De Hemel

Had a nice dinner here. The bitterballen with the house made mustard were great. The frites were also tasty and both went well with their beer. I had the white fish which came with a salad. The meal was light and the fish very delicately flavored. They had 3 main dishes the night we were there: white fish, pork, and vegetarian quiche.

I enjoy the occasional trip here, with their house brews and house bierwhiskey. The service can be a bit hit or miss, but the atmosphere makes up for it, with the massive clock and the stunning architecture. If you’ve never been, and you like beer, get the sampler. The fries are also a treat. Their mustard (and beers and liqueurs) is available for purchase, though it’s a bit pricey. Just have it with the fries. Note: they close a bit earlier than some of the other establishments downtown, so don’t try to end your night at it!

Listen up people.
I’m about to disclose my number one secret location in the East of the Netherlands: Stadsbrouwerij de Hemel en de Geest. (Brewery Heaven & the Ghost).
In this city-​castle like building they’ve got a brewery, a hotel, a restaurant and a café. If you’re lucky and there’s sun you can sit outside in the courtyard and enjoy an enormous variety of beers on their terrace.
In the city-​wall itself, which was used to defend the city, there are two small ward-​houses. Since we’re good for now, they’ve remodelled them into two tiny guesthouses/​apartments. You can rent them for about 95 euros a night (a steal) and they give you a downstairs living room, bath, and upstairs bedroom. It’s absolutely lovely and there’s a lot more privacy then you would normally have in any hotel or bed & breakfast. Beware, the price may have gone up, since last time I stayed there was when I went to a Guns ‘n Roses concert in 2002.
Either way, if you do go here, and end up having a wee tour of the brewery (oh please do!) be nice to your tour-​guide as she may be a good friend of mine! If you’re confronted with a tall, flame-​haired girl that can banter you up one wall and down the other, yup, that’s her.
She’s been known to lock people in the cellar for a wee bit to cool off if you’re not behaving, so better be careful! ;)
The good thing about that: you’ll be locked in with the beer, the bad part: she’s got the keys and you’ll have to convince her (or me) to let you out!
Now go and get your beer on, but beware of the ghost!