Brouwerij 't IJ: Craft Beer Beneath De Gooyer Windmill

What Brouwerij 't IJ Actually Is

Brouwerij 't IJ is a craft brewery founded in October 1985 by Kaspar Peterson, making it one of the pioneers of the Dutch craft beer movement. It operates out of a former municipal bathhouse known as the Funen, a sturdy red-brick building that sits directly beneath the De Gooyer windmill on Funenkade. The windmill itself in its current form dates to the early 19th century and is one of the few surviving wooden-bodied windmills in Amsterdam. The pairing of an early-20th-century bathhouse and a centuries-old mill creates an architectural contrast you are unlikely to find at any other brewery in Northern Europe.

The tasting room, sometimes referred to as the Proeflokaal or Café Struis, is where most visitors spend their time. It is a compact, wood-panelled space with high ceilings, brewery tanks visible through glass panels, and a long bar stocked with the brewery's own beers on tap. There are outdoor benches along the canal, which fill quickly on warm afternoons. Entry is free, and the only cost is whatever you order.

The Beers: What to Order

The brewery produces a core range of unfiltered, unpasteurised beers brewed on-site, alongside seasonal and limited releases. The names draw on Amsterdam canal and water imagery: Zatte is a strong tripel at 8%, Columbus is a hoppy amber at 8.7%, and IJwit is a refreshing wheat beer at 6.5% that is the most approachable choice for first-time visitors. Seasonal taps rotate through the year and are worth asking about at the bar.

Alcohol levels across the range are notably high by Dutch standards. The IJwit at 6.5% is among the lighter beers in the core lineup. If you are pacing yourself over an afternoon, order small glasses (kleinepils or a proefglaasje where available) rather than pints. The bar staff are accustomed to visitors asking for tasting recommendations and are generally happy to help.

The De Gooyer Windmill and the Building's History

The De Gooyer windmill, which towers directly above the brewery entrance, is one of the tallest wooden mills in the Netherlands. It was relocated to its current site on Funenkade in 1814, having originally stood elsewhere in the city. The mill is privately owned and not open to the public, but it forms the unmistakable visual centrepiece of the site and makes Brouwerij 't IJ one of the most photographed spots in Amsterdam's eastern neighbourhoods.

The bathhouse beneath it was built in the early 20th century as a public washing facility for the working-class neighbourhood surrounding it. When the building fell out of use, Peterson converted it into a brewery at a time when Amsterdam had almost no independent craft beer production. The choice of location was pragmatic as much as poetic: the rent was low, the building had water infrastructure, and the windmill offered instant recognition. Today, the site sits at the edge of the Plantage neighbourhood, a quieter, greener part of the city that most visitors overlook in favour of the canal ring.

How the Experience Changes by Time of Day

Arriving just after 14:00 on a weekday gives you the best version of the tasting room: unhurried, with seats available both inside and on the canal-side terrace, and bar staff with time to talk through the beer list. The light in the late afternoon catches the brickwork of the bathhouse facade at a flattering angle, and the windmill sails are occasionally turning if there is a reasonable wind off the IJ waterway.

By 17:00 on a Friday or Saturday, the terrace is typically packed. Visitors and locals share the outdoor benches in a way that is convivial rather than crowded, but finding a table without waiting becomes difficult. The interior fills more slowly and usually has space even when the terrace does not. Weekend evenings, particularly in summer, can feel significantly more social and loud inside; the 22:00 closing time means the energy does not build to a late-night crescendo, which keeps the atmosphere manageable.

In winter, the terrace empties and the indoor space becomes more intimate. The low afternoon light through the bathhouse windows, combined with a warm IJwit or a Zatte tripel, makes a cold January visit genuinely pleasant rather than a compromise. This is one of the few Amsterdam attractions that works well in off-season conditions.

The Brewery Tour

Weekend brewery tours run Friday through Sunday and last approximately 20 minutes. The cost is about €5.50 per person including a beer, and groups are capped at 20 participants. The tour covers the production process, the history of the building, and the specific techniques the brewery uses for its unfiltered beers. It is short but informative, and the price-to-content ratio is unusually good.

Tours are not bookable online in advance as of this writing; check the official site for current scheduling as this may have changed. Arriving early on a weekend afternoon gives you the best chance of joining a tour at capacity. The tour ends in the tasting room, which is a logical segue into ordering.

Getting There and the Surrounding Area

From Amsterdam Centraal, tram 14 runs directly to Pontanusstraat, from which the windmill is visible within a few minutes' walk along the canal. From Leidseplein, tram 7 towards Azartplein to Hoogte Kadijk brings you to the same area from the south. The walk from either stop along Funenkade is flat, canal-side, and passes some of the quieter residential streets that give Amsterdam's eastern districts their unhurried character.

The brewery is also reachable by bicycle, which is the most practical option for most Amsterdam visitors. The Plantage district sits between the city centre and the IJ waterfront, making it a natural stopping point on a longer eastern loop that could include the Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo, the Hortus Botanicus, or the Dutch Resistance Museum nearby. The brewery makes a logical late-afternoon anchor for such a route.

For visitors combining this with a broader exploration of Amsterdam's craft beer scene or independent food and drink culture, the Amsterdam on a budget guide covers how to build an afternoon around low-cost, high-quality local spots without relying on tourist-facing venues.

Photography and What to Bring

The exterior of the brewery, with the De Gooyer windmill rising behind the red-brick bathhouse, is best photographed from across Funenkade on the canal bank opposite. Late afternoon light from the west catches the mill sails and the facade simultaneously. Wide-angle lenses are useful given the height of the windmill relative to its surroundings. Inside the tasting room, the light is low and warm; phone cameras perform adequately but dedicated cameras benefit from a wider aperture setting.

There is no strict dress code. The atmosphere is casual, and the clientele ranges from cyclists in activewear to couples who have come directly from nearby cultural institutions. The terrace can be cold and breezy even in spring and autumn given the waterfront exposure, so a layer is worth carrying.

Who Should Think Twice

Visitors who do not drink alcohol will find the setting interesting but the offering limited. The historic architecture and the windmill are genuinely worth seeing, but the entire experience is structured around beer consumption. Families with very young children can visit the outdoor terrace, but the interior tasting room is not a child-friendly environment. The 22:00 closing time rules this out as a late-night destination, which may frustrate visitors building a night-out itinerary.

Those looking for a full evening of Amsterdam nightlife should consult the Amsterdam nightlife guide for venues with later hours and a more structured late-night offering.