t IJ Plzen

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Bohemian Pilsener
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bottled at DBA in NYC. Couldn’t believe I found t IJ in the states. Couldn’t believe that t IJ could call this a pilsener. Powerful, grassy and full bodied. This beer makes no sense. That’s a good thing.

On tap at the brewery. A bit warner than a lager should be served. This beer is golden, with a thick head. The aroma is light, with a bit of citrus. The body is medium with a flavor that I can’t quite name. Some artifact of the yeast I suspect, as the flavor is best described as wooden. The finish is clean, if a bit sweet.

Bottled. It was interesting to find this beer in Helsinki as it seems to be rare in Amsterdam (or at least I didn’t see it in beer bars). Pale yellow, good creamy white head. Fruity, mango aroma with metallic notes. Lemony grassy flavor, even some notes of wood (oak). Very Belgium blonde-like pils. Fruity but dry - as such enjoyable. I believe that this is actually made with an ale yeast.

Ostrich stands above her egg, no head in ground, ready to guard against harsh reality...good girl... hazed, yellowy appearance....huge bone-white froth atop...nicety-nice-nice... Aroma doesn’t suggest a Czech or German Pils, or even a bastardizes American version, no, it smells all Belgian...fat yeast, huge aromatics, zesty citrus, far-reaching spice, coriander? Cardomom? cardopop?...some’pin’ like that?...yums, though... Taste: Clean and yummy, fresh, tasty, flush with lemon and orange, crisp and delicious...again, though, much more than any typical pils, this is a step and a half beyond...doesn’t even feel like a lager, so rich and full...but very memorable Overall: delicious, truly...full of flavor and long lasting, on the palate and in the mind...not quite a "pils" as we understand them, but so dominated by the particular character of Belgian beers, well, who cares, it’s good stuff! Drink ’er up!

This one poured a dark yellow color, as dark as pilsners get. The head was significant initially (all bubbly) and subsided to a very nice and continuous covering that maintained itself well. Lacing was solid, almost a continuous bubbly coating around the glass and where it broke between the top and the beer itself, there were nice little dangling fingers reaching their way into the beer. Definitely an appearance hard to beat within style. The aroma was as good as you can get for a pilsner. Nice and strong grassy hops. The flavor was dead on for a pilsner, but not my cup of tea: all grass. So much hoppy grass, it tasted like nasty wild grasses and muddy seawead. Just not my liking in a beer. If you’re a pilsner guy, you’ll love this extreme example of the style. Finishes bitter, obviously. Mouthfeel was rich and thick for the style, lots of carbonation too.

Draft glass
Consumed at ’t IJ, Amsterdam, May 2006
Clear dark gold colored body with a proper firm, thick head. Has a bit of a soapy canola oil and celery aroma, possibly a brewing defect. Sharp tasting, chalky, sweet up front, sour in back, typical. Some plastic flavors in the finish. Not a good experience.

Bottle sampled with stegosaurus. pours gold with a white head. aroma of yeast, hops, citrus. Flavor is sweet, citrus, and bitter. Good beer.

Bottle sampled with Beerded_one. Pours hazygolden with a decent sized white head. Aroma of floral hops, citrus, yeast, sweet malts. Flavor is sweet, citrusy, lielvely carbonation, yeast, and slight hoppy bitter undertones come together to make this a good pilsner.