Windmill Pub Amsterdam: Brouwerij 't IJ Brewery & De Gooyer

Why you should visit!

Visiting the Windmill pub and the Brouwerij 't IJ brewery should be on your things to do on your Amsterdam bucket list. Especially if you love Dutch beer and a unique pub environment with great service.

We absolutely loved the beer tasting, where they serve you 5 beers from the tap to try.

The Brouwerij 't IJ beer is a world-known beer brand. It is brewed in the same location as the pub, which is set in a former bathhouse known as the Funenkade.

The beer brewed here is as per the Belgian beer-brewing tradition, and you will find an interesting variety of beers to try. Also, the brewery can be visited during selected days of the week.

Right next to that stands the tallest windmill in the Netherlands, de Gooyer, a national monument and worth visiting for a picture.

De Gooyer Windmill

Known as the tallest standing wooden windmill in the Netherlands, with a total height of 87 feet, De Gooyer is a historical former grain mill.

Built on a stone foundation and wooden octagonal structure, the scaffold mill is also known as the Funenmolen, as it is overlooking the area of the same name.

Unfortunately, the windmill cannot be visited, but you will still want to see this gigantic structure from another era because it's the only windmill in the city center.

All the famous windmills are in Zaanse Schanse, which is a 30-60 minute ride across the river via public transport.

It's way more convenient to travel to the De Gooyer windmill, and it's an impressive one. Besides, you have the Brouwerij 't IJ pub and brewery just below the windmill, and therefore a visit there is highly recommended.

Brouwerij 't IJ Pub and Brewery

Created in 1985 by a former musician, Kaspar Peterson, the Brouwerij 't IJ beer now counts as one of the most iconic beer exports from the Netherlands.

Inspired by Belgian-style beer, he converted the former Funen bathhouse from 1911 in Amsterdam into a brewery and pub. Besides, when Heineken left Amsterdam in 1988, Brouwerij 't IJ became the oldest active brewery in the city.

Every tap and bottled beer served at the pub is therefore brewed in the basement of the pub, which is pretty extraordinary.

About 11 beers are available all year round, and 3 special seasonal beers and some limited beers can be found on the pub menu as well.

These are the 11 standard Brouwerij 't IJ tap beers:

• Ijwit 6.5% — Aromatic, slight sweet, golden beer.
• Zatte Tripel 8% — The classic, as per Belgian triple strong beer tradition.
• IPA 7% — Indian Pale Ale, dark-blonde beer.
• Blondie 5.8% — Brewed as per Belgian tradition with barley oat and wheat.
• Calypso Session IPA 4% - Fruity light beer.
• Berrie 0.5% - Low alcohol beer with raspberry flavor
• Free I.P.A 0.5% - Firm and fresh low alcohol beer.
• Vrijwit 0.5%
• Natte 6.5% - A Dubble beer, which is a smooth dark Belgian beer.
• Columbus 9% - A full-bodied heavy beer
• Flink 4.7% - A light pale ale.

The seasonal beers include:

• Biri 4.7% — Light and fresh, brewed with maize.
• Paasiji 7% — Aromatic bokbier served during Easter and in spring.
• Ijbok 6.5% — Dark brown, full-bodied beer served in fall.
• Ijndejaars 9% — A beer that always tastes different every year.

And they also make special occasion beers which appear for a limited period only.

With the beer, you get an option to order some snacks from the food menu. They offer sausages, olives, boiled eggs, and nuts.

I highly recommend trying the tasting on the menu, which includes a sample of 5 beers. They serve it until 5 pm, and the set includes a Blondie, Natte, Zatte, Ijwit, and a Columbus.

We loved this option because we got to taste the difference between every Brouwerij 't IJ beer.

The brewery itself can be visited, but only on the weekends. They offer a short guided English tour at 3:30 pm and a Dutch tour every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for €2.50 per adult.

They follow a “first come, first served” principle, with 20 spots only. You can't book in advance.

We didn't visit the brewery because we visited on a weekday, but something we didn't know at the time they do offer private tours after 6 pm during weekdays.

We had such a blast at the pub that we didn't bother to do a brewery tour anyway. We came for the high-quality beer!

Location

The Windmill Pub is easily accessible as it is situated just 15 minutes away from the Amsterdam central train station and also the Rijeksmuseum.

You will find the pub and brewery right below the unmissable and towering De Gooyer windmill.

Four public transport stops are situated just 2 minutes walking distance from the Windmill. Depending on your connection, you can get out at the Hoogte Kadijk tram stop, the Pontanusstraat tram stop, the Oostenburgergracht bus stop or the 1e Coehoornstraat tram stop.

When to visit?

We chose to visit on a weekday in the afternoon because we knew this place was popular, and we like it less busy.

The Windmill Pub is open all year round daily during weekdays from 2 pm to 10 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 pm.

They have an indoor sitting area with a bar and an outdoor terrace area. People tend to sit outdoors under the windmill when the weather is nice. I, personally, preferred the indoor atmosphere and aesthetics.

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