Heineken Experience

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Lonely Planet review

Right on the site of the old Heineken brewery you can take a self-guided tour that's tantamount to brew-worship. You can learn the history of the Heineken family, find out how the logo has evolved, and follow the brewing process from water all the way through to bottling. Along the way you can watch Heineken commercials from around the world, join a Heineken bottle on its life's journey and drive a virtual dray horse.

If all this PR gets to be too much, you can drown your sorrows at free 'tasting' sessions at the end of the tour. Three glasses per person may be consumed - Homer Simpson would feel right at home. (Note: no smoking of any kind is permitted.) Allow 75 minutes for your visit, and expect lots of company; come before to beat the crowds.

The actual brewery closed in 1988 due to inner-city congestion, and since then the building has been used only for tours and administration. The company's directorate is in the low-key premises across the canal. Heineken beer is brewed at a larger plant in 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), in the south of the country, and also at the largest brewery in Europe at Zoeterwoude, located near Leiden.