Old times come alive with this billiard table-shaped 'change tray.' Who's still carrying small change these days, eh? Where have all the brown pubs gone, where there was always a change tray on the counter? Where in the background, men with rolled-up shirt sleeves, enveloped in cigar smoke, played a game on the green felt? 

It simply vanished from the streetscape—along with the association of billiards with Amstel Beer. Fortunately, such advertising items were preserved in the Heineken Collection: a trophy, a prize in the form of a billiard table with balls, an Amstel billiard ball, and a billiard booklet with rules. But where did this connection actually come from? 

A romantic tale 

It is said that the circular, red-and-white Amstel logo was derived from the game of billiards because the founders enjoyed playing it. The Amstel website has a romantic story: 

In Amsterdam, Charles de Pesters married Petronella, the sister of Johannes van Marwijk Kooy. Charles and his brother-in-law became good friends and, out of friendship, began brewing beer together. Johannes was 23 years old when he, along with his close friend Charles, founded De Amstel Brewery. Charles and Johannes enjoyed playing billiards. The red and white ball can still be seen in the Amstel Logo.