Brouwerij 't IJ

It's a well-known and publicized fact that I like beer. I like it a lot. Some say that I like it too much, but I don't believe in such a thing. The good thing is that M likes beer too. She may not like it as much as I do, but she enjoys a good, chilled brew here and there.

One place that I put on our list of things to do while in Amsterdam was Brouwerij 't IJ. It's a local brewery that actually brews onsite and sells through local providers as well as in their tasting room. It also has a windmill on top that used to be used in the brewing process back in the day. Oh, the windmill also still works, and that's really cool.

Windmill!

So aside from the novelty of the windmill, Brouwerij 't IJ also has really good, really cheap beer. How cheap you might ask?

This is the price per pint. And next to them is the alcohol content of each beer.

So I started with the Columbus since the Spicy Amber sounded intriguing, and it also had the highest alcohol content (yes, I'm a lush). M opted for the Plzn since she really likes pilsners. The Spicy Amber did indeed have a nice spice to it. I really can't recall the exact flavor anymore, but it had a nice bitterness to it to go with the spice. M's pilsner wasn't as smooth as the fresh Heinekin that we had at the brewery tour, but it was still crisp and refreshing.

*clink*
Now, we couldn't just go for beer. I'm perfectly comfortable walking around in a slight drunken haze, but M prefers not to do so. There were a few things that we read were recommended for all patrons. We tried to order the Osseworst, but they had run out. Instead we settled for a half order each of the Trappist Cheese and Salami. The cheese was really good, tasty cheese, and the salami tasted so fresh. M wasn't as fond of the salami since she's not really a fan of salami in general, but she did enjoy the cheese. She was just a tad unhappy because cheese and beer mixing together in her stomach did not feel all that great. She would do poorly in the Midwest :P

Cheese, sausage, and beer. The Midwesterner in me is smiling

And the Midwesterner in me doubly approves
Oh right, there are 3 glasses there. After I finished my first beer, I opted to go for a Zatte. It was sweet, refreshing, and very very tasty. So tasty that M liked it a lot and took it from me. Slightly annoyed to have lost my beer, I went up and ordered a Natte so that I could try and keep this one. The Natte was darker, more hoppy, and quite delicious. It was definitely my favorite of the day, and M obviously loved the Zatte.

Sadly our time here ended for the day. They're open daily but only from 3pm-8pm. At around 8pm they turned up all the lights, let everyone know they were closing, and started cleaning up. Now, the best part about this place is that it's family owned and they've only hired a few people from outside the family (or maybe they married in, I don't really know). Such as it is, the workers there started cleaning up, got bored, then poured themselves a few beers to relax for a bit. Everyone that goes helps clean up as well.

Bus your own glasses and plates
I'm not sure why I was so happy there. Yes, we just had some awesome cheese, salami, and beer, but they were closed. That meant no more beer for me. Oh well, we were already making plans to come back so it would be okay.

So happy. I don't get the ostrich, but whatever
If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, and we wholeheartedly recommend it, definitely put Brouwerij 't IJ on your list of places to visit. You will not be disappointed.