A great way to take a break in Amsterdam is to check out the Brown Cafés, and Café ‘t Smalle is a great example of one of these historic pubs.

Originally a gin distillery in 1786, it was restored in the 1970s, and turned into a cozy pub.
The beer selection at historic pubs isn’t magnificent but we can usually find something interesting to try out – in my case a Mort Subite Kreik, described on the menu as a ‘cherry-infused beer, sweet tart flavour, 4.5%’.
Al’s Palm Ale (Special), was described as an ‘ale, full caramel flavour, bittersweet finish, 5.4%’. Having a third beer ‘taster’ along is always fun and in this case we had Mikey with us. He ordered a Wieckse Witte, a ‘refreshingly white beer with a delicious soft taste, 5%’ according to the menu.
I’m adding our actual tasting notes – this is one of the rare occasions that they were legible! (M) Mikey, (B) Batz, (A) Al.The bar snacks served at Café ‘t Smalle were pretty typical for Holland – lots of cheese, sausage and grainy mustard. There’s a ‘raw sausage’ called ‘ossenworst’ lurking under the white cheese – it tasted like raw hamburger to me with a weird texture and bland flavour. Apart from that, this was a pretty tasty plate.
Address: Egelantiersgracht 12. It’s located in the Jordaan District not far from the Westerkerk, with a canal side terrace.
More on Holland (The Netherlands).