TOUR
POSTPONED
Sticke With Us
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16, 2024
DÜSSELDORF
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. As such it is a renowned international business, financial, musical, artistic, and educational center and has been named among the world’s most livable cities. But many of Düsseldorf’s residents are especially proud of their hometown’s designation as “The Longest Bar in the World.” Specifically, this moniker refers to the city’s Altstadt (old town) where visitors and locals can choose between as many as 300 bars and clubs situated within a one-half square mile radius.
Thankfully for serious beer fans, the classic older altbier breweries are located within the Altstadt or nearby, as are some newer brewpubs and the famous Kabuffke bar serving the hometown liqueur Killepitsch.
ALTBIER / STICKE
Altbier is to Düsseldorf what kölsch is to Cologne. While the beer cultures in the two cities do share many broad characteristics — from the top-fermentation / cold lagering production through the rapid-fire dispense into small, quickly-refilled glasses all the way to the cheeky demeanor of the Rhenish blue-aproned beer servers — there is to this day fierce local pride and rivalry. Altbier is also quite different from the delicate Kölsch in appearance and flavor: dark-copper-colored, it offers toasty maltiness and a bit more fruitiness and hoppiness.
The first official altbier is said to date to 1838, when Brauerei Schumacher offered its alt (“old”) as an alternative to the then-new, trendy pale bottom-fermented lagerbiers taking Germany by storm.
Today, several of Düsseldorf’s altbier breweries separately offer stronger, more assertive Sticke (“secret”) beers twice a year, for one day only. Serious beer fans must make several pilgrimages to the city to taste each of these rare “Sticke Day” specialties.
BRAUEREI KÜRZER
One of the newer (21st century) altbier breweries in Düsseldorf, Brauerei Kürzer has quickly established itself as a popular destination in the old town amongst the big four old-school places Zum Uerige, Zum Schlüssel, Im Füchschen and Schumacher. While the traditional stalwarts are permanent stops on the “World’s Longest Bar” trail in Düsseldorf, this upstart aggressively pushes back, starting with the name: “Kürzer” translates as “shorter” in German.
The newbie also cultivates a decidedly cool, modern edge, opting out of the use of traditional Rhineland waitstaff (See “KÖBES” on tour day #1) and old-world atmosphere of its predecessors.
ET KABÜFFKE / KILLEPITSCH
Conveniently located just steps away from Düsseldorf’s most famous brewery, Zum Uerige, the characterful wine and liquor bar Et Kabüffke is the go-to destination for fans of the city’s favorite homegrown herbal liqueur Killepitsch. The Peter Busch Company began producing spirits in 1858; the recipe that goes into this award-winning krauterlikor, comprising nearly 100 herbs, fruits and berries, was formulated by Willi Busch in the 1950’s to be served at his family’s liquor shop in the old town.
Killepitsch was made in the city until 2005 and today is produced at the company’s modern factory in the outskirts of Dusseldorf, where the fourth and fifth generations of the Busch family together oversee expansion and new liqueur recipes. At the popular Kabuffke, the 42% Killepitsch is traditionally taken as a shot or as part of a signature cocktail.
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