Brewers Canal: Neat Gables and Handsome Warehouses

The rows of red shuttered windows along Brouwersgracht look like multi-occupancy cuckoo clocks. No wonder that Brouwersgracht, Brewers’ Canal, features in almost every Amsterdam brochure or guidebook.

In the 16th century, Brouwersgracht seethed with traders and reeked of fish and beer. It lay on the edge of Amsterdam’s harbour and was the major artery to link the city with the open sea. Ships returning from the Dutch East Indies unloaded their cargoes of spices, sugar, coffee and tea which were stored in the warehouses and storage depots along the canal.

Shipments of fresh water also passed through Brouwersgracht. Drinking water was fetched by barges from the relatively clean Vecht River because the Amsterdam canals were too polluted. Breweries sprang up along Brouwersgracht picking up incoming shipments of water, supplying homes and ale houses with beer. Everyone, from toddlers to grandmas, drank beer because this drink was far healthier than water and a lot cheaper than tea and coffee.

These days the breweries have gone. Warehouses still line Brouwersgracht but they have been converted into chic apartments. It is a quiet residential canal, no neon signs, no noisy cafes. The tourist crowd tramping up and down the major canals seems to pass by Brouwersgracht. The best time for a stroll is in winter or spring, when the trees bordering the canal have been stripped of their leaves, allowing uninterrupted views of neat gables and handsome warehouses.

QUICK FACTS

The converted apartments on Brouwersgracht are very popular. If you want to rent one, the cost is about €1.500 per month for 135 square metres, three rooms, open plan kitchen, south-facing balcony and great views.

What to see
Look high up at red-shuttered warehouse, especially Nos 188 – 194 are interesting. Outside pulleys are a common feature of Amsterdam houses and warehouses. Today they are still used to move furniture in and out of the city’s apartments because Dutch staircases are steep and narrow.

Amble past flower-filled houseboats moored between humpback bridges. Amsterdam has about 2500 houseboats. Many of them are converted barges. The City Council stimulates boat owners to keep these historical barges instead of replacing them by newly-built houseboats.

Where to drink
Just off Brouwersgracht, on Driehoekstraat, is De Ooievaar, (map) the last remaining distillery in this area. Jenever, Dutch gin, has been made here since 1782. Their proeflokaal, tasting house, is Admiraal at Herengracht 319 (map). Tasting houses go back to the 17th century. Wine and spirit sellers wanted to boost their sales and invited rich merchants to sample their wares, hoping to strike a deal.

Sit in The Admiraal Tasting House surrounded by authentic distillery kettles and wooden caskets. Sample jenever made of juniper berries. If you like something sweeter, try Heaven on Earth, Rose without Thorns or any of the other liqueurs.

Spices, herbs and sugar were brought to Amsterdam from the Dutch East Indies. Monks started experimenting with these new products in their never ending search for new medicines. Their concoctions tasted too bitter. When they added sugar, the elixirs became very popular and today we call them liqueurs.

How to get there
Brouwersgracht connects the Singel, Herengracht, Keizergracht and Prinsengracht and marks the northern border of the canal belt. It runs parallel to Haarlemmerstraat. Hop on tram 6, 7 or 10 to get there or walk 10 minutes from Centraal station.

photo credit: personal collection