Amsterdam to Bruges Beer Vacation Cruise 2023

Join us onboard for a welcome drink after unpacking and settling in. Then it’s time to see the real Amsterdam during our private guided walking tour of this one of a kind city. As we wind our way through various parts of town we’ll learn about the history, stories and sights of “A’dam” and finally end up at our first brewery of the week, Brouwerij Homeland, winner of 4 metals (2 gold & 2 Silver) during the 2022 Dutch Beer Challenge. Following our visit here for a tour and tasting, we head back to the barge for our welcome aboard dinner.

After dinner if you are not too jet-lagged from the trip overseas, you can join our beer guide for some beer hunting. (This could be visiting an historic pub or searching the local shops for rare and unique beers to sample or add to your collection). D

Breakfast is served on board and then you can take advantage of some free time to explore Amsterdam on your own this morning before we meet to board our motorcoach to head off to Harlaam, Netherlands to see a brewery in a church: Jopen brewery, or more  specifically Jopenkerk (Kerk translates to church). Jopenkerk is a fully functional active brewery built inside of the old St. James Church, with its stunning stained-glass windows reflecting a rainbow of colors right onto the tanks. Here we first enjoy our lunch, with a beer of course.  After lunch we’ll hear about the history of Harlaam & the brewery and of course, have a chance to taste their award-winning brews!

After lunch we’ll head over to one of the more colorful breweries in the Netherlands, Bird Brewery. At Bird Brewery they have a love for birds as well as nature and a great passion for making beer.  The brewery has won over 20 awards in recent years with their beers, including the best Saison and IPA in the Netherlands.

Now that we’ve seen a couple of breweries, we’ll head back to Amsterdam for dinner aboard our barge. B,L,D

Today we enjoy a morning sail during breakfast. Our crew will drop us in Breukelen, where our motorcoach will meet us so we can head off to the Brouwerij de 7 Deugden (7 Virtues). We will catch up with our barge later tonight in Dordrecht. At Brouwerij de 7 Deugden, in addition to our tour, we will have a special beer and cheese pairing. (Because of course you can’t visit the Netherlands without tasting some local cheese!)

Next, it is off to Dordrecht, the oldest city in Holland. This charming harbor town dates back to 1220. After some time for lunch, we will explore the city with our local guide, ending our walking tour at Stadsbrouwerij Dordrecht. We will hear the story of this unique microbrewery whose purpose is to provide internships for students who due to various unfortunate circumstances did not complete their education and are looking to return to school. The brewery sits on a property and in a building that once housed the oldest Dutch brewery -dating back to 1433. After our tour and tasting here, we will head back to the barge for dinner, then if you’re up for some more of what’s going on in Dordrecht, join Mike, your beer guide, to check out one of our favorite local pubs. B,D

After a morning sail and breakfast, we will disembark at the harbor port of Willemsted where we will meet our private motorcoach and head off to the gorgeous university town of Leuven. Here, we will join our guide for a privately guided walking tour of the city where you will learn about the history and sites of Leuven ! You will have free time after this for lunch your own and to sightsee, shop or seek out new brews on the Old Market Square, where more than 40 bars line the square, giving it the nickname “the world’s longest bar”!

In keeping with the University theme, we next make a very special visit to the beer professors- Dr. Freddy Delvaux and his son Dr. Filip Delvaux who run a consulting company where they perform quality control as well as create recipes for some of the top breweries in Belgium! They also have museum created from the original brewery on their site as well as a brewpub, Brouwerij de Kroon (crown), where we will of course, taste the latest on tap!

Then we head off to visit the farm brewery, Hof Ten Dormaal, where Andre Janssens and his family grow their own barley and hops and they malt, brew and bottle some incredibly delicious beers! By now you will have surely worked up an appetite so it’s back to the barge docked in Antwerp, where dinner awaits us thanks to our private onboard chef! After dinner, relax or join your beer guide for beer hunting around Antwerp. B,D

Enjoy breakfast on board before we head off to visit our friends at De Dolle Brouwers, where you’ll meet Kris the brewer for a tour and tasting at this very unique brewery and tasting room. Kris is also an excellent artist, and many of his paintings can be found hanging in the brewery, but among beer geeks, his adorable Oerbier logo –the personification of a yeast cell, is probably his most recognizable work 😊

With a motto like “Dare to taste, learn to enjoy!” you know we are in for a treat at our next brewery today. D’Oude Maalderij, run by Jef Pirens, brews delicious, unfiltered, all natural beers on a brewing system they call “Frankie”, because like Frankenstein, it was created from of a plethora of parts from other installations. Between listening to Jef’s high energy explanation of his brewery and brewing process, the visual stimulation from the incredible collection of nostalgic décor in the tasting room and the fabulous tasting beers, your senses will be blown away.

After this incredible day of visits, we hop back on our coach and head to Dendermonde where we will do a walking tour and see why this picturesque town is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Then prepare yourself as we’ll be treated to another great dinner onboard the barge tonight. B,L,D

Make sure to eat a hearty breakfast onboard this morning, we have a serious day of brewery visits ahead of us!

We begin at Brouwerij Huyghe, home to the delicious line of Delirium beers, recognizable by their iconic pink elephant logo. Learn the story behind one of Belgium’s largest breweries, steeped in an age-old family tradition and taste these amazing brews fresh at the source.

We then will head to the gorgeous medieval town of Ghent for an amazing lunch, visit and tasting at DOK Brewing. The team from DOK proposes that a visit to them is akin to a journey around the world in beer: Sometimes familiar, sometimes surprisingly new, always worth exploring! With 30 taps, some right from the tank, you can taste a great variety of their own super-fresh beers, as well as a kombucha, a cider and a series of both domestic and foreign guest taps!

The rest of the afternoon and evening is yours to enjoy as you wish, perhaps a visit to the famous ‘t Dreupelkot for some jenever tasting?  Maybe a leisurely canal boat tour? Or a gourmet frites dinner at one of the local frituurs? Or follow your way along Mike’s pub guide on your Beercation app and drink local! Return to the barge at your leisure. B, L

This morning relax on board and watch the scenery as we sail to Bruges, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. During our morning sail we have a very special Westvleteren tasting which we’re sure will delight your taste buds.

After lunch on board, we will enjoy a walking tour of the city known as the “Venice of the North”. Walking along the maze of winding cobbled alleys and romantic canals, you will feel like you have been transported back to medieval times. After our tour you can head out on your own to explore some of Bruges museums or maybe take a canal boat tour around the picturesque canals and enjoy the view from the water. Then again, there are so many good pubs in this town that you just might want to check your beercation app for details about where to check out the local beer culture and enjoy a few more local specialties.

Later, join us back on the barge for our farewell dinner. After dinner relax on the barge, head into town to explore on your own or join your beer guide for a final beer hunting expedition in the medieval city. B,L,D

A final breakfast on board before we disembark our barge to depart for flights home or wherever your travels will take you!

The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Trip
on our Exclusive Private Canal Barge
Amsterdam to Bruges Beer Vacation Cruise 2023
October 1 – 8, 2023

Early Booking Pricing
Only $3860 pp person Double Occupancy
Limited Single Occupancy at $4860

Book My 2023 Amsterdam to Bruges Beercation Now !