"Compared to neighboring Belgium, the Netherlands isn’t exactly known as a beer powerhouse, but the big news is that the capital now has craft breweries to shout about. So skip the queues at the mammoth, more famous Heineken Experience, and head to signature local craft brewer ‘t IJ, which was raising the bar on specialty brews long before ‘small batch’ was a hipster rite of passage. Finding the venue, opened in 1985 in an old bathhouse, is child’s play: the biggest wooden windmill in the Netherlands is next door. Friday to Sunday afternoon tours of the Funenkade HQ are a snappy 20-minute crash course in the magic of malt, hops and yeast. With only 20 spots going, and no pre-booking, get to the bar early to grab tickets (a free beer is included with the entry fee). Don’t bother bringing your bachelor party though – after one too many messy experiences in the past, they’re now officially barred." - Clodagh Kinsella
.jpg)