Up in smoke
Can you picture one of these heavy glass Amstel ashtrays on a 'Persian' table rug in a traditional 'brown' Dutch pub? Do you recall the odour of stale smoke and beer? You won't encounter this scene anywhere in the Netherlands today. After a long period of tolerance and designated smoking areas, smoking indoors in the hospitality sector was finally banned on 1 July 2011.
Smoking was once inextricably linked to pub culture, or so it seemed. A beer without a cigarette was unthinkable for many, until the smoking ban.
Alcohol and tobacco: a 'golden' combination
Alcohol and tobacco was a popular, centuries-old combination. Paintings of pub scenes by old Dutch masters always feature a man somewhere in a corner with one of those long, white Gouda pipes. And you often hear people who are trying to quit smoking say that the temptation to light up is strongest on a night out with lots of booze. That's because both nicotine and alcohol release dopamine in the brain's reward centre, which makes you feel good.
A shake-up
The imminent smoking ban caused quite a stir at the time, mainly among pub-going smokers. Smoke-free restaurants were met with more understanding – few find the combination of smoke and eating (out) appealing. Entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry feared a fall in turnover, even bankruptcies. These fears turned out to be unfounded the end. According to a news report from 2008: 'The number of pubs and restaurants that went bankrupt did not increase, but decreased. Beer turnover fell slightly. The brewer Heineken – beer supplier, landlord and mortgage lender to many pubs – reports the same picture. In countries where the smoking ban was introduced earlier, Western Europe's biggest beer producer also saw an initial drop in sales, which picked up again after a while.'
Healthier lifestyle
The same thing happened in in the Netherlands. But there was something else going on too. The noughties saw a societal shift towards a generally healthier lifestyle, towards prevention rather than disease control. In 2001, Heineken launched its global campaign Enjoy Heineken responsibly, which discourages alcohol abuse and encourages enjoying beer in moderation at appropriate times. Heineken was ahead of its time: the sale of all alcoholic beverages to and consumption by under-18s in the Netherlands was prohibited by law in 2014.
Smoke and alcohol free
So, the Amstel ashtray became yet another relic of a lost era to be added to the Heineken Collection. Fortunately, the brown pub phenomenon has not disappeared completely. You can still enjoy it in most cities: smoke-free, with a Heineken 0.0 for those who want it.