasn't raining ) and not far from the train station.. placed in a ware house. Cosy atmosphere and super friendly service. Lots of seatings. Nice selection of beers, guest taps as well.. for sure worth a visit and a revisit as well...“

Brugmansia 1671 days ago

“Visited on a rainy day September 2019. Short walk from the station ( seemed longer since raining). Cosy mix of a cafe and a bar.. not the largest selection of beers. Very cosy atmosphere, super friendly staff and a very hard sleeping cat. Nice pitstop for a beer and a coffee..“

Brugmansia 1671 days ago

“Lovely place. About 20 taps and 10+ cans/bottles. About a 1/4 of the taps are from De Moersleutel. Free wifi. Very friendly service. Great beer selection. Prices vary from 3 to 5 Euros a glass. Friendly knowledgable bar man. You can sit inside or outside. Please note, there's no heating here so it's likely to be closed during the winter. As long as it's a success, it will reopen in the spring so please don't mark it as closed down if you try and visit during the winter months. Cheers!“

deanso 1721 days ago

“Nice cosy place with lots of different beers. Friendly knowledgable owner. I didn't have much time so I went straight for the local beers. Prices for the local stuff were around 2.75, each hand written on a label hanging from the bottle, nice touch.“

deanso 1721 days ago

“Wonderful hopshop in Alkmaar. The best assortment of exclusive and local beers in noord holland. Honest prices and always a good advice.“

Eerenvelt 1780 days ago

“Nice shop on the edge of the historic city center of Alkmaar. Very friendly owner, knowing the stuff he sells. The beers are assorted in wooden crates alongside the walls of the shop. Information about the beer and the price is handwritten on an cardboard label, attached on each bottle separately and handwritten by the mother of the owner. Great! Very good assortment, varying from local beers to bottles of Alesmith, Jester King, Cascade and some Geuzes (De Cam, Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen). I found some interesting new stuff over here. Prices are good. Only downside maybe is that the shop is located in a pedestrian area and there is not much parking space available nearby. I parked in the Singelgarage and I was glad to be back at the car with my box full of bottles… Definitely worth a visit when you're in the area.“

EvNa 1785 days ago

“Just arround the corner of McDonald's walk you see an the Alkmaar Tower advertisement sign then you reach the shop. Good in locals and interesting other beers. Owner is knowledgeable and passionate. Not much room in mine backpack for more but there is an web shop.“

goozen 1792 days ago

“Great addition to the Alkmaar (and North Holland) beer scene. Just around the corner from t'Hekeltje and 5 minutes from De Boom so a must visit for beer lovers when in Alkmaar. Ludo knows his beer and can give great advice on what to buy. I always replenish stocks on my frequent visits to Alkmaar. I look forward to my beer chats with Ludo and more importantly to his latest beer recommendations.“

DPBeer 2278 days ago

“Small cosy bruin cafe with pool table in the back. Small selection of beers but a few locals on bottle and Dutch craft on tap. At least this place is not completely cluttered with Belgian standards. Friendly service and decent prices. Not an alternative rock bar anymore though, music was more mainstream stuff.“

Maakun 2517 days ago

“Big bruin cafe with lots of seating outside too. Basically what the earlier reviews say, though I thought the selection was quite decent. About 8 taps with some locals on, big list of classic Belgians from bottle with a few local and US beers too. Nothing to go out of the way for, but decent enough beers here.“

Maakun 2517 days ago

“Long and narrow bar with al lot of taps, i tought 17. Fridges full of beer. The guy behind the bar know what he was doing.“

goozen 2517 days ago

“Nice and cozy small bar on an even small street beside an small canal. 6 taps with some special beer on it, often rotating beer menu.“

goozen 2517 days ago

“Weird place to be on ratebeer. Serves maybe 3 beers, one of them a local one on tap which in this case was indeed a brand new beer from a brand new brewery. But otherwise it’s just a pancake / pizza restaurant so I don’t really know why it’s on here. Good food though, albeit a bit expensive.“

Benzai 2517 days ago

“Restaurant / café near the church. Surprising selection when I visited: hardly anything from local breweries, but mostly stuff I did not expect to find here, like Kona Big Wave and a couple of Imperial Stouts / Porters. Nice surprise! Food was nice and prices are ok. Worth a visit.“

Benzai 2517 days ago

“Visited shortly during a weekend trip to Alkmaar. ABT bar so at least every month there’s a brand new beer on tap. Quite cozy and decent service, funny pontoon that you can sit on outside. Ok place, fun to visit once, but not a very wide selection.“

Benzai 2517 days ago

“Solid place in Alkmaar centre. Went there for a quick beer and found exactly one new beer. A lot of wood gives the place a dark, old brown pub interior. Nothing too special but worth a short stop.“

Benzai 2517 days ago

“Visited on a Friday afternoon, I think almost 22 years after my last visit here. It’s been here for a long long time, and not much has changed by the look of it. Used to be an alternative/rock bar, not sure how it is now. Located in a small alley in the old part of town. Sat outside alongside the small backwater canal. Place has a small patio with a few tables and chairs. Inside is like Fin said dark and narrow at first, opening up at the back, where there’s a pool table. Service was friendly and efficient but didn’t know much about the beers. Not much to choose from though, only 4 or 6 taps, just a few bottles but found 6 local ticks among them. The choices change often, so I’ve heard. Certainly a nice bar to visit, not much of a beer place though.“

Borresteijn 2524 days ago

“This place juist moved from De Koorstraat to the current address 3 months ago. Large place with a long bar on the left, 17 tap lines, 2 fridges full of beer. Focused on good Dutch and Belgian craft, quite a few local beers (1573, Zeglis, Uiltje). Tables and chairs wouldn’t be my first choice (rotan). Good service, attentive owner. Small patio in front of the bar. They’ve had an upgrade, that’s for sure, but lacks a bit of finishing touches.“

Borresteijn 2526 days ago

“Visited on a saturday afternoon. Old livingroom style restaurant, hipster vibe. Couple of taps with Weihenstephaner and Arrogant Bastard on, small bottle list of about 10 to 15 giving a reasonable choice with some micro and local. Food was ok, although the burger was slight dry. Not expensive though, decent price/quality. Friendly service that took plenty of time for us, even though all tables were taken. Good ambiance. Would recommend.“

caesar 2664 days ago

“Excellent beer store in my old home town of Alkmaar. Great well-aranged selection, good service, owner orders whatever he’s interested in, instead of following a protocol, which is nice. Huge selection of beers from the Noord Holland province!“

DutchCrow 2731 days ago

“Echt een aanrader om even binnen te vallen. Lekker eten en lekker drinken. Niet heel veel keuze in de bieren, maar wat ze hebben is wel goed. En verschillende stylen, dus je komt zeker aan je trekken.“

Jonge_Opa 2751 days ago

“Leuk biercafé in het centrum van Alkmaar. Niet heel ruim. Mooi assortiment met steeds nieuwe bieren. Tegenwoordig ook meer Nederlandse en anders dan Belgische bieren. Personeel is erg vriendelijk en helpt graag en goed met adviseren van je volgende biertje“

Jonge_Opa 2751 days ago

“

The last stop on our day jaunt around Alkmaar before our cycle back to Petten was De Kleine Deugniet. I’d seen this place earlier in the day and then when at ’t Kooltuintje the barman suggested that we go here. De Kleine Deugniet is really easy to find, if you can see the big church in town (it’s difficult to miss) then this sits just below it on Koorstraat.

De Kleine Deugniet is a small bar, quite narrow with the bar running all down the RH side and a few small tables and stools to this side of it, with a couple more (all taken today) out the front. It’s a simple down to earth place, behind the bar seemed all glass, mirrors and glasses and the remainder of the decor was quite functional a few posters here and there beer list on Wall on the LH side as you enter.

The beer choice was good, almost entirely Belgian as I could see but to be fair I think it describes itself as a Belgian style Beer Café so I wasn’t expecting a large range of new Dutch Craft offerings. We had a Paix Deux and a Viven Imperial IPA, both beers that we’d had before but it’s nice to revisit them from time to time. The barman was chatty and helpful with his suggestions and advice, and the bar had a happy friendly vibe, in fact that goes for pretty much everywhere we’ve been to today in Alkmaar. I rather liked this place and it would definitely merit a revisit on a return trip to Alkmaar.

“

Fin 2765 days ago

“

We popped into here on Wednesday 28th September 2016, it is quite centrally located just off of Laat on Ridderstraat, there is a McDonald’s on the corner of those two streets, once you clock this it’s just a few doors along on the same side. This was our penultimate stop before cycling back off to Petten.

I guess that you would describe this as small to mid sized by most specialists beers shop sizes, it’s rectangular but opens out a little at the rear. The beers are lovingly displayed utilising wooden crates placed on top of each other and with a hand written label placed over the neck of each bottle.

Most of the available wall space is used here and there is a very large selection. I didn’t pay enough attention to the beer layout other than I seem to recall that most of the Dutch beers were located towards the front end of the store leading up to the serving area which is on the LH side further back into the store. There was a foreign selection at the rear with the likes of Bevog from Austria, Edge and La Pirata from Spain and then of course a good sprinkling of Scandinavian beers.

We got chatting to Ludo the owner who was such a lovely chap, he took our photo as I was wearing a Beavertown shirt and I think he was quite a fan of their beers. Ludo had a UK accent, he was born in the Netherlands but then moved to Northamptonshire and West Yorkshire at an early age before coming back to the Netherlands so his accent was undeniably a British accent to our ears. We chatted for some time about beers and new breweries to look out for in the UK and in the Netherlands and Ludo recommended one or two Dutch beers to me, one brewery (Brouwerij De Moersleutel) of which I had already picked up a couple of beers from in an off licence in Bergen earlier in the day. I have to say we really liked this beer store, the choice was great the owner really engaging and very friendly and the layout was very good also.

“

Fin 2765 days ago

“

We visited this on Tuesday 27th September 2016 en route from Heerjansdam to Petten. We’d needed to stock up at the Albert Heijn which is in the same complex but noticed this had a particularly good bottle selection for a Gall and Gall, so picked up 4-5 bottles whilst here. This is located on the south-west edge of town just off of the N9. About 7 o’clock if you viewed Alkmaar and the ring road as a clock face.

The beers are all situated on the LH wall as soon as you enter the shop. Selection wise you have all of the usual Belgian suspects but there were a few I’d not seen such as the Gulden Draak Brewmaster. There was also a couple of American beers and Brewdog nothing unusual Flying Dog and Brewdog stuff was core range. On the far right of the shelving I spotted a number of Dutch beers that I was unfamiliar with, on checking Rate Beer I noticed that these were from breweries quite local to the area. There was also a large bin/bucket of different Boks near the counter with Brouwerij Ij, De Prael, Jopen and others here. Prices were very reasonable indeed. “

Fin 2766 days ago

“

We visited Proeflokaal De Boom on Wednesday 28th September 2016, we’d cycled down to Alkmaar from Petten on the coast, so about 12-13 miles and had just visited the excellent ’t Kooltuintje whose barman told us about this place.

De Boom is another bar situated by a canal in Alkmaar, it’s also on the corner of Peperstraat and by the bridge, it’s quite centrally located. The stretch of water here is much wider than what sits out the front of ’t Kooltuintje, in fact this place even has a floating pontoon on the water where you can sit and have a beer or there are tables and leaners by the building itself, we sat at one of those. We met a chap called Bryan who was from Ossett West Yorkshire, he’d also been to Borefts Beer Festival and like us was just visiting other places before flying back to the UK.

This was an ABT bar so it holds a decent beer selection, and like the others carries their beer of the month which we’d already had in Gouda, however we settled for a couple of beers from the local area selection. Inside it was a really nice with high ceilings and a lovely terrazzo floor. There were tables in the front section and up a single step to the rear part (though it was all just one large room). Empty bottles on display all around the edge, and at the rear a chalkboard on the back wall displayed a good list of what beers were available. There were a few additional details here and there about other new beers, for example the new Alkmaar Brewery Brouwerij Zeglis . The toilets were off to the RH side. I also noted that it had a beer museum upstairs, though never ventured up here. We remained outside people watching, it was really quite busy and yet one serving lady and one barman managed to keep on top of things, this despite much Amstel being consumed by a large group of late middle aged chaps. Another very good bar here in Alkmaar.

“

Fin 2767 days ago

“

We visited this wonderful little brown Café on Wednesday 28th September 2016. It is located in an older part of town and sits on a lovely little cobbled street alongside a little backwater. Whilst it remains fairly central I guess that it is just to the east of the main part of the town centre. There are one or tables and chairs out the front and so we sat outside, the weather was glorious, warm late September sunshine and mostly blue skies.

There wasn’t a huge tap selection, however there was some interesting stuff like Kees Grapefruit IPA, Oedipus/Uprising Donuts, Erics High Tea etc. I never even checked the bottled beer list but did see details on the front window about a new Alkmaar Brewery called Brouwerij Zeglis so we had the only beer that they currently brew which was in bottle and very nice it was too. We stayed for a couple of beers here.

Inside it is quite narrow and quite dark, I liked it. It seems to go back quite a long way. The bar is on the RH side as you enter, toilets off to the LH side and a pool table at the back. There were just 3-4 others here, but they and the barman were having a good laugh, it was nice to hear people really laughing out loud. The barman was playing a great selection of music (but not too loud as to be intrusive) it was mostly Funk and Soul, some very good tracks though. If I lived in Alkmaar this would definitely be my local, we both really liked this bar it had a very down to other feel about it and the barman was really friendly offering recommendations and drawing me a map of other places to visit.“

Fin 2767 days ago

“A nice combination of a dive bar and a brown cafe. Great location near a quiet canal in the historic center of Alkmaar. A pretty decent beer selection where you can find at least one special beer you’ve probably not had...“

ads135 2826 days ago

“This place deserves a higher rating than it has. There aren’t many beer stores in the Netherlands that are as good (and even fewer in Noord Holland). A really good selection of regional beers, even some from breweries south of the IJ. Also good selection of Belgians and a few other countries. Really nice owner.“

ads135 2826 days ago

“Relatively small, neatly organized and appealing beer store close to the Stadsslijterij in the centre. Quite an interesting selection of Dutch micros including many locals like De Moersleutel, Bierderie, Heyloo etc., Belgians (not only standards you’ll find everywhere), Spanish, Italian, Austrian, American and some others. Although the quantity is not that high, the selection contains some really interesting and hard to find beers. The prices were reasonable, and the owner seems to be very passionate about beer, likes to talk about it and can give great advice. Make sure to stop by if in town!“

Zlotta 2881 days ago