The National Beer Museum, or ’Biermuseum de Boom’ is housed in a 17th century brewery just north of the Waagplein in Alkmaar. The brewery was once one of the largest ones in the town. Beer was a very popular drink in the Netherlands during Medieval times, as few people had a safe, regular supply of drinking water. The Alkmaar brewers would bring clean water up from streams or ponds, and lift it from the quayside with specially designed cranes. The Beer Museum features a bar which serves 86 different kinds of beer.
