The Beer of Cologne

My recent trip to Europe was eye-opening in many ways, but my favorite part of the trip was having the opportunity to experience European beer fresh, from the pubs, taverns and bars, among the locals.

I'd like to start unpacking that experience by discussing the first stop on my trip: Cologne.

It's a beautiful city, with a striking mix of old architecture (especially the Dom Cathedral and the still-under-excavation Roman ruins) and ultra-modern design.

One thing that hasn't changed much is the beer - it's still made in largely the same way as 100 years ago, when it became a distinct style.

Kölsch served in the traditional Stange glasses.

I had the chance to try a number of Kölsch ales during my stay in Cologne, and they were uniformly crisp, clean, and moderately hopped with traditional Noble hops. I was surprised to find out that beer bars of the sort I've become accustomed to in Oregon are hard to find in Germany. Most pubs, restaurants, and taverns are sponsored by a single brewery, and will serve its Kölsch and maybe a seasonal beer (generally, this meant a Weissbier or pilsner of some sort). After some searching, my companions and I were able to locate a small beer bar, but it served only German beer - just a wider variety.

Weissbier in half-liter glasses.

The style of serving is also quite different. If you're at a bar in Cologne, drinking Kölsch, and your glass begins to run low, another will be brought for you without having to ask! This continues until you tell the server you're done or put your coaster over the top of your glass. The server marks your coaster every time you get a new glass, and those marks are tallied when your bill is prepared. Elsewhere this'd be a recipe for expensive, drunken nights, but the key innovation in Kölsch service is the small cylindrical glassware known locally as Stange (meaning pole). These measure 200ml, or about half an American pint. When with a larger party, these will be brought to your table in giant serving trays called Kranz (meaning wreath), each holding anywhere from 10-16 beers at a time.

Bars, cafes, and biergartens are omnipresent in the central city. They're much more numerous than coffee shops and restaurants - it's hard to walk more than a block without seeing the familiar Gaffel or Reissdorf signage. And people of all ages and nationalities can be found at these bars at every hour of the day. Despite this culture of drinking, public drunkenness wasn't a big problem, as far as I could see. I'd wager that the wide availability and low strength of Kölsch prevents most of this.

Overall, Cologne is a lovely city with friendly, tourist-tolerant people, and its signature beer is delicious and nigh-endlessly drinkable. It's definitely worth a stop on any beer-centered European vacation.