TOUR
POSTPONED
OCTOBER 13 - 19, 2024
SAUER & BITTER
GERMANY
TOUR OVERVIEW
The Rhineland is an outlier on the pilsner-dominated northern German beer scene, the local brews of its two cultural capitals, Cologne and Düsseldorf, being the top-fermenting kölsch and altbier. These quirky, hoppy specialties alone justify a visit, but the greater region (including neighboring Westphalia) is also known for heady krauterlikors, juniper spirits, traditional and natural wines, and — thanks in large part to local boy Sebastian Sauer — sour, smoky and funky ales.
A contrarian brewing historian, Sebastian has dedicated himself to reviving a number of once-forgotten local beer styles, from Dortmunder adambiers to roasty knopps to Munster-style alts, via his brewing projects Freigeist and The Monarchy. But he’s also become a partner or patron of western Germany’s essential artisanal wineries, distilleries and (down in Frankfurt) apfelwein producers. ICBT’s unique Sauer & Bitter tour with Sebastian offers a one-of-a-kind, uber-alternative Germany experience.
DAY 1
SUNDAY OCTOBER 13, 2024
Arrival in Das Rhineland
This is arrival day in Cologne. Guests can easily get to the city via Frankfurt, other points in Germany or even Brussels and Amsterdam. After hotel check-in, guides will lead an optional and informal walk through the old town. In the evening we’ll have a welcome dinner at one of Cologne’s very best brewery taps, Malzmühle, where Sebastian Sauer will introduce us firsthand to the local and colorful Köbes (the classic Rheinland waiter) phenomenon, the city’s own Kabänes liqueur and, of course, the proper etiquette for enjoying kölsch.
DAY 2
MONDAY OCTOBER 14, 2024
The Münsters
This morning we’ll board the bus in Cologne and head into the Münsterland region, stopping first at Vormann, the traditional brewery that creates host Sebastian Sauer’s eccentric Freigeist craft beers.
Then we’re off to Münster itself, the beautiful small city that for many years flew the flag in Germany for old-style sour top-fermented beers. Here we’ll be treated to a special introduction to the local medieval-to-modern saga of gruit and altbier, courtesy of historian-turned-brewer Philipp Overberg. We’ll taste his revivalist gruits, segueing over to the nearby, legendary Pinkus Müller for a traditional lunch accompanied by its world-famous house made sour alts. Our first of three German top-fermentation capitals now under our belt, we’ll head back to Cologne for an optional late dinner and nightcap kölsch.
DAY 3
TUESDAY OCTOBER 15, 2024
Kirchen, Kölsch, Kabänes & Kneipen
Cologne is one of Germany’s most visited cities, thanks in large part to its prime position along the river Rhine and its stunning Dom (Cathedral). We’ll start the day off in the Altstadt (old town), with our local rockstar-brewer guide Sebastian in the lead.
Within the shadows of the Dom and the city’s other historic buildings we’ll never be far from a classic kölsch brewery or tap house, and indeed there will be some beer stops along the way, including a hard-to-get traditional brew house and distillery tour.
In order to save up energy for enjoying the city’s colorful nightlife, we’ll have an afternoon break to re-charge. For later we boldly head out to the less-touristy Südstadt (south city quarter) for a unique evening bar crawl that features several of Cologne’s most authentic and atmospheric locals’ haunts.
DAY 4
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16, 2024
Sticke With Us
In addition to its own status as a major beer destination, Cologne is a very convenient springboard for exploring the equally-beguiling Düsseldorf. While the count of classic, traditional brewpubs in Düsseldorf is dwarfed by that of its larger Rhineland neighbor, the local “altbier” (old beer) style can claim to have a longer pedigree than kölsch, and the historic pubs serving it play key parts in maintaining the city’s legendary party reputation.
We’ll hit each of the four classic breweries and one of the newer ones to taste their house alts, but this also happens to be Sticke (“secret beer”) Day – one of only two days each year where certain breweries offers very special, stronger versions of altbier. So the party will be ramped up a bit for our visit! Additionally, we’ll tour and take lunch at one of the breweries and sample the city’s hometown kräuterlikor Killepitsch at its own specialty bar next to the legendary pub Zum Uerige.
DAY 5
THURSDAY OCTOBER 17, 2024
Wine Retreat
After three and a half solid days of beer, historical urban architecture, gin, and the odd shot of kräuterlikor, we’re ready for a glorious all day wine excursion, with a pair of epic Rhineland sites thrown in.
Departing Cologne and the upper Rhineland, we’re soon into Germany’s famous and scenic Rhineland-Pfalz region, famous for wine, the river, and castles. Pacing ourselves early in the day, we’ll first drive to the Loreley, a legendary cliff overlooking a bend in the Rhine. A bit further downriver is the Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which we’ll explore before entering the small riverside village of Oberwesel, where we’ll enjoy a wine-tasting lunch.
Driving further down the Rhine into the state of Hesse, we’ll visit the small, family-owned natural wine producer Andreas Mann, one of the best in Germany. We’ll later check in at Frankfurt and wander the funky streets of the old Sachsenhausen quarter for a kebab or falafel (and maybe one more beer, wine or cocktail).
DAY 6
FRIDAY OCTOBER 18, 2024
An Apfelwein A Day...
We’ve mastered sour and bitter alts, hoppy kölsches, herbal liqueurs, artisanal gins, traditional and natural wines. All that’s left of our alternative-Germany trek is the weirdly wonderful and tart apfelwein (apple wine) — and today we just happen to be in its capital, Frankfurt. Not content to merely sample the stuff in one of the city’s numerous apfelweinstuben, we’ll instead drive out to one of its sources, the beautiful farm / orchard / naturpark / restaurant oasis Obsthof am Steinberg. We’ll taste some of Frankfurt’s best apfelweins amongst the trees, savor a traditional Hessian lunch and tour the production facility.
And since we’re out in the country, near the foothills of the Taunus mountains, we’ll stop off as well in the beautiful, half-timbered village of Oberursel to wander medieval streets and grab some homemade beers at the town’s Baroque Alt-Oberurseler Brauhaus.
Back in Frankfurt our farewell blowout will include more apfelwein and perhaps some schnapps and beer at the characterful Lohrsbacher-Thal, in our home neighborhood of Sachsenhausen.
DAY 7
SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, 2024
Tschüss
Frankfurt being a world transit hub, guests will be perfectly situated this morning to either catch their flights home or continue on to other German, European or intercontinental destinations by air, rail, bus or rental car. ICBT staff will be on hand for anyone needing assistance, ensuring that a great trip ends with a non-stressful departure day.
RHINELAND - WESTPHALIA 2024 TOUR PRICING
$2150
PER PERSON, BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
(ADD $300 FOR SINGLE OCCUPANCY)
**Tour prices are per person and do not include airfare.
*Single occupancy rooms are limited.
More information about the destinations
we'll visit on our tour
**Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented on this webpage. Inner Circle Beer Tours (ICBT) is not responsible for errors in or damages resulting from use of the information contained herein. Information contained on this webpage is subject to change without notice.**
