Beer in the Netherlands updated

Tim Skelton’s Beer in the Netherlands, the essential English language guide to one of the most interesting and dynamic beer scenes in the world, is now in its second edition — with a little input from me as I edited the text.

The growth of Dutch craft brewing in recent years has been spectacular: from a mere 40 breweries in 2002, the country now boasts around 350. More importantly, between them they offer a dazzling range of styles to equal any in the world — astonishingly for an industry which not so long ago was known only for producing lakes of indifferent pale lager and perhaps a bokbier or two in the autumn.

Tim’s comprehensive new guide provides personal reviews not only of all those breweries but the same number again of beer companies without brewhouses, with notes on thousands of beers and more than 550 specialist cafés and take home suppliers. It covers the scene from Aachen to Zwolle and many off-the-beaten-track places between. Like its predecessor, it should become the trusted companion of many a beer explorer, including visitors from the UK taking advantage of the new direct Eurostar connection.

British-born Dutchman Tim has lived in the Netherlands since 1989 and become an award-winning beer and travel writer and global expert on Dutch beer culture. He’s also the author of Around Amsterdam in 80 Beers (Cogan & Mater) and Luxembourg: The Bradt Guide (Bradt Travel Guides).

I’m particularly delighted to have been involved in this project as Tim’s book is part of a family that I like to think includes my own London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars. Our common spiritual ancestor is Tim Webb’s benchmark Good Beer Guide Belgium, first published in 1992 and now co-compiled with Joe Stange, which I regard as an exemplary work and was the model for my book. The Belgian guide began by covering the Netherlands too, but as the beer scene in both countries grew beyond the confines of a single volume, Tim W concentrated on Belgium, while Tim S, who had contributed to Tim W’s guide, developed a new work covering the northern neighbour.

You can buy copies of the latest Beer in the Netherlands at Beer Inn-Print.