Travel in Europe – Page 9 – thebeergeek.com

June 26, 2010March 15, 2013

Two Years in the Making

This trip was conceived two years ago during the Year in Beer. Merideth and I were in a pub in Carlow, Ireland watching Germany play Turkey in the 2008 European Football Championship. With a scant nine patrons in the pub, Merideth and I seemed to be the only people watching what turned out to be an incredible match. I was texting with our friend Ute in Germany who said there were hundreds of German fans at the Zentrale, her local in Mannheim. Thinking about the Zentrale and looking around the almost empty pub we were in, we decided that night we would be in Germany for the 2010 World Cup.

Merideth enjoying her first beer of the trip at the Zentrale

Our first day in Germany was the last day of group matches for both the USA and Germany. Arriving at the Frankfurt airport early in the morning, we were showered and relaxing in Ute and Wolfie’s flat in Mannheim by mid-morning. The USA match wasn’t until 4pm so we could make a leisurely afternoon of it. Naturally a brewery visit was in order.

While waiting for Ute to finish up work, we had a few beers with Wolfie at the Zentrale. When in Mannheim, we always drink Eichbaum, lovingly referred to by the locals as ‘corpse water’. After the first sip of her Eichbaum Pils, Merideth, ever the lager girl, proclaimed, “ahhhhhh…. German beer.” After our second beer, we were off to the Hauptbahnhof to catch the S-Bahn for the short ride to Frankenthal.

I think the very first time we visited Ute and Wolfie in Mannheim, they brought us to Brauhaus zur Post. Our foursome walked up to the front door only to see a sign posted that they were closed for a private party. Ute felt bad but we took the disappointment in stride, explaining this had happened before in our beer travels. Luckily, our second attempt was more productive.

Conveniently located across the street from the Frankenthal Hauptbahnhof, we did get a pang of deja vu as we emerged from station to see an empty beer garden out front. But Wolfie and Ute assured us they were open because Wolfie called to double check and even made reservations.

The back beer garden at Brauhaus zur Post

Walking in, we were still somewhat confused. There were a few employees scurrying about as a bartender filled beer mugs, which seemed normal. However, the restaurant was completely empty of customers. Wolfie joked about why did he make reservations for an empty restaurant. But then we spied out the back window to see the other beer garden full of happy Germans eating lunch and drinking beer. Eagerly, we joined them.

The happy beer travelers in the Brauhaus zur Post beer garden

We were back in our favorite beer environment; a German beer garden on a beautiful summer day with friends. It had been six months since we had seen them in Australia, so over a few beers, we quickly got caught up.

Typical of German breweries, our beer choices were Helles, Dunkel and Weizen. Merideth, Wolfie and I all started with the Helles. Ute, the rebel of our group, started with the Weizen. I would eventually try all three with the Weizen being the star of the show.

One note on Braushaus zur Post: come with an appetite as the portions were huge… even for Germany.

After lunch, it was time to head back to Mannheim to watch the World Cup matches. The plan was to watch the USA-Algeria match at Murphy’s Law, one of the Irish pubs in Mannheim. Then, we would head back to the Zentrale for Germany’s match against Ghana.

There turned out to be a hitch in our brilliantly conceived plan. The last group matches are played simultaneously and while Murphy’s Law has a number of TVs, most were dedicated to showing only the England game. The outside TV, the one we were watching, was set to ‘combo’, an annoying feature that automatically switched back and forth between the two matches. No matter what the action, the game switched at five minute intervals. Just before half time, Wolfie got a call. He was told that prime seats were being saved for us at the Zentrale, but we’d have to get over there somewhat soon. Already annoyed by the switching and how our game was going, we made a plan to move on the Zentrale at the half.

Trying my best to ignore the score in the USA match

As we watched the conclusion of the England match in the beer garden at the Zentrale, we could see that the 0-0 score for our game remain unchanged. With England beating Slovenia 1-0 and Slovenians not threatening to equalize, our team needed to score a goal or we would be going home. All seemed lost as full time was blown in the England match with the final being 1-0. Right when I was about to start crying, the broadcast switched to USA v. Algeria. It took me a second to realize what had happened. We had scored a goal in injury time. As the referee blew the final whistle, we, along with the Germans at the Zentrale, erupted in cheers. It was an amazing feeling to see the Germans cheer our victory and Merideth and I heartily accepted the congratulations of our German friends.

Merideth and Wolfie blowing their vuvuzelas

As for the German match, they needed a victory over Ghana to guarantee their place in the knockout stage of the World Cup. We had several hours to prepare and round after round of Eichbaum beers were delivered. Underneath the facade of revelry, there was a air of nervous tension in the crowd. The loss to Serbia in their previous match left the normally confident German fans shaken. The beer helped, but there was still some doubt.

It was a tense affair most of the match until Germany finally scored in the second half, securing their 1-0 win. Walking back to Ute and Wolfie’s flat after the match, the streets of Mannheim became a huge party. Car horns blared, people cheered, and German flags waved.

After waiting two years for this trip, the first day couldn’t have turned out any better. Beer gardens, beautiful weather, friends, plenty of beer and a dramatic, group winning victory for the USA couldn’t have been scripted any better.

August 18, 2009May 24, 2013

New beergeek.TV Episode – Three Cities, Three Styles

“Three Cities, Three Styles” is the latest episode of One Pint at a Time.

We are firm believers in beer needing to be tried in context of its culture. “Three Cities, Three Styles” was born out of this belief. We visited three German cities, Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Cologne, that each has it’s own unique style of beer. Over three days, we got to experience each beer style in the place of its birth. That is something special.

So enjoy our latest German adventures…

For all the episodes of One Pint at a Time go to beergeekTV.

July 30, 2009

An Afternoon with the Dreadnoughts

Seamus OFlanahan on the fiddle — Seamus O'Flanahan on the fiddle

Our last day in Germany was spent at the Zentrale in Mannheim with a bunch of friends.

The Dreadnoughts were kind enough to do an impromptu performance. Here is what it is like spending an afternoon with a Canadian punk band in Germany.

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For all the episodes of One Pint at a Time go to beergeekTV.

July 29, 2009November 7, 2013

Oh de Cologne

A short distance down the Rhein from Düsseldorf is Köln, our last beer style city of the trip. This was our third time to Germany’s oldest city, but our first time really exploring beyond the Dom, the dominant landmark of the city.

Kölns dominant feature... the Dom — Köln’s dominant landmark, the Dom

Köln is the home of Kölsch, another top fermented and lagered German beer. Köln is also the only German city with it’s own self-styled appellation control. The Kölsch Convention was a 1985 agreement between the breweries and the German government that defined the beer. Besides some technical details of the brew, the main tenet was that in order for the beer to be called Kölsch, it had to be brewed in the Köln metropolitan area.

A light and refreshing session beer, Kölsch has a nice, subtle hop presence. It’s not a beer that is going to challenge the palate.

We arrived mid-morning via the train, found our hotel and dropped our bags off. It was time to find some Kölsch. And some breakfast.

Kölsch at Malzühle with breakfast — Kölsch at Malzmühle with breakfast

It seemed a tad early for beer drinking, despite Früh am Dom being open. We passed on Früh because we were filming there later. Wandering past the Dom and into the Alststadt, we came to Peters Brauhaus. It wasn’t open yet.

Plugging on, we arrived at Brauerei zur Malzmühle, a brewery we tackled on our first visit. We were happy to find them open. We situated ourselves at a table and ordered a few Kölsch and an omelet. I remembered from our 2005 visit liking the Mühlen Kölsch. And it turned out to be my favorite one of the day.

From Malzmühle, it was back to Peters Brauhaus to try their Kölsch. A former brewery, Peters fell victim to the mergers in the German brewing industry. In fact, a number of the breweries that signed the convention back in 1985, like Peters, survive today just as a brand in a larger brewery’s portfolio. Their “brauhaus” is sure pretty though.

In the shadow of the Dom, Früh am Dom — Kölsch is typically dispensed from a wooden barrel

Next stop was Früh am Dom for lunch. Früh, as it always seems, was bustling with a lunchtime crowd. The waiters (and they are always waiters) buzzed around with their trays, dispensing the golden brew. We found a seat and soon had a Kölsch in hand and food ordered.

We like Früh a lot. The beer is nice. The atmosphere is buzzing. When I talk to people about the wonderful experience of drinking Kölsch in Köln, I am usually talking about being at Früh.

After a short rest at our hotel, the quest for Kölsch continued. The plan for the afternoon was to visit four Kölsch bars before returning to Früh to film the evening action.

A short 15 minute walk away from the crowds around the Dom, we found Brauerei Päffgen. What a difference a 15 minute walk makes. We joined a sparse crowd in the breweries central courtyard beer garden.

Though one of the least favorite Kölsch we would try on this day, we were happy to be at Päffgen. After four stops, finally, a new brewery to put on the List!

Continuing our walk, we followed a course that took us along the medieval city walls of Köln. Or what was left of them. After 20 minutes, we found our next stop Weißbräu zu Köln. Despite the name, the brewery also makes a Kölsch.

Hellers Wiess, an unfiltered version of their Kölsch

If we had one disappointment of the day, it was finding Weißbräu zu Köln closed for the next month. We could see brewers at work, but the restaurant part looked like it was being remodeled.

Undaunted, we continued our trek to Hellers Brauhaus, an organic brewery. Into our second beer, we struck up a conversation with our waiter. We explained that we had a day in Köln and that we were trying a bunch of different Kölsch. Besides offering suggestions, he also brought us over two Hellers Wiess, an unfiltered version of their Kölsch. Score one for the Hellers Brauhaus staff!

Hanging out in the Altstady at Sünner in Walfisch. — Hanging out in the Altstadt at Sünner im Walfisch.

We walked almost the entire outer ring of Köln, so we decided to cab it back into the city center. We headed to Sünner im Walfisch in the Altstadt. This was a special stop. On the front of the building it said “Historisches Brauhaus’ above the name. It was a brewery in the 1800s when the building was located elsewhere. But for our purposes, Gebruder Sünner was significant because they were the first to brew Kölsch in around 1900.

The day was winding down but we needed to make a return visit to Früh. I wanted video of the evening crowd and Merideth’s episode conclusion. We needed some dinner, too. Of course a few more Frühs were had.

There is a reason it is called Gaffel am Dom

We made one more stop before going back to our hotel. The Gaffel Kölsch at Gaffel Am Dom was the seventh example of the style we tried during our day in Köln. In the end, there really wasn’t much difference in flavor, some just tasted better than others.

I am a firm believer in beer needing to be tried in the context of it’s culture. And Kölsch is a perfect example of this. Outside of Köln, it’s just a light session beer. But to experience it in the city of its birth, now that’s something special.

July 26, 2009November 7, 2013

Seems Like Alt Times

After spending two days in Düsseldorf, I am somewhat embarrassed that this was our first visit to the home of Altbier. From the moment we entered our first brewery, we realized that this city’s beer culture was something special.

After a short train ride from Dortmund, we deposited our bags in the hotel room and were off to Düsseldorf’s Altstadt to find some Altbier. There are three breweries in the Altstadt. A fourth, Brauerei Schumacher, is just outside the city’s old quarter. It was our first stop, as it was on the way to the Altstadt from our hotel.

We walked into the entrance and were immediately greeted by the sight of the bartender pouring the amber-colored Alt from a wooden barrel. ‘Alt’ simply means ‘old’ in German and the name is a reference to the brew predating the development of bottom fermenting beers. However, an Altbier is lagered.

After investigating the series of rooms that makes up the Schumacher dining room, we discovered a beer garden in the back that butts up against the brewery. The sun shined warm. It was the first really nice day of our trip, so the beer garden was the place for us. The waiter promptly brought us the first of many Alts we would drink during the day. The Altbier delivery system is very similar to that of Kölsch in Köln. Waiters cruise around with trays of Altbier replacing empties with full glasses of beer and keeping tally by ticking a beer mat.

As we watched the brewery workers go about their daily routine, we tasted the beer that made Düsseldorf famous. Schumacher’s Alt was clean and crisp, something I expect from all German beer. It was topped by a really nice hop bite.

Merideth enjoying Ueriges Altbier — Merideth enjoying Uerige’s Altbier

After lunch and a few Alts at Schumacher, it was off the the Altstadt, the bustling core of Düsseldorf. We quickly found Uerige, a brewery a stone’s throw from the Rhein.

Uerige, like Schumacher, did a good business for a Tuesday afternoon and we joined the crowd of beer drinkers on the sidewalk. With all the tables outside filled, we found a space in one of the window sills. Halfway through our first Uerige Alt, we realized they also had a series of tables across the cobbled lane, but decided we were happy with our sill.

Do all the Altbiers taste the same in Düsseldorf? The quick answer is no, with Uerige being sweeter and hoppier than the first Alt we tasted at Schumacher. A German gentleman with whom we struck up a conversation, suggested that you can’t drink the other Düsseldorf Alts after Uerige. Uerige’s aggressively-hopped version makes everything else taste very weak.

A barge on the mighty Rhine — A barge on the mighty Rhein

We needed a short break from the Altbier, so we walked down to the Rhein for a stroll. Plus, we needed to record the introduction to the One Pint at a Time episode. I thought the Rhein would be the perfect backdrop for our first episode outside of Bavaria.

The walk along the Rhein was nice and a pleasant breeze took a bit of the edge off the warm day. I had visions of stopping at one of the multitude of restaurants to enjoy a beer and the view. But the pathway along the Rhein was not a beer drinkers paradise. We passed one Caribbean-themed restaurant after another. The German tourists loved it.

Introduction filmed and sightseeing completed, we hiked back up into the Altstadt to find our third Altbier brewery, Brauerei im Füchschen. Their Altbier was much more like Schumacher in flavor, just not as hoppy.

Seemingly the smallest of the four breweries, they also seemed to have the largest number of ‘locals’ enjoying a few Altbiers in the afternoon. As we drank our Füchschen Altbier, we listened to a group of friends talk amongst themselves, as well as to passers by. Judging by the level of laughter and banter, it appeared to be lots kind-hearted ribbing amongst friends.

By now, it was late afternoon. We had been drinking Altbier for five hours but we still had one more brewery to go, Hausbrauerei zum Schlüssel.

Sitting outside at Schlüssel, we saw two guys that we had seen at all the other breweries that day, except Uerige. They were obviously, like us, on a beer tour and also Americans. Merideth talked to them and these two guys, former brewers at a New England brewery, joined us for what turned out to be a long, fun-filled evening.

We spent five hours at Schlüssel and chatted with some older Germans who sat next to us. I jokingly tried so switch our ever increasing tick-marked mat with my elder German friend’s. With only a couple of marks on his mat, he wasn’t too interested in switching.

Half way through the evening, we were joined by a group of Slovaks. One of them spoke English, so he interpreted for the rest of the group. They were curious about our careers in America and travels. They were a worldly lot of Slovaks and told us about some of their own adventures. Even a huge thunderstorm and downpour couldn’t deter the fun of the night, though it did shut down beer delivery for a short, but excruciating amount of time.

At the beginning of the day, Merideth and I did our normal solo beer touring. But by the end of the evening, we were in an international group of beer tourists. Funny how that always seems to happen in beer travel. It certainly makes the new experiences seem like alt times.

Most of Tuesdays Altbier tally — Most of Tuesday’s Altbier tally