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Hertog Jan
Based in the south east of the country, it's now owned by drink giant InBev,
but the quality still remains particularly the Grand Prestige and the
Zilverpint beers.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
MVV, the main team in the Limburg region where the Hertog Jan beer comes from.
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Grolsch
Ok, so Bros nearly ruined the image of this great beer by attaching those
famous bottle tops to their shoes, but Grolsch managed to survive such menace
from that dreaded 80's pop-combo. They do a variety of lagers, and the
standard one that's served in the UK is fine by us, although their wheat beer
(Hefeweizen) is worth a try as well if you ever come across it.
Obviously the famous swing-open bottle tops give it an edge, although the old
ceramic tops are now only really common in the Netherlands itself, with
plastic ones having replaced it on shelves across the UK and Europe. Shame.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
FC Twente - the main brewery is now in Enschede.
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La Trappe
The only producer of Trappist beer (i.e. beer brewed by Trappist monks) outside
Belgium, La Trappe is brewed at De Koningshoeven Brewery in Berkel Enschot.
The beer is sold in novelty pot bottles with cork stoppers, which
probably doubles it's price, but it's worth it for the quality of the beer
inside. And the good news is that you can get them in many decent supermarkets
in the UK. Which is nice.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
Willem II Tilburg - the monks are based just up the road from Tilburg.
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Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale
Quite similar to the Newcastle version, it's a full bodied beer
with a fruity taste and great dark amber colour. And like Newcastle Brown
Ale after 6 or 7 bottles of it you'll know about it.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
Any of the teams from the North Brabant area, such as PSV Eindhoven or
Willem II Tilburg.
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Amstel
So it may not be quite as good as some of the others in the list but a
giant bottle of Amstel always brings back great memories of sweltering holidays
in the Med - Amstel being one of the most popular beers in mainland Europe.
It's also the most popular imported beer in America, although they tend to
drink "Amstel Lite", which is a different kettle of fish, and one to be avoided
at all costs by Europeans.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
to be honest, probably Olympiakos and Panathinaikos, such is it's popularity
down in Mediterranean areas like Greece.
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Gifkikker
Gifkikker is a cracking bottled beer created by the Mommeriete brewery and Topicus.
It's a bit hard to find outside the Drenthe and Overijssel regions
but if you come across it grab a bottle and give it a go.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
Go Ahead Eagles - it's a popular tipple in some of Deventer's cafe bars,
served on tap in a couple of them.
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Heineken
A giant of world beer that now owns other beers from Amstel to Murphys.
It's still not a bad beer to be honest. Based in Amsterdam the
'Heineken Experience' at the museum has become a popular tourist destination
for stag do's and football groundhoppers.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
Any of them - it's served everywhere.
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Jopen Bier
Named after an old type of beer barrel Jopenbier is another great
tasting beer. Brewed in Haarlem, one of the traditional brewery centres
of Holland, it was only created in 1995 when a group of beer-monsters
decided to start re-brewing an old Haarlem beer and everyone loved it.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
HFC Haarlem.
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Alfa
The only brewery in Holland that uses an underground spring to make it's beer
you can actually come across it not just in Holland but also the UK, Germany,
italy and Greece.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
MVV - it's quite readily available down in Maastricht.
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Budels
Named after the town in which it's brewed. Classic pilsner that goes down
a treat with some salted raw herring and rollmops. If you like that sort
of thing.
Fans most likely to be drinking it:
FC Budel. Probably.
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The Top 10 Dutch Beers 
Ok so its a tenuous link, but having a Dutch league section is a fine opportunity for us to
list our 10 favourite Dutch beers.
Now post your comments on the top 10 (no login required)...
