The opportunity to travel is one of the best parts of my job, so when Heineken mentioned they’d love to do an episode of BTW at the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam, naturally I was all in. One caveat: I had to come up with some sort of soccer angle to make it happen. But as luck would have it, we found our in, tagging along on the Chicago Fire’s trip to Munich for the Bastian Schweinsteiger tribute match at Allianz Arena.
I mean, Amsterdam isn’t THAT far from Munich, right? And convincing a couple players to accompany me for some fun at the Heineken Brewery wouldn’t be THAT hard of a sell, right? Answer? It wasn’t.
Susannah, Brandt Bronico and Mo Adams
After what was a truly incredible night at Allianz, celebrating the career of the fussballgott himself, Fire players Mo Adams and Brandt Bronico braved the early morning flight (mind you in first class) from Munich to Amsterdam. Our first stop? The Heineken Brewery!
True story, I had visited the Heineken Brewery when I was studying abroad in college but for some reason I can’t seem to remember much of that adventure ... I digress ...
Touring the Heineken Brewery
We were met by our fantastic tour guide, Pim, who took us around the massive building, explaining the history of the brand and how the beer is made. The tour included all sorts of interactive elements, including a virtual bike ride through the city during which we sang (quite badly) a traditional Dutch song. Yeah, you’re just going to have to watch to appreciate it.
Our favorite part of the tour!
The brewery tour culminated in what was hands down our favorite part – tasting the beer! A perfect precursor to what came next, which was our boat tour through the famous Amsterdam canals. Over a couple more Heinekens (natch), we talked about what it has been like to play with a legend like Schweinsteiger as two young players, and how incredible it is that they were able to take the field alongside him at Allianz. Even a day later, to Mo and Brandt the entire experience was surreal. They expressed so much gratitude that their jobs as soccer players have allowed them to embrace these moments.
Relaxing and chatting during the canal tour
The final stop on our canal tour took us to A’DAM Lookout – an incredible observation deck with 360-degree views of the city that also boasts Europe’s highest swing, sending you soaring over the Amsterdam skyline. Despite the overcast skies and a slight drizzle, we toasted to what was a pretty perfect day off for these guys, and I thanked them both for joining me on this adventure. We all agreed that we felt pretty darn lucky to be there. That is until I made them get on the swing (insert evil laugh here).
Taking in the Amsterdam skyline from A’DAM Lookout
Brandt and Mo have fun in front of the green screen ...
Cheers to Mo and Brandt, cheers to Heineken for this awesome day, and cheers to you! As always, thanks so much for watching. Hope you’re thirsty.
