| Cologne (Köln) Pub Guide |
| Bars - Beerhalls - Beer gardens |
| Introduction | |
| I look back with extreme embarrassment
now at the rubbish I wrote about Cologne when I first put this page together.
I apologise for misleading you. Nearly everything was distorted or plain
wrong. "What," you ask "sort of idiots would we be, if we took your guide seriously, now you yourself admit it was crap?" (I know, dialogue's not my thing, that's why Idon't write plays. I'm not sure anything is my thing. . . . .Sorry, falling asleep at the keyboard again.) I'm not sure I can answer that one. Except say - you'll just have to trust me. |
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| The
city Of course, extensive remodelling of the city centre by the RAF didn't do the local beer scene a great deal of good. Of the 35 Brauhäuser in 1921, only a handful remain, even as pubs alone. Is this the reason whay the altstadt is so quiet? I'm not so sure now. Looking at all my material (and Kölcsh is surprisingly well documented) it is clear that even before WW II Cologne had distributed many town--centre functions to the encircling districts. Really everything within the Ring should be considerered as the centre. It helps if you think of the city as having three parts:
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| Cologne Traffic I will stick by what I said about traffic in Cologne. Badly thought-out road schemes, which don't so much ignore the interests of the pedestrian as deliberately conspire against them, are still to be found. On my last visit they were fiddling about on the Heumarkt, previously one of the most frustrating spots. Hopefully the new road alignment will offer some improvement for the pedestrian. |
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| Cologne
pubs Köbes Blue-clad waiters, or Köbes as they are usually called, are a feature of Kölsch brewpubs. Given their workload, it's not a job I would want to do myself. John Simpson describes the origin of their name and their particular brand of humour. |
Getting things wrong Believe it or not, there are several other things I've got wrong in the past. Amazing isn't it? But when it comes to getting things wrong big-time, it's difficult to better my ex-boss. The poor man thought (and probably still does) that he was a modern, effiecient manager, respected by his staff. In reality, he was a buffoon spouting meaningless jargon, ridiculed behind his back. I wasn't the only one who found it hard to listen to one of his management talks without bursting out in spontaneous laughter. It wasn't lack of commitment that stopped me attending his meetings: it was the inability to keep a straight face. |
| The Altstadt has many of the city's remaining historic pubs, including several former brewpubs (Früh, Sion, Malzmühle). Unfortunately, it's an area not greatly used by the locals and is mostly given over to tourists. A shame, because there are some excellent boozers in this part of the city. |
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| The Innenstadt, like
the shopping districts of most large cities, isn't great for pubs. Plenty
of the local population buying clothes, but not really much in the way of
interesting beer drinking opportunities. |
|
| If you want to do your drinking squashed in a crowd
of yuppies, then head further out. Pressed against the Ring
are the districts where the beautiful young things go to pose. It's not to my taste at all, honestly. I'm just letting you know in case your desires are perverted in that way. Should you need to satisfy this type of sick craving, there are plenty of opportunities between Friesenplatz, Rudolfplatz and Barbarossaplatz or in the "Belgisches Viertel" (just the other side of Hohenzollernring, where the streets are named after Belgian - or Dutch - towns). Though even the determinedly old and crusty amongst us have one good reason for plunging into this yuppy hell - the Pfäffgen brewpub is almost within puking distance of Friesenplatz. |
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| Other
attractions What else is there to attract the visitor? The Roman-German musem, which despite its hideous modernist exterior, provides an excellent record of the long history of Cologne. The Hauptbahnhof, is very pretty and, most usefully for the traveller, is slap bang in the city centre. A couple of the historic brewhouses have either survived the bombing or arisen from their ashes and are, for those of you as beer obsessed as I, worth taking a look at. Finally, I would suggest purchasing a copy of "Prosit Colonia" by Franz Mathar. This excellent book catalogues Cologne's brewpubs and beerhalls. Compare the photos of pre-war Cologne with the modern city and reflect upon the tragedy of senseless destruction. (Especially when it's pubs and breweries that are getting blown up. I find the photgraph of a pile of rubble on which someone has placed a neatly-painted sign saying "Barbarossa-brauerei" particularly poignant.) |
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| Kölsch | |
| In this section, time turned me into a liar. A drastic restructuring has
left the city with only a handful of breweries. Though you might not realise
the fact strolling around Cologne. The breweries may have gone, but their
Kölsch brands live on, most of them now brewed at the former Küppers
plant. It's a great pity. So there goes Cologne's unlikely claim to beery fame - most breweries of any German town. Don't ask me who has taken on this honour - I'm reluctant to pin myself down again when events can so quickly make me look an idiot. I will pass on the handy information that between 1890 and 1910 33 new breweries were founded in the city. That's why they call the period "Gründerzeit". Cologne does still have its own style of beer, the only one in Germany to have a sort of 'apellation controlée'. The style is called Kölsch after the local dialect word for 'of Cologne'. Even if they all come from one brewery, Kölsch still has to be brewed in the Cologne area. In the 1980's 24 (now mostly disappeared) breweries drew up a document called the 'Kölsch Convention' to protect the style from outside immitations. |
Kölsch Convention According to the 'Kölsch Convention', an agreement between the German government and brewers, a beer may only be called Kölsch if it meets the following criteria:
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| A relative of the Altbier brewed in other parts of the rhineland, Kölsch
is a survivor from the pre-lager brewing tradition of North Germany. This century,
under pressure from newer, bottom-fermenting beers, it has undergone a good deal of
change. Most notable of these, is the lightening of the colour to pale yellow, giving
it the appearance of a pils. You could call it 'the ale that wants to be a lager'
and I'm sure that would many, in a blind tasting, would classify it as the latter.
There is little ale character to be found, apart from a little fruitiness. It has a very soft, rounded character and can be quite sweet. Bavarian helles and Dortmunder export are closer relatives in flavour than Düsseldorf altbier. Not beers likely to acquire the devoted and obsessive following that lambiek, trappist ale or a particularly flavoursome bitter might, but of interest as an odd, hybrid style. I don't want to sound too negative. Früh Kölsch is a lovely beer. I'll happily drink it, as long as those nice gentlemen in blue keep bringing it. Not to mention Päffgen Kölsch, one of Germany's top standard-strength beers. Some breweries take advantage of the different rules for top-fermenting beer in the Reinheitsgebot by using a proportion of wheat malt. I assume to lighten the body or for head retention. For more about Cologne breweries (especially which ones stiill really exist) and their beers look here. |
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|
Altstadt
Pubs
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| Biermuseum | |
| Buttermarkt 39, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel.: 0221 - 257 7802 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun 14:00 - 03:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 18 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Beer €2.70 - 3.00 for 0.4l. | |
| The name is a bit exaggerated, but there are many more draught
beers than you usually see in Germany. Just a pity so many of them are pils. |
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| Rating: ** | Public transport: |
| Früh am Dom | |
| Am Hof, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 258 0389 http://www.frueh.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 08:00-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 1 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Snacks, meals. | |
In 1898 P.J. Früh moved his brewery into this building, which had previously
housed the Central-Theater. It survived three fires during the war and careful reconstruction
has left it a rare reminder of the pre-war city. It's other main claim to fame, is
its very useful location no more than a 5-minute walk from the main railway station.
If you're changing trains in Cologne, it's quite possible to nip there, have a couple
of beers and be back on the platform inside half an hour (I have tested this
scientifically, risking a night dossing on the platform).  The
brewery itself is no longer housed here. It would be difficult to brew the
400,000 hl of beer that Früh produces each year on a site of this size.
The main room has a medieval atmosphere and conjures up the image of a baronial
dining hall. A little grand, but comfortable and not as intimidating as
you would imagine. Adjacent to the beer serving area is a distintctly more mundane taproom. But you do get the entertainment of a stream of waiters loading their trays. Not forgetting the wonderful assortment of odd-sized barrels from which the glasses of fresh Kölsch are poured. The pub has been extended into the building next door, where they target diners rather than drinkers. Every time I visit Früh they've found a new direction in which to expand - upwards, downwards, sideways - they'll need to use extra dimensions soon. From the second cellar down right up to the roof, everything is used. It's the only bar I know with both a lift and a cash machine. It definitely needs the first. |
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| Rating: **** | Public transport: |
| Brauhaus Sion | |
| Unter Taschenmacher 5, 50668 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 257 8540 http://www.brauhaus-sion.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 10:00-00:30 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Sion wasn't as fortunate as Früh and ended the war as a pile of rubble.
A new, larger brewpub was constructed on the same site, though there's been no brewing
here for many years. The beer, like almost every other Kölsch, comes from the
old Küppers plant. A brand new building may have allowed for a roomier interior, but the result is disappointingly unatmospheric. True, there are some nice pieces of leaded glasswork, but the simple, functional design of most of the fittings leave it bland. It's not the sort of place you nip into for a quiet half and only drag yourself out of a week later. It has the usual layout of these places, with a small taproom around the counter holding the barrels. The rest of the pub rambles backwards through the building in a very restauranty way. I've tried liking it but it's not somewhrere to inspire great affection. |
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| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| Gaffel Haus | |
| Alter Markt 20-22, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 257 7692 Fax (0221) 253 879 Email: info@gaffel-haus.de Homepage: http://www.gaffel-haus.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 3 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Snacks 3-5 euro, meals 5-11 euro, beer 1.30 euro 0.2l | |
| This is another rare survivor of the war, though it was completely gutted.
It's just a shame that the Zur Bretzel brewery which it used to house is no longer
with us. The 16th century building is now the city-centre tap of the Gaffel brewery.
The interior is richly decorated in old tiles, but the bar area is a bit too much like a standard modern crap German pub. Having a duff pop station on the radio behind the bar does little for the old world atmosphere. Further into the pub the parts more for dining have been more sympathetically treated. Sadly, the beer is served on top pressure. I find the idea of a 'light' kölsch amusing. The standard version is hardly a heavy beer. |
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| Rating: ** | Public transport: |
| Brauereiausschanks zum Pfaffen - Max Päffgen | |
| Heumarkt 62, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. 0221 - 257 7765 Fax: 0221 - 257 9947 http://www.max-paeffgen.de |
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| Opening hours: Tue - Sun: 12:00-24:00 Mon: Closed |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Meals €9-13, snacks €3-9. Beer €1.30 for 0.2l. | |
| You can see that my beautiful photograph is already out of
date. The pub is no longer called Altstadt-Päffgen. A dispute between members
of the Päffgen leading to a change of name the beer sold. Which is a pain
in the bum if you want to try Päffgen Kölsch, because they don't sell it
any more. Look, you're not that unfit are you? It's only a kilometre or
so to the Päffgen brewpub. You don't need me to tell you that the exterior is very fine (see beautiful photo). Nothing has changed inside. It's still a charming old pub, which is one of the cosiest in the city centre. There's lots of wood, tiles and leaded glass. The beer now comes from a brand-new brewery, built by the owners of this pub, which is located just outside Cologne. The only slight reservation is that it is on the restaurant side of pub-restaurant, but that seems to be the case in most of the Cologne beer halls. On the other hand, the local dishes it sells are very tasty and reasonably good value. There is a small beer garden at the rear. If you're really after Päffgen Kölsch, Brauhaus en d'r Salzgass is only about 20 metres away. |
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| Rating: **** | Public transport: |
| Brauerei Zur Malzmühle | |
| Heumarkt 6, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 210 117 Homepage: http://www.muehlenkoelsch.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 10:00-24:00 Sun: 11:00-23:00 |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| You may well curse town planners (and who hasn't done that,
at one time or another?) as you make your way here. They've thrown obstacles
of every kind - half a dozen pelican crossings and an industrial strength
tram line - in the pedestrian's path. Your perseverance will be rewarded
with probably the best pub in the Altstadt. The second of Cologne's real brewpubs, it has been lovingly recreated from wartime ruins. It has a room either side of the entrance (in 1945 all that remained was the stone frame of the doorway). Wood-panelled walls and pine-topped tables give it a pubby feel. The beer is well-liked locally and with good reason - it's very nice indeed. Kölsch doesn't need to be bland. Good ones like this are what get me irritated with brewers making the duller versions. Päffgen is bitter, Früh is hoppy and Malzmühle is malty: that's how I would sum up the three distictive examples. Though, all three are light-bodied and dry. There's a decent selction of local food, but the emphasis is more on drinking. There are monumental views of the city in various periods of its history attached (hopefully securely) high on the walls. Friendly service and the waiter, having noticed the thick English accent when I ordered, quipped "two beer or not two beer" when he brought my drinks. I'm still waiting to hear a barman in an English pub make a joke in German. |
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| Rating: ***** | Public transport: |
| Alter Markt Treff | |
| Alter Markt/Lintgasse, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel.: 0221 - 257 77 90 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 16:00-01:00 Fri - Sun: 12:00-02:00 |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| One of Gilden's city centre outlets. Lintgasse is the last alleyway
off the Altermarkt (if you're heading South from the Dom) on the Rhine side. |
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| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Alt Köln am Dom | |
| Trankgasse 7-9, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel: 0221 - 137471 Fax: 0221 - 136885 Email: info@altkoeln-am-dom.de http://www.altkoeln-am-dom.de |
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| Opening hours: Sun - Thu: 11:00-24:00 Fri - Sat: 11:00-01:00 |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Meals 8-18 euros, snacks 3-8 euros, beer 1.40 euros. | |
| I've managed to miss off the photograph the most distinctive external
feature of this pub: a strange astronomical clock. Now, the town hall in Prague is
a fitting site for such renaissance whimsy. On a 1950's office block it doesn't have
quite the same effect. While plastic rustic does have its charms, I will make no attempt to convince you that this is the world's greatest pub. White plaster walls and fake black beams remind me too much of bad pub refurbishments for me to endure them long. The interior is huge, stretching far back from the street. You would be weel advised to venture at least some distance into the heart of this darkness. For to the rear are the more tastefully appointed rooms, all stained glass and heavy carved wood. The first floor has more seating, just in case the 1500 places downstairs all get filled. I wouldn't spend too much time on the tourist-trap adjoining the pavement. I always feel very strange when I watch Japanese tourists order food in a German pub. It's a strange emotion, mostly made up of pity but with a pinch of embarrassment, too. Why have I included Alt Köln? Well, it's even closer to the Hauptbahnhof than Früh. It's in a very prominent spot and, with its clock and bells, quite hard to ignore. I've always wondered what it was like as a pub. Not great, as it turns out. So now you know. |
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| Rating: ** | Public transport: |
| Brauhaus Giesler | |
| Unter Käster 14-16, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 257 4043 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 12:00-01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Not too hard to find this pub - Unter Käster is a small
street connecting Altermarkt and Heumarkt. Somehow they managed to brew 70,000 hl a year on this tiny city centre site right up until 2001. The brewery was bought by Dom in 1998 and the beer - very confusingly - is now brewed by Brauerei Peters & Bambeck in Monheim. I know it's terrible, but I've never got around to visiting this pub yet. I must have walked right past it dozens of times. (The name as been changed to Kulisse and I fear the Brauhaus atmosphere has gone.) |
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| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Gildenhaus | |
| Große Budengasse 10, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 257 5966 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 08:00-03:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals 8-13 euros, snacks 4-8 euros. | |
| I could try and pretend that the photo gives a false impression
and that this is a little gem of a pub. But I'm not a bare-faced liar. You
probably get a fair idea of the lifelessness of this bar. If you're shopping, you might well thank me for including this unexceptional kneipe. Everyone else: don't go out of your way to come here. Oh, they do have 0.4l glasses, which can be a relief after a while in Cologne. Dead soulless. It is a Brauereiausschank, amazingly. |
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| Rating: * |
Public transport: |
| Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten | |
| Frankenwerft 19, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel: (0221) 25 77 966 Fax: (0221) 25 81 780 Email: info@haxenhaus.de Homepage: http://www.haxenhaus.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Sun - Thu: 11:00-01:00, Fri - Sat 11:00-03:00 |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| An ancient house close to the banks of the Rhine which specialises
in medieaval food and atmosphere. The menu includes something called "Trapistenlamm"
- lamb in a dark beer sauce. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Paulaner im Roten Ochsen | |
| Thurnmarkt 7, 50676 Köln (Altstadt-Süd). Tel. (0221) 920 710 Fax (0221) 920 7119 http://www.paulaner-cologne.com/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11:30-01:00 Sun: 9:00-01:00 Sat: 9:00-22:00 |
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| Number of draught beers: 4 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 3 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Snacks €3-9 euros, meals €9-15 euros. | |
| Paulaner's Cologne outlet is located by the Rhine just past
the Deutzer Brücke. It can be easliy worked into an Altstadt pub crawl,
should you tire of drinking Kölsch. Conveniently, it's just around
the corner from Malzmühle (follow the main road heading towards the
river). Like everywhere else in Cologne, it used to be a brewpub, until this part of town was turned into rubble in 1943. It was rebuilt during the 1960's in the tacky style typical of the period. The interrior is in a vague Bavarian style, with long benches and tables. The beer garden at the front, beneath mature trees, would be wonderful, if not for the heavy lorries thundering along the dual carriageway cutting it off from the Rhine. It sells the usual Bavarian fare of half pigs, weisswurst, etc. Surprisingly, no pilsner is on sale (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| Peters Brauhaus | |
| Mühlengasse 1, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel. (0221) 257 3950 http://www.peters-brauhaus.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-24:30 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Meals 7-15 euros, snacks 2-6 euros, beer 1.35 euros for 0.2l. | |
 Peters
is one of the remaining real Kölsch brewers, though they aren't based
in Cologne, but in Monheim.This is the brewery's showcase outlet, located in an alleyway just off the Alter Markt. The building used to be home to Brauhaus "Zum Kranz", which stopped brewing in 1898 and closed its doors as a pub in 1907. At the end of the war left little more than the facade remained. Peters re-opened it in 1994, after having lovingly recreated a traditional Brauhaus interior. They really have done a great job inside. The pub rambles around in a convincingly shambolic manner, with rooms of all shapes and sizes filling the substantial premises. Go in through the main entrance (which is the second one you come to when walking along Mühlengasse from the Markt) and you'll find a small taprrom to your right. To your left you'll find space to seat an army or two. Pine-topped tables, leaded glass, panelled walls - it has all of the features you would expect. I'll leave it at that. The beer garden, confusingly, is on the Altermarkt itself. But I suppose that gives you a bit more of a view than in the narrow alley where the pub sits. Fortunately, they shift the Kölsch quickly enough so that, despite the barrel's frighteningly exposed position, it's served at a pleasantly cool temperature. It could have been something to do with the thermometer pushing up towards 40º C, but the Kölsch tasted particulalry good under the shade of the umbrellas. I would definitely recommend coming here when the weather is warm. |
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| Rating: **** | Public transport: |
| Brauhaus en d'r Salzgass | |
| Salzgasse 5-7, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel.: (0221) 800 1900 Fax: (0221) 800 1901 http://www.brauhaus-salzgass.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 12:00 - | |
| Number of draught beers : 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Meals 8-15 euros, snacks 6-12 euros, Kölsch 1.30 euros 0.2 l | |
| A very handy-to-know outlet for the excellent Päffgen Kölsch
in the city centre. Guess what - this used to be brewery. Brauhaus Zur Täsch (as it was then called) brewed up until 1907, after which it continued simply as a pub. It finally closed in the 1970's, but has recently re-opened. The roomy interior looks as if it's been looted from a church. Very gothic. For furniture you'll find the brauhaus standard of pine-topped tables and long benches. There's a small beer garden at the rear. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| Wirtshaus Schwejk | |
| An Groß St. Martin 2, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel: 0221 - 258 0634 http://www.wirtshaus-schwejk.de |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun 11:00 - 01:00 (April
- September), Mon - Sun 15:00 - 01:00 (October - March) |
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| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Snacks €3-8, meals €7-18. | |
| A Czech restaurant in a fairly nasty modern building slap
in the centre of the Altstadt. It has a reasonably sized (for the city centre) beer garden at the front. |
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| Rating: ** | Public transport: |
| Sünner im Walfisch | |
| Salzgasse 13, 50667 Köln (Altstadt). Tel.: (0221) 257 7879 Fax: (0221) 257 7809 www.walfisch.net http://www.suenner-koelsch.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 17:00-01:00 Fri: 15:00-02:00 Sat - Sun: 11:00-02:00 |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Walfisch is a fine old step-gabled house, but it hasn't always
been on Salzgasse. When the nearby Tipsgasse was abolished in a bit of 1930's
planning, the house was moved brick by brick to its current spot. It was
re-opened as a Sünner Ausschank in 1996, after an expensive refurbishment. The site does have a beery history, however, "Zum Kirchenbrauhaus" having been here until it closed in 1889. (Sometimes I get the idea it would be simpler to list the houses in Cologne which haven't been brewpubs at some point.) In the 1950's it was - excuse me while I spit - a wine bar. I will leave you to judge how successfully they have managed to recreate the brewhouse feel. It certainly works from the outside. The menu includes Cologne favourites such as "Halven Hahn" (read Michael Jackson if you want to know what it really is). (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: | Public transport: |
|
Innenstadt
Pubs
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| Bieresel | |
| Breite Strasse 114, 50667 Köln (Innenstadt). Tel.: (0221) 257 60 90 Fax: (0221) 257 62 85 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun - Thu: 11:30-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals 7-15 euros, snacks 3-5 euros, beer 1.35 euros for 0.2l. | |
| Brauhaus Zum Esel brewed on Breite Strasse from the 15th century right
up until the 1870's. Around that time the medieaval buidling was replaced by a more
modern structure and the responsibility for supplying beer passed on to the Sünner
brewery. Bier-Esel survived the war, though at some time in the 1940's it lost its top three storeys. Where is it? - it's on the last pedestrianised section of Breitestrasse, about where the shopping centre starts to peter out. If you peer at the photo above, you'll be able to spot two windows to the right of the door - that's where the standup taproom is. The rest is half-restauranty in that typical German way. The walls are panelled and - I'm consulting my notes now - there's handsome leaded glass. I assume that you have noticed during your perusal of the photograph that there is seating outside on the pavement. I haven't eaten there, so I can't comment on food quality. It is, however, renowned (in Cologne, at least) for its mussel dishes. My conclusion - a reasonably traditional pub in an unpromising area of town. |
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| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| Brauhaus Reissdorf | |
| Kleiner Griechenmarkt 40 50676 Köln (Innenstadt). Tel. (0221) 219 254 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 16:00-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Reissdorf's showcase outlet. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Brennerei Weiß | |
| Hahnenstr. 22, 50667 Köln (Innenstadt). Tel. (0221) 257 4638 Email: info@brennerei-weiss.com Homepage: http://www.brennerei-weiss.com/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Supposedly Cologne's only gay Brauhaus. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Weissbräu zu Köln | |
| Am Weidenbach 24/Pantaleonswall, 50676 Köln (Innenstadt). Tel.: (0221) 231 823 Fax: (0221) 247 993 E-Mail: info@weiss-braeu.de http://www.hb-ts.de/page-haus/weissbrau.html |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 3 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Just for variety, this is one building that managed to get
through the war almost unscathed. Which is slightly iritating, as the "Obergäriges
Brauhaus Johann Weiden " had stopped brewing in 1929. Which you might have expected to be the end of the story. But in 1991 it was re-opened (by a Bavarian company who run a chain of these things) as a brewpub. The combination of beers brewed - Kölsch and Bavarian-style lagers - make it quite unusual. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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Ring
Pubs
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| Braustelle | |
| Christianstr. 2, 50825 Köln (Ehrenfeld). Tel. (0221) 285 6932 brauarbeiter@braustelle.com http://www.braustelle.com/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 18:00 - 01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Brewpub in a 19th century building. Supposedly the smallest Brauhaus in Cologne. Their website is one of the most annoying I've come across (which is saying something). (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: | Public transport:U-Bahn 3 or 4 to Leyendeckerstrasse |
| Hellers Brauhaus | |
| Roonstr. 33 50674 Köln (Kwartier Latäng) Tel. (0221) 240 1881 Homepage: http://www.hellers-brauhaus.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 18:00-01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 4 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| Brewpub. A little bit out of the centre. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: | Public transport: U8, U9, U6, U15, U17, U19 to Zülpicher Platz |
| Gaststätte Lommerzheim | |
| Siegesstr. 18, 50679 Köln (Deutz). Tel.: (0221) 814 392 Email: info@lommi.de Homepage: http://www.lommi.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 10:45 - 14:00 & 16:30
- 24:00 Tuesday Closed |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Meals, snacks. | |
| *** CLOSED *** A slightly wrecked-looking locals pub on the other side of the river. It's very highly rated by local afficianados. I've not been there myself, but it looks pretty interesting. Maybe my kids will fancy a walk over the Rhine on the railway bridge one day. I should probably get a move on as, according to Laurent (who took the photo), this bar will almost certainly close on the retirement of the septegenarian landlord. Selling Päffgen Kölsch alone makes it worth a visit. (The rather nice photograph above was taken by Laurent Mousson) *** CLOSED *** |
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| Die Hausbrauerei Päffgen | |
| Friesenstraße 64 - 66, 50670 Köln (Friesenviertel). Tel: (0221) 135461 Fax : (0221) 1392005 email: webmaster@paeffgen-koelsch.de http://www.paeffgen-koelsch.de/ |
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| Opening hours: Sun-Thur: 10:00-24:00 Fri-Sat: 10:00-00:30 |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Snacks 3-7 euro, meals 7-12 euro. | |
| This is where Päffgen brews, sadly at a location not terribly
convenient for the casual visitor. We're out dangerously close to yuppie
land. If you come via Friesenplatz U-Bahn station on a weekend evening,
you'll have to pass through this dangerous territory. Be brave. Päffgen
is a must visit (not a Cologne must visit, but a European must
visit). Should you wish to do that shopping thing, Päffgen isn't
that far past the bit of town where that sort of stuff goes on. You could
walk it. It's only about 1 km from the station/cathedral. (For lazy gits:
from Hauptbahnhof U5 two stops to Friesenplatz.) I try to do my background research when writing these guides and there is material aplenty about Cologne. I have learnt that I am not alone in my admiration for Päffgen Kölsch. There are plenty of local fans for both it and Malzmühle (another favourite of mine). Taking the Kölsch-konvenzion seriously, this is the type of beer you would expect to get. Light, but quite bitter and aromatically hoppy. Very, very drinkable. The tiny glasses can be frustrating when you get a bit of a thirst going. I always dread this bit. How the bloody hell do I think of a new way to tell you lot about the white pine tops to the tables? Is there a new twist to the wood panelling? The oak barrels in the coriidor spouting Kölsch - is there anything you haven't already heard me say extolling the virtues of this method of serving beer? No. I think that I've used up my thesaurus for brewpub/ brewery tap/ ausschank or whatever. Päffgen is a very good example of a traditional Rhineland brewpub. The brewery is there for everyone to see, joined to the pub by a roofed-in courtyard. If you've been in one of these places, you'll know exactly what to expect inside. Half pigs roasted. Sacks of potatoes fried. And served on one plate. It was founded in 1883, at the height of the "Gründerzeit". I hope that I don't upset local chauvinists when I say: it's as good as being in Düsseldorf. |
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| Rating: | Public transport: U3, U4, U5, U6, U15, U17, U19 to Friesenplatz. |
| Brauhaus Pütz | |
| Engelbertstr. 67, 50674 Köln (Belgisches Viertel). Tel. (0221) 211 166 |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 17:00-01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
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| Food: Meals 5-13 euros, snacks 3-5 euros, kölsch 1.20 euros for 0.2l. | |
| Pütz is a fairly traditional Kölsch house out just past the
Ring to the southwest of the city centre. Don't worry, plenty of U-Bahns come this
way, if you're a lazy git. It's pretty cheap and they have Mühlen Kölsch straight from oak barrels. Sounds good enough to me. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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| Rating: | Public transport: U-Bahn U1, U6, U7, U15, U17, U19, Rudolfplatz. |
| Brauhaus Gaststätte Schreckenskammer | |
| Ursulagartenstr. 11-15, 50668 Köln (Nordstadt). Telefon: (0221) 132 581 Homepage: http://www.schreckenskammer.com/ |
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| Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11:00-13:45 & 16:30-22:30 Sat: 11:00-14:00 Sunday Closed |
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| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
| Regular draught beers : | |
| Food: Meals, snacks, kölsch 1.30 euros for 0.2l. | |
| Follow the railway line 200 metres past the Hauptbahnhof and you'll
discover Schreckenskammer hidden around the back of St. Ursula church. Like much of the rest of central Cologne, it was bombed out during 1943. It was rebuilt after the war (minus the brewery) and is in a typical German 1950's style.It's been in the hands of the Witz family since the 1930's. (Photograph by John Hein) |
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© Ron Pattinson 1998 - 2005