Cafe Salud · Carolieweg, Groningen
Taste 4 to 6 specialty beers in the coziest brown café in the centre, by beer style or as a journey around the world.
Cafe Salud is an authentic brown café on the Carolieweg, right in the centre of Groningen and a short walk from the Grote Markt. Here you taste specialty beer the way it should be: with expert guidance, from a crisp pilsner to a deep, roasted stout. Small, personal and all about flavour.
We are Groningen's meeting place, where generations and cultures come together. A tasting with us is more than drinking beer. It is tasting together, comparing notes and sharing a good conversation around the table.
Just the two of you? Walk right in for a tasting board with a bite and a few beers, no reservation needed. From 6 people we organise a fully guided beer tasting on request.
A clear structure makes it easier to discover the differences between the beers. Choose a journey through the beer styles or a trip around the world by country.
From light and subtle to dark and intense:
A journey along the world's beer cultures:
Ready to put together your own tasting?
Request a tastingCompare similar styles from both beer nations side by side.
Build up in rising flavour intensity and alcohol content.
Pilsner, pale ale, IPA and double IPA: experience the influence of hops.
Compare a dubbel, a porter and a stout.
Spring beers, summer witbiers or hearty winter beers.
Prefer something else? We are happy to tailor a tasting to your wishes.
Book your beer tasting in the centre of Groningen. We'll tailor it to your group.
Request a tastingA fun night out with your group of friends.
An original part of the programme in the city centre.
Celebrate your birthday with a bespoke tasting.
A bonding outing for colleagues, see also company drinks.
From just €15 p.p.
The price increases depending on the number of beers, the glass volume and the group size. We are happy to add a Groningen sharing board. We always create a tailor-made package, ask us for the options without obligation.
Request a tastingLooking for company drinks or a team outing in the centre of Groningen? Our beer tasting is a connecting and original programme for your team. Right in the city, a short walk from the Grote Markt, with personal guidance and a genuine café atmosphere.
During the tasting you pay attention to five things, so you really get to know each beer and can pick your favourite:
A beer tasting is possible from €15 per person. The exact price depends on the number of beers, the glass volume and the group size, and whether you add a Groningen sharing board.
On your own or as a couple you can simply walk in for a tasting board with a few beers. A guided, organised tasting is available from 6 people, up to 49 guests.
Around two hours on average. You taste 4 to 6 beers in 10 to 15 cl portions, built up from light to heavy.
Yes. Choose a format by beer style or by country, or a theme such as 'Belgium vs. the Netherlands', a 'hop journey' or 'from light to heavy'.
Absolutely. The tasting is a popular company and team outing in Groningen, with a package and sharing board, right in the centre.
Fill in the form below with your preferred date and number of people, or email saludgroningen@gmail.com. We will get back to you quickly.
Cafe Salud is at Carolieweg 31, in the middle of Groningen's old town and within walking distance of the Grote Markt. That makes a tasting easy to combine with the rest of your evening: you can walk straight on to a restaurant, the Forum or the nightlife district. The city centre is largely car-free, so cycling or public transport is quickest. If you come by car, park in one of the city-centre garages and walk the last stretch.
Most tastings that go wrong go wrong in the preparation, not in the glass. These two things largely determine whether it becomes a good evening.
When you come changes the atmosphere of the evening quite a bit:
In almost every group there is someone who does not drink craft beer. That need not be a problem:
Groningen is a decidedly beer-minded city. That is partly down to the student population, but also to a pub culture where you still simply strike up a conversation at the bar with someone you have never met. A beer tasting belongs in that setting, as far as we are concerned, and not in a sterile room with a projector.
Salud is a brown café: wooden tables, a bar you pull up to, and the kind of space where conversation starts by itself. For a tasting that is an advantage. You sit close together, you can smell and compare each other's glasses, and the explanation is a conversation rather than a presentation. That is exactly why people dare to say they dislike a beer, and that is precisely the moment it gets interesting.
We work with a rotating range of craft beers, complemented by whatever is on tap at the time. As a result no two tastings are quite the same, and we can respond to the season: fresh, light beers in summer and heartier, darker beers in winter.
For small groups it often works at relatively short notice. For larger parties and for busy periods such as autumn and the Christmas drinks season it is wise to book well in advance, because several groups enquire at the same time then.
Mention it when you enquire. We will arrange a suitable alternative so that person takes part in the tasting rather than just sitting through it. A combination with a wine tasting is also possible.
Every tasting comes with a Groningen sharing board, and we can extend it with extra snacks. If you want a full dinner afterwards, that combines well: you are right in the city centre, so you can walk straight on to a nearby restaurant.
Yes, and that is actually the most enjoyable group. You need to know nothing about beer. The build-up from light to heavy means you start tasting the differences by yourself, and the explanation focuses on what is in your glass rather than on jargon.
Yes. For larger parties we reserve a spot in the café for your group. The café does stay open to other guests. Let us know in your enquiry how many people are coming and what you have in mind, and we will look at what fits.
Groningen's city centre is largely car-free. You park in one of the city-centre garages and walk the last stretch to Carolieweg. By bike or public transport you are usually quicker, and with a tasting that is the sensible choice anyway.