please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The last time I was here (see review below) I was deeply unimpressed, although, as I said at the time, the beer was good. I am pleased to say that the pub has undergone a thorough makeover and the result is first class. It is now bright and airy, with an island bar and a new space with additional seating.
My companions and I enjoyed two lengthy sessions here and we all agreed the IPA was better than ever. The place has upped it's game and is now an essential stop on a visit to Amsterdam.
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L shaped bar with a large dead space at one end. Very basic furniture. The pub seemed slightly run down on this visit. The first beer sampled was Zatte, which was not great. The follow up, the IPA was very good and several more were consumed. Beer aside, I wasn’t greatly impressed with this place and won’t be rushing back.
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i do really like this place. if its a sunny day (which are few and far between in holland) then its great to sit out under the windmill with a selection of beers and a plate of peppered cheese. if its not so sunny, the tasting room/bar is suprisingly spit and sawdust, which is also nice.
its worth mentioning that if you are heading out to the brewery from centraal station, 'voyagers coffeeshop' is en route which is one the best coffeeshops in amsterdam, smoke wise, so combining t'ij and Voyagers product leads to a thoroughly pleasant and hazey afternoon.
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Paid a timely visit here last night on a long overdue crawl of Amsterdam pubs on the 22 bus route.
I ordered a glass of Columbus in Dutch as being able to speak a little bit of the local language goes a very long way. A glass of the aforementioned liquid duly appeared. I soon got into conversation with some extremely friendly locals who would not allow me to pay for drinks throughout this cracking session. I only noticed this point when asking for my bill (in Dutch).If it's worth doing, it's worth doing at the Ij.
Smaakelijk!
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My first visit to this place on 3/08/2008 and would thoroughly recomend it. I arrived before it opened (hours on a Sunday are 15.00-20.00 and I think that may be the same for the rest of the week as well) so I went for a few in the bar on the other side of the canal which also has a good range of beers.
There's a large outside seating area. The bar staff are really good and the atmosphere is very friendly. The beers are, like everbody says here top notch.
You can get there by number 22 bus from near Centraal Station or the number 14 tram which goes via Rembrandtplien. Well worth the short trip.
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And again!
A fabulous session on Saturday 29/03/08. Lively conversation filling the pub. Nice to get recognised by a few locals from a year ago! The bar has now been extended around the corner into the extenstion to create an L-shaped (upper case L that is!) bar.
Beers still mainly below 2 euros for a half-pint glass, and I can report the following tasting notes on sampled beers:
PLZEN - Straightforward hoppiness this time, no sweet notes;
STRUIS - Very sweet indeed with strong malt notes and a hint of blackcurrant. Made a good contrast to the Plzen and was particularly enjoyable when peanuts were eaten while drinking it. Good, well-presented beer, recommended for those who like sweet beer but not quite my favourite;
NATTE - Less sweet than Struis, more malt, nevertheless it had a curious metallic undertone attributable to end-of-barrel status. Noted the clip was removed shortly afterwards.
ZATTE - Excellent, rounded, well-balanced flavours here. Maltiness and delicate fruity sweetness are salient over a background hoppy undertone. Drinkers of Milton beers - think "Jupiter" on its best form, although more gaseous due to brewing method. Superb in my humble opinion.
Can never tire of the place!
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One or two changes to report follwing my visit last night (24/03/07) - none of them "bad" though. Had a very enjoyable session indeed with Mike Dolan - a Canadian with whom I'd struck up conversation on the 22 bus on the way to the pub.
Visitors will notice a large new extension - painted grey within, adjoining the brewery room and the main bar area creating an L-shape. Such a change was inevitable as the IJ continues to feed off its own success. Also note the snug to the right of the bar has had to be closed off - not quite sure of the reason but drinkers seeking the snug are faced by a plasterboard partition.
Initial adverse surprise at the structural alterations soon dissolved when Mike and I took our first sips of IJ Pilzn. Ahhh - just what the doctor ordered... heaven! There seemed to be a slight sweet note in the initial few seconds follwed by the resounding dry hoppiness for which we all love Pilzn.
All the spicy sweetness of Paasij were present in the Easter brew, and the liquorice/aniseed flavours still graced the tongue of Ladnewton.
I tried a third beer during this visit - IJwit. Although a thoroughly well-crafted beer with an intentionally sweet honey taste throughout, it was this very sweetness that I didn't find to my own personal taste. That would not stop me recommending it to anyone with a liking for sweet beer, and it would also work well as a dessert ale.
The brewery is certainly going from strength to strength, but they are keeping the beer - and the brewery - as they are for the foreseeable future.
Once again, a positively excellent experience. Had this been the only place I'd visited in Amsterdam, the return flight would have been worth it!
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The Ij beers aren't lagers but ales, roughly in the Belgian style. Even their pils, Plzen, is top-fermented.
All of their bottled beers are on sale to take away, at prices lower than you'll find anywhere else.
The quickest way to get there from the city centre is a number 22 bus from Centraal Station. It takes about 7 minutes and stops right outside. You can also take a number 10 tram from the Leidse plein. That too stops right outside. It's easy to work out when to get off - just look for the windmill.
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I can report on a positively excellent pilgrimage to the IJ a fortnight ago during which I took the pictures for BITE. I don't know if it's just my imagination or if the beers seem to improve with each visit.
Paasij had a lot of zing and tang to it this time, faint aniseed and liquorice notes included, whilst Pilzn retained and increased its hoppy amertume flavour.
NOTE: no food available except boiled eggs and peanuts, although these are sold at very reasonable prices.
I have yet to meet someone who has not been glad they tried the IJ beers.
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This place is brilliant and if you go try the full range of beers. The Plzn is my favourite for quaffing. Staff and clientele are friendly.
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Update:
I visited again on Saturday 19/03/2005 and was pleasantly surprised with the Pilzn which was hoppy and bitter, and did not have a sugary taste as described below. However their Easter brew (Paasij) did have a sweet candy taste to it but this seemed intentional by the brewer. Keep it up.
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It can't be denied that this place used to be THE place to go for the ij beers. The problem for the last 3 or so years is that they serve the beers too 'green' and all you can taste is candy sugar. To try them at their best go to the Wildeman or Belgique where they have been left to ferment before going on sale.
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Enjoyed atmosphere and beer. Any info on hauntings at your pub? Our pictures have actiive orbs in the background.
Joe - 2 Mar 2004 21:38 |
Lovely little place - even if you don't like beer
Siobhain - 18 Dec 2003 10:40 |
A classic Dutch brew pub in a windmill on the river IJ. This is a working brewery producing 4 or 5 real lager beers. A must for any beer lover visiting Amsterdam. The pub opens 1400 to 2000 daily, and stops serving at 1930. Try the PLZN, very hoppy and bitter - quite a pleasant surprise for a real-ale drinker like me! NATTE is a brown ale rather like Newcastle Brown, and COLUMBUS is their strong 9% dark beer. DEFINITELY worth a visit!
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