Beer from the Canal

The canals and Amsterdam are inseparable. For centuries they served as arteries of transport and sources of water, sometimes even for brewing beer. In earlier times, canal water was occasionally used in brewing, producing a lighter, more diluted beer than we know today. In 2017, Heineken revisited that history with an experimental brew made from purified Amsterdam canal water at the Heineken Experience.

Master brewer Willem van Waesberghe and his team demonstrated how modern filtration and UV purification can bring water up to drinking quality, making it safe for brewing. The small, educational batch wasn’t standard pilsner but a showcase of technology and craftsmanship that visitors could taste. This pilot formed a symbolic bridge to the past.

In the Dutch Golden Age, people often preferred beer to water, as surface water was frequently polluted. The so-called small beer contained little alcohol and served as a daily drink. What was once necessity became, here, an innovative nod to history, where heritage and modern science meet in the same place where Heineken’s story began.