Moving to Amsterdam

[robrob]

Hey folks, picking up the fam and heading over.

I am storing most of my brew gear as it is a 3 tier using keggles...cant imagine I will be in a place with that kind of space. Not to mention, I have sooo many new brews to try not sure brewing will be worth it.

However, I have been really into making sodas and would like to bring a corny or two and a couple gas bottles.

Are there other items kegging related I should be thinking about?

I will bring my regulators and buy the nut to adapt to EU threads...should I leave the CO2 bottles at home and get them there? Not sure how to handle this.

All advice appreciated.

 

[stpug]

With all the weed who needs beer

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Don't mind those thousands of little white circle thingies floating down the canals on early Sunday mornings. Just tell your kids they're little lily pads...

 

[robrob]

With all the weed who needs beer

heh I live by the quoute...why limit oneself to a single vice...I think Gandhi said that...or Houdini always mix those two up...

 

[podz]

I will bring my regulators and buy the nut to adapt to EU threads...should I leave the CO2 bottles at home and get them there? Not sure how to handle this.

All advice appreciated.

Leave them at home.

Nobody will charge gas bottles in Europe that aren't CE approved and inspected. Inspections are expensive because they generally last for 10 years.

 

[mattdc26]

I live in England for now and podz is 100% correct about the bottles, it is a pain here. basically need an EU regulator and some places have contracts with gas companies you just bring your empty bottle there and they will give you a new one. I have a chance to travel all over Europe for my work and can tell you that while there are great beers all over the place, nothing tastes as good as a high gravity west coast IPA or any of the american style beers. That being said there are tons of more craft style breweries popping up but can be hard to find, i wouldn't stop brewing entirely just scale back to fit. Just my 2 cents enjoy the journey living overseas is fantastic.

 

[robrob]

.... podz is 100% correct about the bottles, it is a pain here. basically need an EU regulator and some places have contracts with gas companies you just bring your empty bottle there and they will give you a new one....

Thanks for the advice podz and mattdc26...

Any other items I should grab here that are hard to source for brewing?

Be well

 

[podz]

Thanks for the advice podz and mattdc26...

Any other items I should grab here that are hard to source for brewing?

Be well

You can get everything you need from Brouwland (Belgium, shipping Europe wide):

https://www.brouwland.com/en


Be aware, though: copper and stainless steel are very expensive in Europe. I'd bring kettles and copper tubing+fittings if you want to do a chiller. Large, US style coolers like the ones you guys mash in are also nearly impossible to find here.

I'd highly doubt that you will have space to brew outside anywhere in Amsterdam - even mansions don't have yards. You are very likely going to be dealing with either a ceramic stovetop or an electric kettle.

On the plus side, Germany is such a short train ride that you can visit Duesseldorf or Köln every weekend if you like!

Funny: I once walked around Amsterdam for more than half a day trying to find a store where I could buy a can opener for the apartment I was renting. It wasn't easy.

 

[mattdc26]

There are plenty of overseas sites you can get almost anything from but be prepared to pay extra for the conversion, I have a U.S. military address so I can still use all the us sites.

 

[waylander]

if I could add something: get your grain mill! Here you can't get the grain crushed in store, they just don't offer this service. Today I tried in a homebrew store in Almere and the only solution I got was a suggestion to buy a mill. Didn't feel like splurging and spending 200++ EUR for their mill, so confused and frustrated went for a syrup can.
One more thing: if you're a DIY type like me, get ready for disappointments. This country is not DIY friendly. At least what I saw for the couple months since moving in. Good luck!

 

[podz]

One more thing: if you're a DIY type like me, get ready for disappointments. This country is not DIY friendly. At least what I saw for the couple months since moving in. Good luck!

Europe, in general, is not DIY friendly. There's a big reason for that: trade labor protectionism.

For example, you can't just go and buy electrical sockets - those need to be bought from an electrician's warehouse, and guess what? You need a valid electrician's license to buy anything from that store. Same goes for pipes, PVC piping, etc - plumber license or no purchase. On and on and on, same thing.

It's a wonder they even allow "normal" people to buy multimeters here.

 

[JohnSand]

I don't know if you were thinking of it, but I don't think you can transport gas bottles by air. And you may decide to buy European if you check out shipping rates for your gear. Unless you will be reimbursed by an employer.

 

[Kobie]

Hi,

I'm coming to this thread a bit late, but I would add that you should bring anything you can with you - you can get pretty much anything you need here, but it'll just be a lot more expensive. Also, if you're moving over here you can ship possessions without paying taxes so take advantage of that (possibly up to a certain limit - I'm not up on the rules). Once you're here you'll have to pay VAT and import duty on everything you ship over from outside the EU.

To find your feet, the nearest HBS to Amsterdam is in Brouwmarkt in Almere:

http://www.brouwmarkt.nl/

I got my malt mill here - it was the cheapest I could find anywhere.

Oh, and apparently you can buy grain etc from the brewery at de Prael in the centre, but I've never tried, and it's limited to whatever they've got on hand the day you call. (Good beer though)

And as a poster above stated - take your wort chiller, you can't get cheap copper piping over here.

Otherwise, as far as drinking beer goes you're going to be spoilt for choice - enjoy and welcome!

EDIT: Oh, and they're very proud of their tap water. There are no added chemicals, so you can use it straight from the tap for brewing.

 

[dinnerstick]

Europe, in general, is not DIY friendly. There's a big reason for that: trade labor protectionism.

For example, you can't just go and buy electrical sockets - those need to be bought from an electrician's warehouse, and guess what? You need a valid electrician's license to buy anything from that store. Same goes for pipes, PVC piping, etc - plumber license or no purchase.

that must be finish-specific. i just finished renovating my house, i bought all the plumbing, pipes, outlets, switches and assorted electrical stuff in the big diy shop or from my local hardware place, and did all the work myself. i don't have a license for anything! but, agreed that diy is a bit difficult and expensive if you are used to the US.

To find your feet, the nearest HBS to Amsterdam is in Brouwmarkt in Almere:

Oh, and they're very proud of their tap water. There are no added chemicals, so you can use it straight from the tap for brewing.

brouwmarkt has a pretty good selection but their customer service is unbelievably bad (another big difference between europe and US). It got to the point where they screwed up so many of my orders (forgetting them altogether, missing items, double charging) and then being rude about it on the phone or just being plain dicks about it, that i only use them if I absolutely have to. I prefer http://www.vanderkooyjubbega.nl/ in friesland instead. They are a bit more expensive in general but I don't care.

The water: you have to admit it's pretty good! Low in all minerals so you can do what you want with it.

 

[Kobie]

but their customer service is unbelievably bad (another big difference between europe and US).

Haa! Welcome to Holland!

Thanks for the vanderkooyjubbega link - I'd never heard of them before.