Tiptoe Through the Tulips…Part 3 (Beer Tastings and Brewery Tours)

In part 3 of this 4-part series, Bethany explores the different breweries and beer tastings on her Tulip Time Cruise for Beer Enthusiasts River Cruise on Avalon Waterways.

In late March and early April of 2019 I had the pleasure of sailing on my third Avalon Waterways river cruise. The Tulip Time Cruise for Beer Enthusiasts is one of many special interest cruises offered by Avalon. This cruise focuses on two different special interests that I happen to love…tulips and beer! I spent seven nights aboard the Avalon Impression, with two additional nights pre-cruise on my own in Amsterdam. This post highlights all of the different beer tastings and brewery tours throughout the cruise, including visits to local breweries and onboard beer events.

What’s On Tap: My Beer-tinerary

• Heineken Experience: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Onboard Tasting: While sailing from Rotterdam, Netherlands
  to Antwerp, Belgium
• De Koninck Brewery: Antwerp, Belgium
• Gentse Gruut Brewery: Ghent, Belgium
• Food and Beer Pairing Dinner: While sailing from Veere, Netherlands
  to Willemstad, Netherlands
• Beer and Cheese Tasting: While sailing from Willemstad, Netherlands
  to Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Poesiat & Kater Brewery: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Heineken Experience: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Before I joined the cruise I spent a few days on my own in Amsterdam. One of the places I explored in Amsterdam was the Heineken Experience. I did the VIP Tour, which included a guided tour of the brewery building, a tasting of five different beers in the Heineken portfolio in a hidden bar called Freddy’s, and a personalized gift. Consequently it was a great experience! Be sure to check out part 1 of this series for more information about my Heineken Experience tour:

Onboard Tasting: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Once onboard the Avalon Impression the first beer event was a tasting of four different beers hosted by the onboard beer expert, Dennis. Dennis was an undeniably invaluable asset on the cruise! He is a local brewer himself and is very knowledgeable about the local breweries through Netherlands and Belgium as well as the brewing process itself. He sailed onboard with us throughout the cruise and also led all onboard beer events. Dennis was always available whenever anyone had questions as well. After all of the fun on the first full day of the cruise (day 2 of the itinerary), this first tasting was held as we sailed from Rotterdam onto Antwerp.

The four different Dutch beers sampled:

1. A smoked white beer, which strangely tasted a bit like liquid ham, but was actually quite tasty!
2. A blonde ale called Hop Hop Hop, a very hop-y beer similar to an IPA but smoother
3. A wet-hopped Double IPA, very fruity with both orange and citrus notes
4. A stout called Northporter, dark and rich with heavy chocolate and coffee notes

De Koninck Brewery: Antwerp, Belgium

An optional excursion to tour the De Koninck Brewery was offered during the stop in Antwerp, Belgium (day 3 of the itinerary). This excursion included an interactive tour of the brewery and a tasting of two different beers along the way. Because the tour itself was self-guided it allowed me to wander through the brewery at my leisure and experience the many different hands-on exhibits along the way. Lastly, the tour ended in the taproom where more beer was available for purchase, along with a well-stocked gift shop.

The two different Belgian beers sampled:

A Bolleke (a Special Belgium style beer, amber-colored and clear with a slightly malty and slightly hoppy taste, 5.2% ABV) was served to start the tour, and then I proved my tapping skills during the tour to pour my own Triple D’Anvers (a Belgian Tripel style beer, golden blonde and clear with a subtle spicy and sweet taste, 8% ABV).

Gentse Gruut Brewery: Ghent, Belgium

Day 4 of the itinerary started with a morning tour of Ghent, and afterward our canal boat dropped us off at the Gentse Gruut Brewery for a beer tasting. We were led through a tasting of three beers by the brewmaster’s son, who explained the history of their brewery and how their beer is made. This beer is brewed with herbs and spices instead of hops. Each beer was unquestionably delicious! We also got a tour of the unique and quirky building in which the brewery is located. We later met the brewmaster herself, who stopped by to say hello!

The three different Belgian beers sampled:

• Gentse Gruut Wit, an aromatic and fruity white beer with an herbal aroma. 5% ABV.
• Gentse Gruut Blond, a smooth and light unfiltered blond beer. 5.5% ABV.
• Gentse Gruut Amber, an English pale ale with a peppery dryness and a hint of orange. 5.9% ABV.

Onboard Food and Beer Pairing Dinner

We spent day 5 in Middelberg and Veere, and afterwards we sailed to Willemstad. During this evening sailing I enjoyed a phenomenal food and beer pairing dinner, hosted by the onboard beer expert, Dennis. This five-course meal, plus an amuse bouche to start, featured amazing dishes paired perfectly with some fantastic beers. Dennis explained each beer as we went from course to course. As with every other dinner onboard Avalon, the food was exquisite.

The menu:

• Amuse Bouche: chicken teriyaki.
  • Paired with Maisel & Friends IPA
  • IPA style from Germany, 6.3% ABV
• Starter: grilled scallop and shrimp with Giogia beet, tahini-hummus, avocado, Sepia ink.
  • Paired with Kundmuller Weiherer Weizenbock
  • Bock-Weizenbock style from Germany, 6.8% ABV
• Soup: cream of cheese with dash of black beer, spring onions, and dark bread croutons.
  • Paired with Oldskool (Dennis’ own brewery!) Go B*ck Yourself
  • Bock-Weizenbock style from Netherlands, 8.2% ABV
  • The beer was actually served at room temperature to best pair with the hot soup.
• Intermezzo: grilled tiger prawn, lemongrass espuma with pistachio risotto. No beer pairing.
• Main Course: Osso Buco – red wine braised veal in jus, with grilled baby carrots, garden vegetables, and mascarpone polenta.
  • Paired with Horizont The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog
  • Brown Ale style from Hungary, 6% ABV
• Dessert: salty caramel cake with raspberry coulis.
  • Paired with Boon Framboise
  • Fruit Lambic style from Belgium, 5.5% ABV
  • This beer is made with 400 grams of fresh raspberries per liter!

Onboard Beer and Cheese Tasting: Willemstad, Netherlands

After a soggy morning tour in Willemstad (day 6 of the itinerary), we boarded the ship to sail from Willemstad to Amsterdam. Before lunch we were treated to one more onboard beer tasting. This one was a beer and cheese tasting, once again led by Dennis. For the third beer, Dennis is good friends with the brewer so he ad-libbed a bit and called him while we were tasting it. So the brewer explained about his beer as we were sipping it! It was brewed specially for the celebration of the birth of his first child and is made to last until his son is of legal drinking age.

The three beers tasted:

• Schumacher beer (1838 ER), paired with a Leerdammer cheese. The beer is an Altbier from Germany, 5% ABV.
• Gooische beer (Bubbel), paired with a sheep’s cheese. The beer is called Bubbel because it is made with a champagne wine yeast instead of a beer yeast and is a Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut from Netherlands, 9% ABV.
• CC beer (Walden), paired with an old gouda cheese. The beer is an Old Ale from Netherlands, 8.5% ABV.

Poesiat & Kater Brewery: Amsterdam, Netherlands

The final brewery on tap (see what I did there!) for this cruise was the Poesiat & Kater Brewery in Amsterdam (day 7 of the itinerary). After a canal cruise through Amsterdam we stopped in this small, relatively new brewery for a tour and tasting. The Poesiat & Kater brewery opened its doors in March 2017. We tasted two different beers with small bite pairings. We also had a brief tour of the small brewery and had some leisure time to relax and enjoy more beer in the pub.

The two beers tasted:

• Kaintz Modern Tripel, a slightly fruity beer paired with a farmer’s cheese on a thin slice of rye topped with fig preserves. The beer is a Belgian Tripel from Netherlands, 8% ABV
• Van Vollenhoven Extra Stout, a dark and rich beer paired with a dark and rich brownie. The beer is a Stout from Netherlands, 7.1% ABV.

Conclusion

As one of the two special interests highlighted on the cruise, the beer and brewery portion was very robust. Having a beer expert sailing with us, joining us on the brewery tours, hosting onboard beer events, and being available to answer any questions along the way is absolutely fantastic – and Dennis is a great guy to meet and know! There is a nice balance of local brewery visits and onboard beer events throughout the cruise. The variety of beers available on the tours and tastings is wonderful as well. Even the most casual of beer enthusiasts will enjoy this portion of the cruise.

Links

Click the buttons below for more information about the breweries I visited:

Click the buttons below to read parts 1 and 2 in this series:

Click the button below for more information on the 2023 Avalon Tulip Time Cruise for Beer Enthusiasts itinerary:

Note: I fully funded this trip on my own and received no compensation or any other benefits from any service providers I used along the way. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am not being compensated by any service providers.