Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer

I’m not sure as to when I first came across Schreckenskammer-Kölsch. It must have been prior to my penultimate visit to Cologne, which was in 2019. This was at a time when I believed I had drunk virtually every Kölsch available in the city, so stumbling upon Schreckenskammer came as something of a surprise. I bought a 500ml bottle during that 2019 trip but was determined to track down the Schreckenskammer pub on my next visit to Cologne, little thinking that, thanks to Covid, the trip wouldn’t be for another four years!

Today, I’m back home and writing this post exactly a week after finally managing to sample some draught Schreckenskammer on, not just its own turf, but actually in the Schreckenskammer pub itself. Doing a spot of research though, brings me no nearer to discovering exactly where this particularly fine Kölsch is brewed, but worse than that I have discovered there is no exact figure available for the number of different Kölsch’s brewed in the city. This means that despite my earlier comment in the opening paragraph, I certainly haven’t drunk virtually every Kölsch available in Cologne.

Kölsch is described as “one of the most strictly defined beer styles in Germany”, but despite this, out of the 20 brewers that make up the Kölner Brauerei-Verband (Cologne Brewers Association), only 11 of them actually produce Kölsch. So, without wasting anymore time debating over which company brews which brand of Kölsch, and where, let’s cut to the chase and reflect on last Wednesday’s brief visit to Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer.

Situated to the north-west of Cologne’s imposing main rail station, or Hauptbahnhof, the Schreckenskammer pub was quite easy to find, particularly with the assistance of Google Maps, on my Smart Phone. My colleagues and I had been quite close to the pub, the previous evening, when we attended a Kölsch-fueled barbecue, hosted by the German arm of our parent company, at the Lindner Hotel Som Residence, and it wasn’t much further to Schreckenskammer.  Leaving my colleagues to walk back from the dental exhibition, I took the train across the river Rhine, and headed straight for the pub. There was rather more spare time available that evening, as we hadn’t planned on going out until 8pm, due to the impending arrival of a colleague, who was travelling across from England.

Schreckenskammer is situated in Ursulagartenstraße, close to the church of St Ursula, and it was the distinctive looking tower of the church that acted as my guide – along with Google Maps, of course. I was aware from online photos that the pub was quite a modern building, as the original had been destroyed by Allied bombing, in 1943. The current pub dates from the 1960’s, and according to my researches, isn’t quite in the same location as the original pub.  It is still quite an attractive looking building, which overlooks a paved area at the entrance to the church. Pleased with myself at having found the place, I gingerly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

There was a small room over to the left, with its own serving counter, complete with some casks of beer, in full view of the customers. There was a handful of customers present, plus a member of staff behind the counter. It looked very much like a “private bar,” so I headed, instead, for the larger, and more spacious room to the right. It was laid out with plenty of tables and chairs, but very little in the way of empty places, as most seemed occupied with diners.  I sat myself down at the end of one such table, with my back to the window. I do this in most pubs, as I like to see what’s going on, rather than sit with my back to the action. 

When the waiter, or Kobe, passed, by with his tray of glasses, he uttered the word, “Kölsch,” and almost without waiting for an answer, placed a full glass on the table in front of me, whilst at the same time marking a fresh beer mat, with a tick. The beer was served in a badged glass – as per the photo and was rather good, with a deep golden colour and plenty of body. The pub itself was buzzing, with a lively mix of customers, spanning several different age groups. I got the impression that most of them were local, drawn from the nearby flats. I wanted to take a few photos but was thwarted in this when the waiter directed a young couple to the far end of the table. He explained, in German, of course, that they had a reservation, but it was OK for me to continue sitting where I was.

When he returned and exchanged my empty glass for a full one, I asked whether a reservation was required for later that evening. My colleagues and I had a traditional Cologne tavern in mind for that evening, and given its relative proximity to our hotel, plus its obvious credentials as a “proper” Kölsch house, it would have been ideal. The menu too, looked tempting, very traditional and reasonably priced, but sadly the waiter informed me that they were fully booked, that evening.

I finished my beer and resisting the temptation of a third – I knew that my colleagues would have  king-sized thirst on them, I drank up, settled my tab and departed. On the way out I managed to take a few shots of the “private bar,” without drawing too much attention to myself, and headed back to the hotel. I thought I’d be clever and navigate my way back, without re-tracing my footsteps to the station.  I knew our temporary residence lay on the other side of the tracks, but somehow, I became disoriented, despite tapping in my destination onto Google Maps.

It didn’t really matter, as there was plenty of time, and it was interesting exploring a part of the city I hadn’t seen before, but for whatever reason, I found myself heading back towards the station, guided by the imposing presence of Cologne’s magnificent cathedral. This “wrong turn” allowed me to pick up a few goodies at the REWE supermarket, beneath the tracks; one of many retail outlets occupying this prime shopping area. Along with some snack items for the family back home, I bought myself four bottles of Kölsch, including a bottle of Schreckenskammer.

Continuing onto the hotel, I bumped into a couple of colleagues who had also been out shopping. Like me they were making use of the limited amount of free time, between exhibition commitments and pre-arranged evening social arrangements – eating and drinking mainly, and on two occasions with members of our parent company.  They informed me that the colleague we were waiting for had still not arrived, although when we reached the hotel, we discovered she had just checked in.

I too, needed to pop back to my room and change into something more comfortable, before enjoying a couple of glasses of Gaffel Kölsch in the hotel reception area. We set off into central Cologne, with the intention of securing a table at Früh am Dom.  As mentioned previously, Früh is a maze of inter-connected rooms, spread out across several different levels, and was absolutely heaving when we arrived. We were fortunate then that one of the waiters managed to squeeze us in.

So, we had our traditional, Cologne tavern evening, although I can’t help thinking it would have been even more authentic, if there had been room available at Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer. Next time, I report on a visit to somewhere even more traditional, that is a survivor from a bygone age. Gaststätte Lommerzheim, situated on the opposite side of the River Rhine, in the area of Cologne, known as Deutz, is a must-visit, old Cologne pub, which has gained quite a reputation in recent years, amongst beer lovers and beer writers. All will be revealed, next time.

Cross-Channel drama - or the joys of continental train travel

I arrived back from Cologne late on Friday night sometime around half eleven. It was quite a hectic journey, which was perhaps only to be expected when travelling on a Friday afternoon. Still the choice was not my own, as the travel arrangements were designed to allow for maximum cover on our trade stand, at IDS. My two colleagues and I boarded the 16.44 Thalys service to Paris, calling at various destinations en route, such as Aachen, and Liege before arriving at Brussels, where we would leave the rain to await the evening Eurostar service to London.

As we stood on the platform, we couldn’t help noticing the large number of fellow passengers standing on the platform, waiting to board. Our French Operations Manager, who was travelling with us, observed that her fellow countrymen made up the majority of passengers, which was unsurprising really, considering the final destination of the train. It was a bit of a melee trying to get on board, with our suitcases and rucksacks, as whilst we tried travelling as lightly as possible, this wasn’t easy considering the nature of our business in Cologne.

When attending a trade show you obviously need to dress the part, which means business suit, several shirts, and suitable shoes, along with something more casual to wear in the evenings. There was no need to panic though, and we managed to struggle on board in spite of the excess baggage we were carrying. Once seated, we settled down to enjoy the journey west, crossing from North Rhine-Westphalia and into Belgium, shortly after the city of Aachen, or Aix-le Chapelle as the French call it. Once in Brussels, there was time do a little shopping, and to grab a bite to eat, in the form of a slice of pizza, plus a can of Jupiler. It wasn’t exactly a feast but was sufficient to deal with any nagging hunger pangs.

Unlike the outward journey, we didn't leave the station, but on the way out, I journeyed with a different colleague who, like me, enjoys the occasional beer. We both thought it a good idea to find a place where we could enjoy a glass or two, but despite Bruxelles-Midi station being packed with  plenty of shops and fast-food outlets, there didn’t seem to be any bars. Rather strange for Belgium, we thought, so after being forced to go outside, we found a rather pleasant looking bar, called Cafe SAS, just across the road. My companion isn’t a lover of strong beers, so she sensibly opted for small glass of Jupiler, Belgium’s best-selling lager. I, on the other hand, decided to be bold, or perhaps foolhardy, and chose a Westmalle Tripel (in a proper glass, of course), forgetting the fact that it was 9.2% abv.

Despite thinking we’d left sufficient time to board our train, we literally made it by the skin of our teeth. The waitress had disappeared, which meant seeking her out in order to pay the bill, then we discovered our Thalys train would be boarding from platform 4, and the platform numbering at the southern entrance, began at No. 22! It was a heart-stopping moment, as we raced through the concourse, but one I should have been better prepared for – always pay the bill Paul, as soon as you receive the drinks!!

I enjoyed the outward second leg of the journey, perhaps due to the strong Trappist beer, I’d just enjoyed, but the good progress we were making, was marred by a 20 minute delay, on the western approach to Cologne. Alighting from the train, and walking toward our hotel, we found the Rhine-Land city to be pretty much as we remembered it, although there was a noticeable police and security presence around the station. There had been amass-shooting incident in Hamburg, the week before, so this may have accounted for the visible show of force.

Returning to the homeward journey, and the check-in process and security scans at Brussels, prior to boarding the Eurostar. The latter was OK, apart from having to remove my belt, but with no limit on liquids, the process was much quicker than at airports. Border control was the next hurdle, and it struck us all as absurd to have two sets of customs officers just yards apart. First were the Belgian Border Force staff, who at least stamped our passports, but this was followed by the UK Border Force booth, literally a stone throws away. I must say that the staff at both control points were helpful, and in the case of the UK staff possessing a sense of humour. This was because, yet again, the facial recognition software at the automatic barriers, didn’t recognise yours truly! It took some human intervention to allow me to pass through the barrier, although I not alone, as my French colleague had exactly the same issue.

If we thought the Thalys train was crowded, the Eurostar was doubly so. I also thought the train carriage itself was ergonomically poorly designed, because having deposited my heavy suitcase in the designated area close to the entrance, I then had to walk the entire length of the coach to find my seat. I could just envisage the ensuing chaos come disembarkation time at London St.Pancras, and I was right.  I did the sensible thing by jumping off and walking back along the platform, to the area where the luggage was stowed.

There was some uncertainty when we arrived at St Pancras, as to whether the domestic trains would be running, as with a strike by RMT members scheduled for the following day, the thought was that services might start running down, prior to the scheduled walkout at midnight. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case, and despite the hordes of people, the three of us made it down to the Thameslink platforms in good time. We then took a southbound train, with my English colleague and I alighting at London Bridge, leaving our French staff member to travel on to East Croydon. She could then pick up a more local train to her home on the Kent-Sussex border.

Alighting at London Bridge the two of us hastily switched platforms, and boarded a Tonbridge bound train, where my colleague’s wife was waiting in the car. She kindly gave me a lift home, which saved waiting for a taxi, and by 11.30 pm I was walking through my own front door, gagging for a proper cup of tea! So, four high-speed train journeys in total, some pleasant scenery, comfortable seats, plus the drama of nearly missing a connection and making ourselves look stupid, but all in a day’s work, and fortunately no real harm done!