Representing American Craft Beer to Amsterdam
September 16, 2014 8:28 AM   Subscribe

What American beers should I bring to Amsterdam to trade with a beer enthusiast?

I have not met this person. My mom found this shop that's apparently just crammed full of various mostly European beers when she was in Amsterdam about a year ago. She talked with him (and brought back some Westvletern 12!) and he mentioned that he would have happily traded for American craft beer had she brought any. He specifically mentioned Dogfish Head.

Well, I'll be going to Amsterdam in October and I'd like to trade beer with this man. I intend to bring however much I legally can. I'll definitely bring Dogfish Head because he asked for it. I live in Fort Worth, TX, so I'll bring some local stuff.

How do I decide what else to bring? What would be on your list of American craft beers that would be interesting to a European beer aficionado? I have my own ideas of course, but I'm looking for other ideas and perspectives.

I do have a question about one specific beer though: Shiner? Would its significance as a localized staple be of interest to a European? I know it's just not on the same level as much of the craft beer being produced in this country now but hey, Americans like Stella Artois.
posted by cmoj to Food & Drink (24 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Shiner basically makes very good lagers, Wild Hare Ale being the only non-lager they make. Shiner Bock is the de facto "Shiner", so that's probably the one to bring. If you want to represent American Lagers, it's a decent choice. I do like Shiner Kosmos better.

If he's interested in Dogfish Head you might consider some other good IPAs. Ethos IPA (Tallgrass Brewery, Manhattan KS), Fresh Squeezed IPA (Deschutes, Bend OR), Red's RyePA (Founders, Grand Rapids MI), West Coast IPA (Green Flash, San Diego CA), or Sculpin IPA (another San Diego brewery whose name escapes me) come to mind.

In addition to Dogfish Head, the gold standard for IPAs is Russian River Brewery's Pliny the Elder. It will be almost impossible for you to acquire, but holy crap is it good.

For a different palette, Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown NY specializes in Belgian beers, and many of them I prefer over their Belgian inspirations. My favorites are Hennepin and Gnomegang.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:38 AM on September 16, 2014


American Wild Ale is a somewhat new American style influenced by Belgian lambics.
posted by goethean at 8:44 AM on September 16, 2014


Bringing a bottle of shiner wouldn't be bad, but I wouldn't stock up on their product line. Local to Texas, I'd suggest some Adelberts, Jester King, and St. Arnold. I also like Independence.
posted by lownote at 9:06 AM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Amsterdam, really, is the best place in Europe to acquire nice American beers - from the excellent selection on tap at the Beer Temple that is better than you'd be able to find in many American cities to good choices of beer at De Bierkoning. That said you'd be likely to find maximum interest in beers from the Russian River Brewery or Rogue Ales.

When you stop by I'm sure the meetup community would love to hear from you!
posted by Blasdelb at 9:07 AM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I just sent a friend from the Netherlands home to her Dad with a bunch of different west-coast-style IPAs and Red Ales, as he is a beer aficionado but had never really had those. I'm not sure what the availability of that style is in Texas, but according to my friend they weren't really available in Holland.
posted by brainmouse at 9:11 AM on September 16, 2014


Anything from Three Floyds. Specifically, they're about to stop bottling the excellent Pride & Joy, so that'd be something exciting for the receiver to hold on to for a moment.
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:15 AM on September 16, 2014


Definitely bring a selection of west-coast style IPAs -- I just brought my French BIL some Sculpin (from Ballast Point) and a Stone Enjoy-By IPA (which you may not be able to find in TX, but you should be able to find other Stones pretty easily), and he was very grateful -- hoppy beers are hard to find in Europe.

Maybe some stouts, especially barrel aged? I didn't see many of those when I was in France.

Is there anyway you can get in touch with him before you leave to see what else he has trouble getting his hands on?
posted by natabat at 9:25 AM on September 16, 2014


Shiner Bock is pretty much equivalent to Bud. It's not craft beer, and even its makers would never claim it is. It's thin, light American lager, the antithesis of craft beer. If you like it, though, please keep drinking it and enjoying it (vive la difference of opinion!). I'm not trying to shame you or others, or to be a snob.

I'd suggest you head down to Total Wine (5200 S Hulen St, Fort Worth; (817) 292-2503). Look for the salesman with the shaved head and glasses, and ask for his help. If you can't find that guy, anyone will do.

The Texas brewery most worth inclusion is Jester King, from Austin. Almost everything they make is great, but here's a list of their highest rated beers, in descending order (not all of them are available all the time). Other than Jester King, I'd opt for beers from elsewhere.

You should include some beer from Russian River, Hair of the Dog, Firestone Walker, Hill Farmstead (if available down there), maybe Great Lakes, and Hottenroth from The Bruery. Minimize the IPAs...they are popular here, and he should try one or two, but being unaccustomed to American IPAs, he may find them bitterly unpalatable. You should be able to find "Le Freak" from Green Flash; that's the one that would probably appeal to him most (it's an American/Euro hybrid style, and very influential/imitated).

Your Dutch guy is not wrong to mention Dogfish Head, but you can do better with brewers he's not heard of. If you feel really obligated to bring Dogfish, get the Palo Santo and/or 90 Minute IPA.

One final thing: none of these beers must be subjected to sunlight (or any other bright light) at any time in the shopping/transporting/packing process. Light interacts with an enzyme in the hops and ruins the flavor. Be really careful about this. Shiner Bock hardly has any hops in it, so it's not such a big deal. But these beers can be killed.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:37 AM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


Instead of a Dogfish Head IPA, consider instead their Indian Head Brown. It's a brown ale, but nothing like Newcastle.

Since they're out and I don't think they're brewed in the UK/EU, how about a pumpkin ale? Pumpking from Southern Tier (NY, may not be available in TX) is available right now.

And since he's in Heineken country, perhaps a Victory Prima Pils to show him what a pilsener can taste like when hops are introduced into the kettle.
posted by tommasz at 9:53 AM on September 16, 2014


If you're in Ft. Worth, you may be able to find some stuff by Lakewood Brewing Co. everything they make is good, but I especially love The Temptress Imperial Milk Stout.
posted by Shohn at 10:05 AM on September 16, 2014


It's obviously wildly subjective, but I just had a Japanese beer fan who has been away from the States for a while over for drinks, and the "holy shit, that's good" moments were with Green Flash's West Coast IPA, Bell's Two Hearted Ale and Lagunitas IPA.

For better or worse, American craft beer is just pulling out of the "craft beer = overly hopped" period, and these are the best of that era, IMO.

Since he likes Dogfish, you may want to see if any liquor stores near you stock or can order some of their seasonal or one-off beers.
posted by ryanshepard at 10:09 AM on September 16, 2014


there's like a million craft beers now, but the oldest and the best is still ANCHOR STEAM!
posted by bruce at 10:38 AM on September 16, 2014


In my opinion Deep Ellum Brewing's IPA is better than any of the West Coast style IPAs I have had. By a long shot. Also, local. (It has a massive hop load, but it's mainly after boil so there is very little bitterness and the brewmaster has chosen a hop set that is heavy on stone fruit flavors over that piney California bullshit.)
Jester King is a maybe. They try so hard and should be commended but . . . I'm not sure a TX made farmhouse ale is going to play over there like it does with the mustachioed set down here. But, hey, take a bottle of their Black Metal. See what he says.
posted by Seamus at 10:50 AM on September 16, 2014


Also, I think Upslope may be the best brewer in the country right now. Nothing gimicky (well, not until they put out the Thai Spice White Ale. WTF?) but their Pale Ale is the shit. An American brewer that can make a balanced beer? Whodathunkit. They are a CO brewer but they are readily available down here in Austin and have been for a year or so, so they must be FtW.
posted by Seamus at 10:53 AM on September 16, 2014


You are getting lots of good suggestions for good beer but for a novelty item you might include a bottle of Lone Star. It is after all the "National" beer of Texas. The European might get a kick out of the branding.
posted by mmascolino at 10:53 AM on September 16, 2014


Best answer: We have a well-developed American beer scene here in Amsterdam, so my suggestion would be to play to the gallery and go for something really special.

For instance, of the beers mentioned upthread, Anchor Steam is readily available at a number of bars and so unlikely to surprise. On the other hand, Jester King made it to the legendary Borefts Beer Festival a couple of years ago and impressed us all with some very memorable brews, so something new or rare from them might go down well. Russian imperial stouts are becoming quite popular (particularly with chocolate brownies at the Beer Temple) so maybe pack at least one of those. And of course bring one or two of your splendid IPA's, because we're used to strong flavours in our beers around here.

Your friend's shop. It wouldn't by any chance happen to be De Bierkoning, would it?
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 11:19 AM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


There are just so, so many off the mark suggestions in here. Of the breweries that actually distribute in your state (Hill Farmstead? WTF?) and ignoring the whole 'American craft beer is unbalanced!' nonsense that gets thrown around MeFi, here's the most interesting stuff you could reasonably find and bring with you;

Jester King
Prairie
St Arnold
Karbach
(512)
Freetail

For the local love, I'm assuming Rahr & Sons?

Also consider grabbing some pumpkin beers for the novelty of it, since it's not really a flavor/style that's done by new-wave craft brewers in Europe. Punkin', Pumking, Warlock, Pumkinator. Errr, only Pumkinator is available out Texas way I believe... Avery Rumpkin maybe?
posted by nulledge at 11:27 AM on September 16, 2014


Bell's Two Hearted because it is the Best Beer In The World.

And maybe some Stone Arrogant Bastard because it's second place.
posted by General Malaise at 12:14 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I live in the Netherlands and I also love US craft beer. You can bring 16 litres of beer into the EU. Yup.

Step 1. As others said make sure you choose beers not available here. I find BeerTemple's range a bit weird, but they're not the only game in town.

Step 2. I don't know Texas brewers that well (seemed I could only get Shiner when I visited Austin!) but Victory, Rogue, Abita, are not available here (Rogue is in the UK) so they could be good choices. 21st Amendment in SF - had a great conversation with the owner recently, all their beers are great. If you happen to stop via London, the Rake/Utobeer have a great relationship with US brewers and you could buy stuff there and bring it on a shorter hop.

Step 3. Stay away from Tripels, Quads, Saisons, anything Belgian style, or German. Plenty of that here :) Seconding stout. Rogue Double Chocolate Stout is one of the greatest things ever.

Edit: seconding Stone Arrogant Bastard (the oaked though, amazing) and Rogue Dead Guy.

Yes to the Shiner. You don't get that style here much.
posted by wingless_angel at 12:14 PM on September 16, 2014


Best answer: If it's the Bierkoning, then be aware that it has a world-class beer selection, and they already stock a good number of American craft beers. It's not just a beer enthusiast, it's a guy who's been running one of the best beer shops in the world for almost 30 years.

As someone in Amsterdam who likes beer, what would I like?

1. The creme de la creme. Those that have strong reputations, but are hard to get hold of. The Bierkoning does a great job getting things, but not much actually gets across the pond.

2. Creativity. Beers that aren't necessarily brewed to style, but sit in between, or even off the map.

3. Brewing excellence. Contrary to wingless_angel's comment, US versions of outre European styles could also be good, eg, lambieks, saisons, quads, etc. Maybe even a Kolsch. Yes, we have the real ones, but american IPAs and stouts are pretty cliche by now. Good clones of Belgian styles would be great representations of the state of american beer. Especially if they're better.

4. Unknown pleasures. Local beer brewed by some inspired madmen that no-one outside the state has any clue about.
posted by daveje at 12:52 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I appreciate and am considering the input from all of the answers here.

The comments from people in or with direct experience relating to someone from the Netherlands are, by definition I feel, the ones that I'm marking as best answers.

I'm still listening though!
posted by cmoj at 2:30 PM on September 16, 2014


If you can get it, find Hangar 24's Double IPA. West Coast IPA that's comparable to Pliny.

But I agree with the recommendations to branch out. Bring a red or something that's not the prototypical hop bomb.
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:50 PM on September 16, 2014


Best answer: I live in the Netherlands, and my spouse and I are very into craft beers. It is true that you can get most of the big-name American craft beers in Amsterdam, at De Bierkoning, Beertemple, Bar Brouw, and In De Wildeman. Some of the beers that we try to pick up while in the US are:

* Anything from Russian River, but especially fresh Pliny the Elder - if you can find it here, it's usually many months old
* Pretty much anything from Oskar Blues, Dry Dock, or Green Flash
* Left Hand Milk Stout - I used to get this at In De Wildeman but I think I heard that Left Hand isn't exporting to Europe anymore
* Alaskan Brewing Company Smoked Porter - De Bierkoning usually has this but it's very expensive
* COOP F5 (from Oklahoma)
* Lagunitas beers - I haven't seen them here and I know people on my Untappd list go crazy for them, especially Lagunitas Sucks

By the way, I wouldn't worry very much about going over the limit on bringing in alcohol. I've been travelling between the NL and the US several times per year for almost a decade and I've never once been pulled aside by customs at Schiphol. Worst case scenario is that you have to pay some fees for the extra.
posted by neushoorn at 12:56 AM on September 17, 2014 [1 favorite]


nthing the above best answers, daveje in particular. My caveats are that I haven't been in Amsterdam in a year (Hi, Benelux mefites!), and that I rarely went into De Bierkoning because it was So Many Temptations!

I lived in NL until a year ago and used to move a little bit of beer back & forth to the US. I know that at one point I took some Ithaca Brewing Co. bottles, and some Three Heads (Rochester, NY), and some of my friends' homebrew. One of those was a maple porter, which is the sort of flavor/style not likely to be seen there.

I thought BeerTemple got Green Flash? I also feel like I saw Three Floyds and/or Clown Shoes there, which surprised me.
posted by knile at 10:06 PM on September 21, 2014


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