A few reflections looking back with fondness, at Cologne

A couple of posts ago I mentioned my plan to reflect on some of the more notable establishments in Cologne where one can enjoy quality food, free-flowing beer, engaging conversation and a relaxing atmosphere. That was the plan, but the more I’ve looked into it, the more taxing the task has become. Over the course of eight separate visits to Cologne, I've got to know many of the city’s best drinking houses. I did a count up and can list 12 classic beer houses selling Kölsch in the city, plus a number of “also runs”, and that’s without really trying. It's a start though, especially as I’ve had personal experience of all these establishments, but before describing some of them it’s worth reminding ourselves of what Cologne’s unique beer style is all about.

Kölsch is a survivor from the pre-lager brewing tradition of Northern Germany, but over the years has undergone a good deal of change. The most notable of these is the lightening of its colour to pale yellow, giving it the appearance of a Pilsner. It is perhaps not surprising then to learn that it is brewed mainly from Pilsner malt. Kölsch is top fermented at a temperature of between 13 to 21°C, which is more typical of ale brewing, but after the initial fermentation, it undergoes a period of conditioning, where it is lagered at a much colder temperature.

The end result is a clear beer with a bright, straw-yellow hue, but considering its background, there is little ale character to be found, apart from a little fruitiness. Kölsch tends to have a soft, and well-rounded character and can sometimes be on the sweet side.

Kölsch has to be brewed in the Cologne area before it can call itself such, and this qualification is stipulated by the “Kölsch Convention”, which dates back to the 1980’s. The convention was drawn up 24 breweries, some of which are no longer brewing, in order to protect the style from outside imitations. Additionally, a beer may only be called a Kölsch if it meets the following criteria:

It is brewed in the Cologne metropolitan area:

It is pale in colour
It is top-fermented
It is hop-accented
It is filtered
It is a ‘Vollbier’

Kölsch is usually served in small, plain cylindrical glasses known as Stangen, which typically hold just 20 cl of beer, although some outlets will use 25 cl versions. The reason for the small glasses is Kölsch is a beer designed to be drunk fresh. Leaving a newly poured glass standing for any length of time allows the beer’s condition to dissipate and is not conducive to enjoying it at its best. This ensures that customers have a fresh glass of beer for as long as they wish to continue drinking,

Kölsch waiters, who appear to always be male, carry round a circular tray known as a Kranz. This has inserts designed to accommodate up to a dozen glasses, and they will automatically offer customers a fresh glass of Kölsch, making a pencil mark on a beer mat, for each glass taken. The waiters are known as “Köbes” (a word derived from “Jakobus”) and wear distinctive blue aprons. They have a reputation for being a bit gruff, but this might be unfounded, as most of the ones I have come across have been helpful and often friendly as well.

Since the formation of the “Kölsch Convention”, there has been the inevitable mergers and closures, so typical of the brewing industry the world over. This has led to many Kölsch “brands” now being brewed at one large brewery, known as the Kölner Verbund Brauereien GmbH & Co. This is housed in what was formerly the Küppers Brewery.

So, what about the pubs and bars? Personally, I prefer some of the less well-known establishments away from the well-worn tourist trail. But if you’re a stranger to the city, it’s probably advisable to start with some of the more popular establishments and tourist spots, as they offer a good introduction to drinking in Cologne.

One of the most famous Kӧlsch houses in Cologne, as well as one of the largest, is Früh am Dom. "Dom" is the German word for cathedral, and Früh is very close to the magnificent gothic cathedral that dominates the centre of Cologne. 

 I have made several visits to Früh am Dom, and on each occasion this Cologne institution, with its maze of inter-connected rooms, spread out across several different levels, seems to have grown in size. On my last visit to IDS, our group called in at Früh and found the place absolutely heaving. Fortunately, one of the waiters managed to squeeze us in, and looked after our table of six, along with several others. He kept us supplied with numerous glasses of Kölsch that evening and took care of our food orders as well.

Gaffel am Dom, is another large, and cavernous establishment which is on the other side of the cathedral, and just around the corner from the main station (Hauptbahnhof).  It is a beer-hall I know well from numerous visits trips to Cologne, and the Gaffel Kölsch sold is a soft, hoppy, and easy-drinking beer which slips down rather easily. It is also one of the most widely available brands of Kölsch, in Cologne.

Probably my favourite beer house in the city centre is Peter’s Brauhaus, and another establishment that I’ve visited several times. One of the most memorable of these occasions was in 2017, when we called in on what was our second night in the city. Peter’s is a very traditional looking establishment, and the Peters Kӧlsch we enjoyed there was amongst the best we came across during our stay. Even better it was served direct from small metal casks, perched up on a stand behind the bar. 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 case in Cologne.

Bierhaus en d'r Salzgass, is another classic old town pub, sited on a narrow cobbled street which leads from Heumarkt to Buttermarkt, in an area teeming with pubs, bars and restaurants. I was recommended to try this outlet, by Manchester-based blogger Matt whose informed and well-written site, “When My Feet go Through the Door”, is well worth clicking onto. Matt assured me that, as well as serving Päffgen Kölsch, the pub’s menu was also of a high standard. Two years after that visit to Peter’s, we tried our luck with Bierhaus en d'r Salzgass, after being turned away from a number of other outlets that evening.

As the German speaker of the group, I was left to ask if the pub could accommodate our party of five. The place seemed packed, but the waiter, perhaps warming to being addressed in his native tongue, managed to find us a table squeezed in towards the back of the pub. He also confirmed that we could also pay by card, provided we paid as a group. It was a good move befriending that particular Köbes, as he looked after us well, ensuring we never had an empty glass in front of us, and that our food arrived promptly. I made sure to give him a generous tip when it came to paying the bill.

The Kölsch, which was dispensed straight from the cask was every bit as good as I remembered it, and the food was equally good. Eschewing the rather obvious roast pork knuckle, I opted instead for an old favourite from visits to Munich, in the form of Leberkässe mit Spiegelei & Bratkartoffeln. We spent a couple of hours in this real old-school, traditional pub, soaking up the atmosphere and the beer in equal quantities. I had to accompany the Köbes to the bar, in order to pay, and it was here that I saw the kegs of Päffgen, set out on the counter in a very similar manner to those at Peters Brauhaus.

Päffgen Kӧlsch is worthy of an article of its own, which I will post another time, but not being able to make that third, and probably final visit to this legendary brewpub, remains my sole regret of turning down this year’s visit to IDS. Of course, there’s no guarantee that I would have been able to call in at Päffgen, having been thwarted by circumstances during the last three trips to Cologne, but I regard it as a “special place” and somewhere I’d like to experience one last time. We shall see!