I thought I’d visited Peters Brauhaus on a previous trip to Cologne,
but looking back it must have been Brauhaus Sion instead. The latter is just short
walk away, so it’s easy to see how the confusion may have arisen. Both outlets are fine examples of a traditional, Cologne beer-house.
Anyway, I was pleased we called in at Peters on our first
night in the city, as not only was it a very traditional looking establishment,
but the Peters Kӧlsch we enjoyed was amongst the best we came across in
the city. Even better it was served direct from metal casks, perched up on a
stand behind the bar, and being dispensed by gravity, without the use of
extraneous CO2, the beer was smooth tasty and far less gassy compared to what
is often the norm in Cologne.
As we entered we noticed a sign (in German only), in the
porch asking visitors to wait in order to be seated. When the waiter, or Kӧbes
as they are called in Cologne,
arrived I told him that we had already eaten and just wanted a few drinks. He
beckoned us to follow him to an area at the far right of the Brauhaus, which
was immediately opposite the bar; except it wasn’t a bar as we know it in the UK.
Instead it was the area where the beer is dispensed.
As mentioned earlier, the beer was dispensed direct from
metal casks which are brought up from the cellar by means of a chain-pulled,
block and tackle type of arrangement. This means the beer arrives already
chilled to the perfect serving temperature. There was one large cask evident,
plus several smaller ones; the latter probably reserved for towards the end of
the evening’s session.
Close to the opposite wall was a large oval-shaped wooden
table, which was obviously designed with stand-up drinking in mind, and this
suited us fine. We stood there enjoying several glasses of the excellent
Peters Kӧlsch, which slipped down a treat, and acted as the perfect night-cap
after our earlier meal. I took several photos of the interior, on my trip back
from the toilets, which were at the opposite end of the pub.
The place was quite quiet, but it was Monday and with the
dental show not due to open until the following morning, many visitors were
probably still on their way over to Cologne. Our visit though was still a great
experience of a really traditional Cologne
beer-house, and a great way for us to end our first night in the city.`
Footnote: Until 2004, Peters Brauhaus was the tap of the former Peters
& Bambeck Brauerei. The latter is now part of the Oetker Group, Germany's
largest private brewing conglomerate
and, like many other brands of Kӧlsch, Peters is now brewed at the Kölner Brauerei-Verbund plant in Köln-Mulheim.
The pub remains thankfully
unchanged, and is well worth a visit, if you are ever in Cologne.
7 comments:
Nice piece, Paul.
I'm always impressed the beer in those 0.2l glasses can be so smooth tasting. Slip down far too quick though !
Is there any specific protocol for just getting a drink in German pubs ? The presumption always seems to be you'll be eating. Is standing at the bar a no-no ?
Thanks Martin. Standing at the bar in a German pub, seems a definite no-no, which means you do have to be seated in order to get a drink.
I agree that the assumption is that you'll be eating, but if I'm not planning to do so, or have eaten elsewhere, I normally say that I just want a drink - "Nur trinken, nicht essen," and have never had a problem with that.
Those 20cl glasses of Kӧlsch do slip down rather too easily, especially when, as at Peters, the beer is gravity dispensed.
On our last evening in Cologne, we dined at a pub-cum-restaurant which was tied to Löwenbräu, from Munich. I'm not sure what dispense method was used, as the beer was brought straight to our table. It was served by the half litre, and again it slipped down rather quickly, especially as it was not at all gassy; just smooth, tasty and thirst-quenching!
Full report to follow.
In Germany, the distinction between a purely wet pub and a restaurant used to be much more distinct than in the UK. It is a bit more undefined now, but in general, if a place serves food, you would be expected to sit. If drinks only, standing at the bar is perfectly ok.
The old neighbourhood Eckkneipe / Corner Pub will have most people sitting or standing together at the bar on a quiet night. But you will probably not encounter these kind of places that often as a tourist.
Cologne brewhouses are somewhat special again. The main focus will be on seating, but each place usually has a small area tucked slightly away, but close to the barrels for (quick) drinkers only, called a "Schwemme". It is quite an interesting place, since you can usually watch the Köbesse at the barrels, which can be fun in itself. That is where the Köbes took you in Peters.
Päffgen has one a bit hidden to the left of the Barrels at the entrance, and the one at Früh am Dom is quite interesting ,since you can see a pretty old custom in creation. Back in the days, the Köbes would have to buy his beer from the brewmaster before selling it on to the guests. This is why some of the older brewhouses have some sort of cabin for a supervisor close to the barrles, called the Beichtstuhl / Confessional. In Früh, they still have that in a way, since the Köbes who takes the beer away has to order it with the guys at the barrels and has to pay with his individual beer mark before taking it away.
At Lommis, you would have encountered the classical Eckkneipen-style, though. Several ranks of customers in front of the bar and spilling out into the courtyard on busy days.
Hope i don't sound too much like an overenthusiastic tour guide ;-)
Yes, thanks for another good read Paul, and I hope that you are well rested now.
I doubt if you have missed this, but it bears showing again, I think you'll agree:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/241584
The turnout for Farage's daft walk - which he isn't even doing himself - of fewer than a hundred, suggests that all the threats of disorder, were the aim actually to happen, are completely empty.
Thank-you Robert for your interesting and very enlightening explanation about the different types of German drinking establishments; and no, you certainly don’t sound like an over-enthusiastic tour guide!
I remember my first visit, back in 2007, to the legendary Schlenkerla Tavern in Bamberg, where I sat in what seemed like a corridor between the main bar on the left, and the more restaurant-like room a couple of steps up to the right. There was a small serving hatch where I bought my beer from, as did the other customers. I’m pretty certain this area was referred to as the “Schwemme”.
That first visit was the only occasion I sat in that part of the tavern, as on subsequent ones I have sat either in the locals bar at the left, or the aforementioned room at the right. It was table service in both rooms!
I have drank in Früh am Dom on a couple of occasions, but don’t recall seeing the “Confessional” – hardly surprising considering the size of the place. I do remember one in one particular pub in central Cologne. I think it may have been Päffen, but I’m not entirely sure.
As I may have said in a previous response, we unfortunately didn’t have time for visit to Lommis – next time perhaps?
I’ve just checked the petition you refer to Etu, and it’s getting close to 1 million signatures. Not bad for something which only started yesterday. I signed it last night and shared it on my social media account.
We met people from all over the world, whilst in Cologne, and without exception they felt the UK has totally lost its senses in wanting to leave the European Union.
Farage is certainly all bluster – I was going to say all style and no substance, but there’s nothing stylish about old frog-face. “Man of the people” – my *rse!
Thank you for a blog that allows me to dream myself to a nice pub crawl every now and again!
Great to read about Schlenkerla. I have been to Bamberg only once. But by your description, I am prety sure that the concept is basically the same.
Päffgen and Mühlen have good examples of a Confessional in the form of a small cabin close to the barrels. Früh does not have it as such, I think. But at the Schwemme there, you can see the Köbes "buying" the beer from the guys pouring it at the bar, before selling it on to the customers.
I'll be happy to buy the first round at Lommis when your next trip to the fair comes around!
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