Back in the 12th century, a group of fishermen settled on the banks of a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. They called their new home ‘Aemestelle’ an old Dutch word that means “an area with an abundance of water.” Over the following 800 years, the Amstel river was worked into a network of dams and dikes which came to be known as the city of Amsterdam, famous for its iconic canals and beautiful bridges.

Even today, the River Amstel plays a vital role in supplying the city with water and transportation – and beer! The Amstel Brewery, which was founded in 1870 on the banks of the river Amstel, actually used ice from the river to chill their beer.