A couple of fun travel rules came together rather tastily recently for us in Amsterdam.
The first rule is whenever you visit a city that has a popular local microbrewery, you always have to give it a try at a local bar or even better yet visit the brewery. The second rule is when visiting Holland, you have to get up close and personal with at least one windmill during your stay.
As we found out, you can knock both off your list at the same time in Amsterdam at Brouwerij ‘t IJ (the IJ Brewery), the brewery in a windmill!
While a good majority of the windmills in this lowland nation are located in the countryside, there are a handful located within the city of Amsterdam, and Brouwerij ‘t IJ is literally located in, well right smack next to, the De Gooyer windmill, one of the city’s prettiest.
After a chilly and rainy forty minute bike ride, the mood inside the brewery was perfectly suited to warm us up. Since we were there on a Monday, the place was pretty empty and we were able to score a seat next to the radiator.
It’s definitely on the tourist radar, but it’s far enough out to retain a local feel and on this night, it was us, two other tourists, and then a handful of local regulars. We were able to chat with the bartender and find out that the beers are all organically made on the premises in addition to being very budget-friendly at 2.50 Euros a glass.
We tried the classic Pilsner, the Wit with hints of coriander and lemon, and our favourite the seasonal Ijnde Jaars (end of year) seasonal brew with a 9% ABV and winter spices.
In addition to being a cozy winter spot, Brouwerij ‘t IJ has a big outdoor canal side garden, which on warmer and sunnier days would be a very scenic place to have a beer.
It really can’t get more quintessentially Dutch than Brouwerij ‘t IJ, and I can’t recommend a place for it on your list of things to do in Amsterdam enough.
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