Peters Brauhaus und Kölsch: What a Combo!

When you get to Köln (Cologne in English) and start strolling the cobblestones, your first stop should be Peters Brauhaus.  

Too early?  Yeah, ok.  Wander around; see one of the world’s great cathedrals, St Peter’s, often referred to simply as the Dom.  Beautiful.  Intriguing.  Historic.  NOT completely leveled in the Second World War – which sets it apart from 90% of Cologne. 

Ok.  Got all that.  Beer time yet?  No?  Good god, man, I marvel at your patience!  In the name of heaven, how long are you going to wait?

Right.  Roman museums.  Art museums.  Do your own research, except I will mention the Museum Ludwig and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, both of which have some wonderful 19^th -20^th Century art.  If you’re short of time, I’d pick the second.

An early Van Gogh, although there aren't any 'late ones.  He only painted for ten years.

Walk around the old town (Altstadt), cover the waterfront, and glimpse the placid beauty of the Rhine River.

Thirsty yet?  ‘Bout time.  Art and history have their place, but you have to pace yourself.  A man could die of thirst.  Never heard of anyone dying of art… although there is Van Gogh…but even he didn’t kill himself with the sharp end of a paintbrush.

Back to Peters Brauhaus.  In good weather, settle into a chair beneath an awning in the old market.  The tent-sized, red canopies say Peters Brauhaus, just to tip you off and allay any confusion.  Unusual to have the outdoor café on the market square when the restaurant is on an alley around the corner.  But, it makes sense. Gives a taste of tangy sunshine.

You won’t sit there longer than a blink before a waiter asks what you want to drink.  Simple answer:  Beer.  Before you can snap your fingers, another waiter waltzes by with a Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch.

filling a 'wreath' of beer

Kölsch comes in a slender cylindrical glass.  On the small side, but not to fret.  Before you can see the bottom of your glass, he’ll deliver another, until you lose the power of speech, or your wife gives the waiter a glance that could stop a galloping stallion.

What’s special about Kölsch?  I mean besides being one of the Germany’s most delicious species of beer?  First off, Kölsch can only be brewed within Cologne, according to the 1985 Kölsch Konvention.  Twenty-four Cologne breweries came up with the idea to resist outside brewers jumping onto the Kölsch brew-wagon.

Secondly, Kölsch is a top-fermented beer, almost as light colored as a pilsner.  Also by convention, it’s filtered, with a specific gravity between 11 and 15 percent.  Alcohol content sits at around 4.8%.

Thirdly, Kölsch has a smooth, rounded flavor, without the heavy bite of most German beers.  Goes down easy and in some instances sports barely sweet undertones.

Yes, you can get Kölsch bottled, but I prefer it straight out of the wooden barrels, a gravity beer.

Peters is one of the remaining real Kölsch brewers, though the Peters Brewery isn’t based in Cologne, but in Monheim, about 30 minutes up the Rhine.  The Konvention must have grandfathered the signers.

Beer isn’t the only thing on Peters menu.  They have great lunches. When I was there, it was asparagus season and time for Spargel Soup. Want to make your own? Here’s an earlier post:  http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2012/06/spargel-soup-too-delicious-for-all-but.html

Lots of other good stuff at Peters.  Extensive menu covering a host of local specialties, such as pork knuckle, and the ever-present schnitzel.  I’m convinced Germans are not allowed to open a restaurant without serving potatoes.  Peters is no exception.  Outstanding Bratkartoffeln. Slices of potato fried with bits of onion and bacon.

A bit chilly for you?  Feel like the full Brauhaus experience?  Go around the corner to Peters Brauhaus Restaurant.  

The building dates back to the end of the 19^th Century, but Peters has only been there since 1994. You’d never know it.  They’ve captured the dark, worn-wood atmosphere of an old-time German beer palace. Every time I’ve walked through the door, it’s been packed. Good mix of tourists and locals.

Ok, enough chit-chat.  Sit back and quaff a glass of Kölsch or six. Drink up!  Here comes the waiter with a full Kranz.  You need to prep yourself for the next museum.

Mühlengasse 1

Köln, 50667

Germany

phone: +49 221 2573950

There's More Than Cologne in Köln!

The World Renowned Dom in downtown Cologne

My wife and I took an overnight to Cologne, Germany.  Meeting old friends, seeing an old city for the first time.

I expected the usual:  old buildings, a cathedral, beer, sausages, and a view of the Rhine River.  What I didn’t expect was to be enchanted.  Cologne, or Köln (Kul-n) in German, sports the past like an old and favorite dress, yet has a young and vibrant feel.  People, young and old, stroll the cobblestone streets, stop for a beer at an outdoor pub, view the flowers and the majestic Rhine, and while away the time in some wonderful cafés.  The old city, Altstadt, is a walking wonderland of things to see and do.

Cologne is used to being both old and new and certainly adept at starting over.  An ancient tribe founded the city; then came the Romans in the first century and stayed for over four hundred years.  They built sewer systems, palaces, and baths, all of which are slowly being uncovered and displayed to the public.

The Roman World

Hard to believe this city was 95% destroyed in World War II.  On the night of 13 May, 1942, the first thousand plane raid hit Cologne.  90% of the population fled.

Between Roman times and the National Socialist era, a lot of folks took turns hammering this center of commerce that straddles the famous Rhine River.  Most, noticeably the French under Napoleon Bonaparte and later the French after the First World War, tried to make Cologne a permanent part of France.  The Brits had a lot to do with squashing both those misguided efforts.

Museums abound in this city, and two of my sudden favorites are the Ludwig and the Wallraf.  Art from every age, but I usually key-in on the late nineteenth and twentieth Century.  Impressionists.  Cubists.  Both museums feature names you’ll recognize, no matter your preference.  From Reuben and Rembrandt to Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso, and Pollack, you’ll find them here.

Picassos Inside the Ludwig Museum

The large painting is an Edvard Munch inside The Wallraf Museum

For me, viewing art is not only a question of time, but of the ability to mentally digest what I’m seeing.  A museum is such an elaborate banquet of designs, styles, colors, and subjects.  Seeing all of it in one fell swoop is like trying to eat your way through the full menu at a Michelin Three Star restaurant.

My brother has taught me well. For every hour in a museum, there must be an hour on either side at a pub.  Ale cleanses the mental palate and renews your spirit for living.

Thankfully, Cologne is dedicated to enjoyment of beer, as evidenced by a word found few other places in Germany:  Kölsch.  This pale beer, with a taste much like a smoother lager, has found its way down thirsty throats for centuries.  Even today, Kölsch is strictly controlled through an agreement between members of the Cologne Brewery Association, known as the Kölsch Konvention.

The thing to remember when you park yourself at a café and order a Kölsch, is that tall, slim glass in front of you will be refilled again and again, until you either mumble to the waiter that “I dink I gad genuf…,” as the beer dribbles down your shirt, or you put your beer coaster over the top of your glass.  In Cologne drinking beer is serious and the waiters carry special little trays (Kranz or wreath) of little glasses of beer, designed both to cut down on the spillage and to serve dozens of customers at the speed of slosh.

Ok, you’ve had your beer and your museums and taken a look at the mighty Rhine River, but there’s at least one thing left.  You can’t leave this famous city without a glimpse inside the magnificent cathedral.  You’re thinking, “This is my second week in Europe and if I see another freaking cathedral, all this beer is going to trickle its way down my legs and between the cobbles on the street!”

Slow down.  This is not just another cathedral, but one of the most famous and majestic in all of Europe.  It’s full name is Hohe Domkirche St Petrus, or in English, High Cathedral of St Peter.  Best known as simply the Dom.  I’m not going to spoil the fun by giving you a full rundown.  Besides, you need more beer to really appreciate this edifice that’s been around in one form or another since the 13^th Century.

Inside the Cathedral 

But, I will answer a couple of questions before you even ask:  Yes, the Dom was hit in World War II, but no it was not destroyed.  One reason is the suggestion that it made an excellent visual checkpoint for bomb runs into other parts of Germany.

And, who can think of speaking of Cologne without mentioning Eau de Cologne?  Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian, launched the citrus-scented original here in 1709 and the collective cologne business has flourished ever since.  Yes, there is a cologne museum and cologne shops galore.

Don’t’ know about you, but I think all this sightseeing calls for another beer.  Now, if that waiter would just hurry up!

Homburger hof

In the courtyard

Typical German reads atypical menu

Alt Bier - hummmmm

Beauty is in the details

Homburger hof is dog friendly.  They even provide a water bowl

Mixed grill, with potatoes and herbed butter

Rump steak, smothered in onions and gravy, with bratkartoffeln

Schnitzel and fries

Scharf Käse - mixed vegetables, cheese, and hot peppers

Rondell 3  66424 Homburg, Germany

06841

Tele:  +49 6841 8090802

www.homburger-wirtshaus.de/

One of the first things you learn about Homburg Saar (pronounced Home-berk and not to be confused with Hamburg, in the far north) is that the Homburger hof is the only restaurant whose hours are dependable.  1000 to 0100 daily.  Period.  None of these closing at 1400, or not open on Wednesdays annoyances.  And yes, they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Der hof is also the biggest building in town, so it’s tough to miss.  By the way, hof often means courtyard and I guess the crowded tables out in front count.

For the past few decades, it’s been owned by the Karlsberg Brewery, also located in Homburg.  But, that’s not the beginning of the story.  The building was completed in 1907 and has been a military headquarters and a hotel before the brewery bought it and made it a restaurant.

Ok. Ok.  All of that is fabulously interesting, but is it any good?  I like it!  When someone even whispers about going there, I come running.  Karlsberg beer is some of the best around, especially the Alt Bier, or beer brewed in the old style, with the fermenting yeast forming on top of the wort (wheat or barley mash).  What about top-fermenting yeast?  Less fizz.  Usually alt bier runs from 4.8 to 6% alcohol and for my money is smooth as glass.  The Karlsberg variety is at the low end of the scale. Reminds me of English ale, also made with top-fermenting yeast.  The color varies, but is predominantly a deep mahogany.  If you think all dark beer is a little bit harsh and rough around the edges, alt bier will teach your taste buds a new lesson.

What about the food?  Earthy and delicious.  There’s nothing startling on the newspaper menu, but you can order without fear.  Traditional and dependable.  I love the salads, the schnitzel, and the rump steak smothered in onions and dark gravy.  The bratkatoffeln (pan cooked potatoes) are not to be missed.

You said ‘newspaper’ menu?  Yep.  Looks like a newspaper.  Reads like a newspaper, with specials replacing the normal newspaper ads.  Speaking of specials, there’s a different one each day of the week, which gives you a price-break of a couple of euros.  But, even without the price-break, the Homburger hof won’t shred your budget.

When you go to the Homburger hof website, check out their recipes, most of which feature beer, including three types of beer soup!

Now you’ve done it.  A heavy thirst is rising like a tsunami. Time to kiss off the errands, bundle the wife into the car, and chill in the hof and people watch, while the alt bier does its magical, psychological work.  If you can't drink a beer right now, just keep repeating this mantra:  I don't need a beer to be happy...I don't need.....

Music and Flea Market – Another Sunny Day in Homburg

As sunny day and friendly crowds

Trash and treasures!

 I get frustrated when I hear people complain about nothing to do, right here in Germany, in the living, breathing heart of central Europe.  Right.  After you’ve been to all the weinfests, bierfests, historic cities and towns, sampled the huge varieties of foods, including special seasons for strawberries, asparagus, and pumpkins…  Well, I guess there really is nothing to do.  Wait a sec!  I left out flea markets and music festivals that spring up when the weather turns warm.

Homburg, just up A-6 toward Saarbrücken, has both. Every first Saturday, there’s a huge flea market.  It’s located a few blocks from the old market square. All you have to do is ask and people will point you in the right direction.  Vendors from all over Germany and France, as well as locals, bring their trash and treasures and display them in the open air. Very extensive.  It’ll take you over an hour to wind in and out and around the new Rathaus area.  Of course there is wurst and bier, along with crepes, sweet waffles, and soft ice cream.  It’s a bargain hunter’s paradise. Great selection of middle eastern carpets.

Another thing you don’t have to worry about is a shortage of cash.  In Homburg, from April to late October, there are free rock concerts every Friday night at 1900 and jazz concerts every Saturday, from 1100 to 1430.  What kind of rock and what kind of jazz?  Oh, you beggars are soooooo choosy.  Varies.  The bands change every week and in the case of jazz, it goes from modern to Dixieland to traditional big bands.  These are accomplished musicians.  Seldom do you see sheet music or music stands.

These folks change instruments as easily as you and I change hats!

A plethora of styles mix seamlessly.

Nobody can resist a good book.

Karl Marx and Truman Capote dropped by.

Hemingway was asked what he did for inspiration.  He said he went to the Prado and gazed at a few canvases.  You could say the same for music, or dance, pottery, or goldsmithing.  Art has a direct connect to the soul.

Homburg is a magical place on Saturdays!


Music, as with most art, soothes, relaxes, and takes you to a floating island of sentiment, high above your cares.  Think I’m wrong?  Hear a few bars of rock from your high school days and you sing along.  Can’t help it. As you sing, faces and places float past, a panorama of triumphs and failures, loves and loses.  You gain glimmers of acceptance, thin slices of understanding.  In the same way, jazz washes you in moonlight and the scent of roses.

While you’re making that connection, sit back and order a bier, or a wurst, or a full meal (all at normal prices) and enjoy the show.  Don’t feel like eating or drinking?  Enjoy the music for free, in one of the most quaint old market areas around.  The cobble-stoned market square has a beautiful stone fountain, surrounded by buildings that date back to forever, with their gabled and tiled roofs. Bars, restaurants and shops are all around you, as well as vendors selling fresh produce, cheeses, honey, and sausage.  The old Rathaus (city hall) is also on the square, complete with a crest of arms that indicates this city was once a part of Bavaria.

Nothing to do?  Well, go back to your warm milk and cookies and TV reruns.  Meanwhile, for the rest of us, rich man, poor man, or beggar, there’s a rainbow of activities going on in Homburg every weekend.

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
--  Berthold Auerbach (German novelist, 1811-1882)