Friday, March 27th, 2026
Arriving at Schipol at 15.00, how long would the queue be to have one’s photo and fingerprints taken? As it happened, the powers that be have invested in kiosks which complete the task in minutes, meaning one is through passport control, and secured a stamp on the passport in minutes. We then had to wait twenty minutes for Menzies to deliver the luggage.
Ninety minutes after landing, Marg and Hector had checked in to The TRIBE Hotel Den Haag Central. Den Haag, never set foot here before. We have two nights before heading to Zoetermeer to see Gazpacho (Norge) perform at Poppodium Boerderij, one of Europe’s foremost Rock venues. All the Progressive Rock bands play there. As the day went on and we became more aware of distances, I had to wonder why we were not just staying in Den Haag for three nights. Trams 3&4 run late back from Zoetermeer.
Objective #1 was to buy a new power charger, for reasons unknown, the tried and trusty adaptor was not working in the hotel. MediaMarkt, open late, had a Rolls-Royce charger and the price reflected this. Coffee for Marg, on spotting a second hand, sorry – vintage – shop which sold coffee, in we went.
The Aesthetic Lounge Den Haag sells fur/skin coats for the ladies, velvet jackets for the chaps. Fortunately, they had none in my size.
Marg had her usual – extra-hot Latte, the Hector, an iced Hazelnut Coffee. Almost as pleasing as Hazelnut Wodka, even without the spirit. There was some interesting, historical reading material casually left around. Quite a place, Mein Host even gave Marg some soap as a leaving present. I’m sure she showered this morning.
Hofvijver at Het Binnenhof – seemed to be a must see part of the city. As daylight faded, so we took photos of the water feature and Hector resolved not to climb the observation tower. The Lion Rampant refused to unfurl, too damp?
It was Bier o’clock, and time to get out of the rain. The separate trips earlier this month to Polska and België have seen nothing but blue skies and unseasonally warm temperatures. This trip may well have Glasgow weather throughout.
Hoppzack, a basement bar, was chosen partly because of its name, one hopes for hops. The Friday after-work crowd were still celebrating the weekend as we found a small/high table. The staff behind bar made a point of greeting us. There was also an expression of disappointment when we took our leave. However, I explained that this was Day #1 and other places had to be explored.
Wrench (Moersleutel Craft Beer, Alkmaar, Nederland) at 5.5%, a West Coast IPA, was found to be yellow and clear. Dry, hoppy, decent, no more. One hoped for more from the Mosaic, Citra, and two versions of Nelson Sauvin: T90 & Cryo – hops.
Here’s the reality, I have never been over-impressed by Dutch Bier, apart from the occasional barrel-aged Imperial Stout. One does not start a session at 12.0%. In terms of Bier-Traveller, that fifteen years have passed since Hector’s Hollandish Hootenanny, and not a word written since about Nederland until now, must say a lot.
Hoppzack was visibly quiet when we departed. Everyone must have gone around the corner to Huppel The Pub. Stowed, no seats, we didn’t hang about.
Through the block, and closing within the hour, lies Haagsche Brouder Brouwerij. A micro-brewery, the brew-plant was visible as we entered. With plenty of seats/tables to choose from, comfortable.
Again, the staff went out of their way to greet. Is this due to Amsterdam attracting all the tourists? Already, Den Haag felt a better place to be.
Oude Molstaat at 6.5%, a White IPA, whatever that is. Neither a Belgian Blanche or a Deutsche Weizen, the – white – was lost on me. A muddy amber-gold, I simply didn’t get why this was any different from a West Coast IPA.
21.00 closing was approaching. Time for food and more Bier. I promised Marg that our next port of call would serve substantial food. Walking in the rain, the umbrella performing well, we zigzagged our way to Fiddler International Pub & Brewery, or, alternatively: Animal Army Brewery. By this time I had a sense of the size of the Old Town.
Fiddler was stowed, Marg checked upstairs. A waiter did his best to find us a table, we squeezed on an end, as people do in Europe. Nederland v Norge was on big screens around the bar. With the brew-plant to one side of the building, quite an operation. In addition to the House Bier, – the usual rubbish – was on offer.
Two small ones felt a better option than committing to something I didn’t like. We both ordered Fish & Chips, a throwback to being denied them in Poznan two weeks ago.
Two Bier or not two Bier, first up the IPA, better to go dark last.
Sea Lion’s IPA (Bierbrouwerij Animal Army, Den Haag, Nederland) at 6.2%, yellow-gold,clear, claiming to be in the English style but with UK and USA hops. Further research suggested that New Zealand hops could be here to. Fuggle, Golding certainly mentioned, so certainly not a West Coast IPA or a NEIPA, or even NZIPA. After all that, the Bier was deemed to be drinkable, no more. Was I glad I had not gone large.
From the same source, Cream Bee, a Stout at 6.0%. For its abv, this had an impressive body, with more chocolate than coffee. Quaffable, had we stayed, there would have been more.
Fish & Chips, or more accurately – Chips & Fish. Six chips are usually enough for the Hector, this was overdose. Freshly made Belgian-style Pommes-Frites, smothered in mayonnaise, are a different matter. These were as boring as I find typically frozen chips to be. Even Marg couldn’t finish here plateful. Loads were abandoned.
Again, I have to mentioned the staff. The waitress who eventually looked after us, went out of her way. Was this because as sixty-somethings we were thirty years above the average of the clientele?
Upstairs to use the facilities, grab a photo of the brew-plant and the hand pumps.
Is this for your Blog? – asked one of two young chaps sitting at the bar?
Bier-Traveller cannot be that well known, as for Curry-Heute, it happens.
The walk, still in the rain, to Bierspeciaal Café De Paas felt longer than necessary. Located on the north side of a canal, at least I knew the limit of the walk. A Friday night, after 21.00, busy, we secured a table mid room. One can immediately tell that this was going to be a comfortable visit. More of a locals bar, a range of Dutch, Belgian and German Bier on tap, time to have something I always enjoy.
Bolleke (Stadsbrouwerij De Koninck, Antwerpen, België) at 5.2%, an Amber Ale, totally remote from the go-to tipple in this epoch. Always refreshing, and thankfully not sweet, a classic Belgian Ale. I stayed on this for the rest of the night. By this time Marg had succumbed to having a well known brand of White Rum filled with more cola than anyone else would apply.
With a tab running, it became a simple matter of going up to the bar and giving a hand signal, the round was duly replenished.
Café De Paas was the one bar I knew would be outstanding before arriving in Den Haag. I had asked Graham on the B.S.F. trip to Brugge earlier this month to recommend a place or two. As a resident of Amsterdam, this was the one place he mentioned in particular. Bierspeciaal Café De Paas was declared – our local – we would come back tomorrow. With The Tribe Hotel only minutes around the corner, an inevitability.
Back outside, in the eternal rain, as the umbrella went up, there was an unexpected – pop!
Looks like the Hector is going shopping again tomorrow.
Breweries, bars, and cafe visited today:
Haagsche Brouder Brouwerij – Noordeinde 14A, 2514 GH Den Haag
Animal Army Brewery – The Fiddler, Riviervismarkt 1, 2511 AW Den Haag
Hoppzack – Papestraat 26A, 2513 AW Den Haag
Bierspeciaal Café De Paas – Dunne Bierkade 16 – A, 2512 BC Den Haag
The Aesthetic Lounge Den Haag – Dagelijkse Groenmarkt 30, 2513AL Den Haag
Saturday, March 28th, 2026
The formula works, Marg goes out for a walk and breakfast, in this way she learns where she is, even captuirng William of Orange on a horse. Her wanderings took her back to Hofvijver at Het Binnenhof. Meanwhile, Hector has extra – zzzs – then starts writing this stuff.
Despite the fact that the day began with blue skies, Hector’s first priority was the purchase of a new umbrella. The locus of The Tribe Hotel on Spui, the heart of the city, proved to be an excellent choice. The first two shops on Grote Markstraat had €10.00 brollies which wouldn’t last five minutes. Bever, a proper outdoor shop had serious equipment. How much? Needs must. A lengthy guarantee, however, it would still cost me more to bring it back than what I paid.
A bit of culture, the M.C. Escher exhibit – Escher in the Palace – combined an historic building with a display of mind-bending graphics. Visits to museums on our travels are rare, despite no senior discount, this was worth it.
Two nights in Den Haag, there had to be Curry-Heute. We had passed a couple of venues in the heart of the Old Town last night, too Mainstream. Hector had located a venue to the west of the city centre. Tram 6 would take us almost to the door of Delhi Darbar, however we had to walk back to – Spui – to board it. Google Maps do not do three dimensions, it was quite a surprise therefore to find Tram 6 underground. A huge cut and fill station, and given the height of the water table in Nederland, quite an engineering feat. Tapping on/off removed any concerns about sourcing the correct ticket.
As always, the account of the food at Delhi Darbar is posted – here.
Thereafter, the challenge was to find an ice-cream cafe for Marg. Around the corner on Herzogstaat, zilch. A phantom Cafe, now removed thanks to Hector’s persistence.
Altin petek looked good from the outside. No ice-cream, Coffee & Cake, part of our daily ritual leading up to Bier o’clock.
De Prael, an Amsterdam brewery, have another brew-plant in Den Haag. This had to be explored. Somehow, it was within walking distance of our current location. Who plans these days out?
On another day, and in different company, much more time would have been spent at De Prael. That they didn’t have their own IPA puzzled. Haegsche Prael is certainly brewed here, whether my subsequent choice was brewed – at source – cannot be verified.
Bitterblond at 5.7% was reportedly – Kölsch-inspired. Since when was Kölsch cloudy? Since when was Kölsch floral-fruity? If one employs Tettnanger hops, then this is the outcome.
Tram 2 took us back to the centrum. Alighting underground still felt strange. The staff at Hoppzack remembered us, we couldn’t have been the only tourists in Den Haag. Marg was seduced into having a mainstream Cider, whilst the Hector would eventually get serious.
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Firstly though a light Lager – Gulpener (Gulpener Bierbouwerij, Gulpen, Nederland) at 6.0% was being sold as an IPA. Yellow and Hazy yes, with a decent body, not demanding. It still came across as a Euro-Lager. With Hallertauer Tradition, Smaragd and Cascade hops, only the latter could have led it towards being a recognisable IPA. The Hector is still not sold on Dutch Bier.
Having spotted the Omnipolo last night, it was just a matter of time. Possibly the most expensive Bier I have ever paid for, the glass was very much a Soupçon.
Ghost In The Machine (Omnipolo, Sverige / Parish, Louisiana, USA) turned out to be a collaboration. A DNEIPA with the full Haze and a powerful, dry flavour, one could not help but notice the alcohol. A single hop Bier, Citra, no magic blend.
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It may only have been two stops on Tram 15, to Café De Paas, but having sussed the local transport system, why not use it?
Busier than last night, we sat on the opposite side of a table from three chaps. They soon departed to be replaced by a young couple. No engagement, well, they might get married one day. Marg was on Bellvue Kriek, the Hector will make no further comment. More Bolleke to start, then a departure.
Rodenbach Grand Cru, at 6.0%, defies classification. To me, a Cherry Sour, much more than its official – Flanders Red Ale. The road towards Kriek, possibly, suffice to say, when it’s available, the Hector has it. One of my favourite Belgian Ales.
Another good night at Café De Paas, great staff, great atmosphere. A fine selection of Bier, something here for everyone.
Normally, this would be the end of the night, but with Drinks Vouchers courtesy of Accor, there was more fun to be had. The reception area sold bottles of nothing special, I hadn’t realised there was a proper bar on the first floor. Gone midnight, was it still open? The receptionist said we would still be served.
It is rare to see such options on tap in any hotel, Leffe Blond would normally have sufficed, available on tap at home in every Wetherpsoons. However, Tripel Karmeliet, let’s have some. Marg on the Baileys, ah well. And no stingy measures for either of us.
Tripel Karmeliet (Brouwerij Bosteels, België) an Abbey-style Blond Ale at 8.4% has much more to offer than Leffe. Here, no sweetness. With Belgian Blond I usually have to programme the palate to accept what is coming, Tripel Karmeliet works just fine.
And so to bed. Tomorrow, Gazpacho, but our two nights in Den Haag were well worth the stopover. Hopefully these pages will convince others this city is worth a visit.
Brewery, bars, restaurant and cafe visited today:
Brouwerij De Prael Den Haag – Esperantoplein 20, 2518 LE Den Haag
Hoppzack – Papestraat 26A, 2513 AW Den Haag
Bierspeciaal Café De Paas – Dunne Bierkade 16 – A, 2512 BC Den Haag
Tribe Hotel Den Haag Centraal – Spui 180, 2511 EN Den Haag
Delhi Darbar – Paul Krugerlein 278, 2571 HS Den Haag
Altin petek – Paul Krugerlein 269, 2571 HS Den Haag