Best Beer Restaurant of 2014

Café restaurant Rootz is the winner of the Bier aan Tafel Trophy 2014. The Beer Society of the Low Countries awards this prize annually to the restaurant that presents the best beer and food combinations. Roland Meerloo received the Trophy from herald Olav Blancquaert. Previous awards were won by Belgisch Biercafé Olivier in Utrecht and Restaurant Lieve in Amsterdam.

Belgian Beer Culture

Belgian beers are world-famous. Belgian beer culture is considered one of the most sophisticated in the world and excels in enormous variety and the preservation of old traditions.

Belgian beer culture is unique in several respects. Belgian restaurants approach beer in the same way that French restaurants approach wine: there is often a wide selection and a good waiter knows which beers pair with which dishes. The variety is also so great that it's usually possible to think of a matching beer for every dish.

Dutch Beer Culture

The Netherlands has been a trading nation for centuries, and Dutch brewers were therefore commercial from an early stage. By catering to foreign markets, Dutch brewers managed to adopt beer styles from all over the world. The downside of this commercial attitude is that they consequently lost character. This attitude appears to be changing recently.

Since the 1980s, interest in and appreciation for traditional Dutch beers has increased significantly. Dutch brewers regularly win international awards, and there are still many enthusiasts for typical Dutch beer styles such as Kuit. Furthermore, Dutch beer culture remains dynamic, with new breweries emerging and plenty of experimentation with new beers.

Beer suggestions for each dish

Rootz will lend you a hand and will recommend beer- (and of course wine-) suggestions for each dish. This way you can see what happens when you combine food with the different flavours of beer.