Strange brewery name, but they make very good beers. I tried years ago to get some of their beers, but they were small with no need to send their beer so far afield. Since then, Duvel-Mortgaat have bought a stake in the business, and with that production has increased, so here we are with a beer from ‘t IJ.
They are a Dutch brewery located in an old bath house in Amsterdam. It really doesn’t get any more Dutch than that! The name means ‘The IJ’, ‘IJ’ being a nearby body of water that makes up part of Amsterdam’s waterfront.
Our first taste of ‘t IJ beer is their witbier, and it is important to note that they are styling this as an Amsterdam witbier, rather than trying to mimic a Belgian wit.
It pours a lovely looking slightly cloudy orange colour, with a rocky white foam. At least it looks the same as the Belgian wits.
There is a sweetness to the fullish body of this beer, both malty and fruity. Though it does sharpen a little as you go along. But it isn’t sweet in a bad way, just a satisfyingly full bodied, very pleasant flavour that gives hints of the coriander and lemon citrus that is added to the beer.
The full flavour lasts right through the beer and was giving me thoughts of a Belgian Blond by the end. It is a really enjoyable beer, and enough to ensure that we get some more beers from ‘t IJ to try.