TOUR
POSTPONED
Arrival in Das Rhineland
SUNDAY OCTOBER 13, 2024
Cologne
Founded in the first century AD as the Roman Colonia Agrippina, Cologne (in German, Köln) was the headquarters of the Roman military in the region. Subsequently it was one of Europe’s largest and most important municipalities in medieval and Renaissance times — a Free Imperial city located along a major trade route and one of the major members of the Hanseatic League.
World War II bombing destroyed almost the entire millennia-old city center, with only major historic landmarks like city gates and churches (thirty-one of them Romanesque) being reconstructed. Today these structures and the Cathedral compete with the city’s ubiquitous small kölsch breweries for visitors’ attention.
Cologne is also famous for its Eau de Cologne, produced locally since 1709, and is an extremely popular springboard for boat tours along the romantic and historic stretch of the Rhine south of the city.
SEBASTIAN SAUER / FREIGEIST BIERKULTUR
In 2011, we met young German beer fanatic / historian / upstart Sebastian Sauer at a glorified kitchen-brewpub in Cologne called Braustelle (a play on “baustelle” — a building site). Sebastian poured us a number of samples produced at or associated with Braustelle, in the interest of possible exportation to the USA under the name Freigeist Bierkultur (loosely, “free-spirited beer culture”). For a German company at the time, the styles offered (including a flagship renegade unfiltered Kölsch and several harder-edged entries) were varied and relatively radical. Sebastian has since established himself, via Freigeist, in the global scene as the unofficial figurehead of the Teutonic craft movement.
A self-taught beer scholar raised very near the Belgian border in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, Sebastian has from the age of 17 dedicated himself to reviving as many of Germany’s long-lost regional top-fermented sour, smoky or funky ales as he can uncover records of. Naturally this pursuit has led him as well to an appreciation for the most authentic and artisanal wines and distilled spirits, particularly in his home western German region.
BRAUEREI ZUR MALZMÜHLE
Founded in 1858 as the Beer and Malt Extract Steam Brewery, Brauerei zur Malzmühle was given its current name in 1912, when it was taken over by brewer Gottfried Joseph Schwartz. Today this highly-regarded historical kölsch outlet in the Heumarkt (Hay Market) area of Cologne’s old town is run by the fifth generation of the Schwartz brewing family. Its flagship Mühlen Kölsch is considered one of the very best examples of the city’s local style, and the lively restaurant has long been one of Cologne’s favorite meeting places.
KABÄNES
Cologne’s go-to shot since 1952, Kabänes is the city’s hometown halbbitter (“half-bitter”) herbal liqueur. Based on a recipe from the local Flimm family, its unique blend of herbs, fruits and spices place it firmly in the same kräuterlikor category as the infamous Jägermeister. But its relatively restrained semi-sweetness and silky chocolate undertones provide a more pleasant tasting experience, according to patriotic and discerning locals. Like all true kräuterlikors, Kabänes is traditionally enjoyed as an after-dinner digestif but also makes for a festive accompaniment to beer.
KÖBES
A Köbes is a waiter in traditional pubs in the Rhineland, most notably at the kölsch bars of Cologne and the altbier breweries in Düsseldorf. The typical Köbes often wears a distinctive and official-looking blue apron and jacket, and is responsible for keeping a steady flow of beer coming to customers until they either cover their beer glass with a coaster, or beg to pay the bill! The most characterful and dedicated Köbes will offer a running, often mildly insulting (real or mock) dialogue with his customers as a key part of the authentic Rhineland pub experience. The term “Köbes” comes from the local dialect for the name Jakob (pronounced “Ya- kobe”).
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