One of my favourites at Arendsnest is Jubilaris, a Trappist-style beer that has a slightly sweet taste and goes down easily.

I also like the hoppy Tempelbier and Roos-Boos, a black IPA with an aggressively malty style. I’m not a big fan of sour beer but the Mestreechs Aajt, a Flemish-style sour brown ale that smells a bit like Worcertershire sauce, almost won me over.

The Netherlands has lots of windmills, but not many are home to a craft brewery.

That’s why it’s worth the trek east from Amsterdam’s centre to Brouwerij ’t IJ, one of the city’s first microbreweries. Former musician Kaspar Peterson opened it in 1985 because, like many others, he was dissatisfied with the quality of mass-produced Dutch beer.

He’s since sold the brewery, but still lives in the windmill.

The brewery’s pub has between six and 10 of its house-made beers on tap at any one time. I liked Zatte, a strong blond “tripel� beer in the Belgian style that was the first beer the brewery ever produced. And I was even more fond of IJwit, a wheat beer with a hint of citrus that would be perfect for sipping on the brewery’s outdoor patio on a summer afternoon.

You can sign up for a tour of the brewery on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. But don’t plan on spending a night at the pub at Brouwerij ’t IJ because it’s open only from 2 to 8 p.m.

If you’re looking for a casual spot for dinner accompanied by craft beer, try Bierfabriek in the city centre. Charcoal-grilled, free-range chicken is the house specialty, accompanied by bread made with beer yeast. Both wash down easily with the two beers brewed in house, Rosso (a malty red ale) and Nero (a rich and smooth Porter). Puur, an unfiltered pilsner, is brewed offsite for Bier Fabriek by another small brewery, Limburg Brewery Alfa.

In the heart of Amsterdam’s red light district is Brouwerij de Prael, which has a unique history. It opened in 2002 as a business with a social purpose, to offer employment to people with a history of mental illness.

Since then, it has grown into a brewery, pub and café that produces 16 craft beers, many named for well-known Dutch singers. A Kolsch-style lager called Johnny is named for Johnny Jordaan, a singer popular in the 1950s and ’60s. Nick Simon is a slightly hazy IPA that gets its name from the singer-songwriter duo Nick Schilder and Simon Keizer.

A testament to de Prael’s success — and to the growing popularity of craft beer in the Netherlands — is that the brewery is struggling to keep up with demand. Co-owner Arno Kooij says it produced 120,000 litres of beer in 2013 and expects to double that this year with the addition of new tanks.

So if you visit Amsterdam a year or two from now, don’t be surprised if craft brewers have more than just a sliver of the Dutch beer market. Unlike the Dutch folk tale about the boy who averted a flood by sticking his finger in a dike, the craft beer inundation looks like it’s going to be hard to hold back.

IF YOU GO:

How to get there

Dutch airline KLM flies non-stop from Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary to Amsterdam. Its cushy World Business Class is well worth the upgrade.

Where to stay

Hotel de l’Europe: This stunning luxury hotel is owned by Heineken and is home to Freddy’s bar, named after former patriarch Freddy Heineken. www.leurope.nl

Art’otel Amsterdam: One of the city’s newest hotels, it’s also one of the hippest, with contemporary art throughout. www.artotelamsterdam.com

The Albus: A contemporary, reasonably priced hotel near the city’s flower market. www.albushotel.com

For more information

iAmsterdam (official tourism website): www.iamsterdam.com