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

Spargel Soup: Too Delicious For All But Very Close Friends

Nick off about a half inch of each stalk.

Peel off the coarse husk.

Cook the reserved tips.

The end of spargel season is rapidly coming to a close in Germany and the tears in my eyes are not tears of joy.  But, there’s still time for one more taste before you lose the spargel pot in the undisciplined tangle of your overflowing cupboard.  Go ahead and put it away now.  You won’t need it for this dish.

Here’s a very simple recipe for a very special soup that serves you, your significant other and two greedy guests.

Spargel Soup

1 Pound (about 1/2 kilo) white asparagus (spargel)

1 Medium onion, chopped

4 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

4 Cups chicken broth

1 Teaspoon sugar

1/2 Cup heavy cream

Chopped chives for decoration

Nick off the ends of the asparagus stalks (see photo above) and peel off the tough outer layer of each stalk (see photo above).

Cut the stalks into 1/2 inch pieces, reserving about two inches of the head of each stalk (See above photo of cooking asparagus tops).

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven, add the chopped onion and cook over low to medium heat until the onion is translucent.  Do not let it brown.

Add the pieces of asparagus, except for the reserved tops.  Cook about 6 minutes.  Again, heat should be low enough to prevent browning

Dust the mixture with the flour and mix well.  Allow the mixture to cook long enough for the flour to lose its raw taste and pick up the tastes of the other ingredients, about 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and stir well.  Allow to cook for ten minutes.

In a separate pan, add a pat of butter and a few tablespoons of the cooking broth. Place the reserved asparagus tops in the pan.  Stir and allow the delicate tops to cook a couple of minutes.  You want them cooked, but not mushy.  Set aside.

Use either a hand-held blending wand or a blender to purée the chicken broth mixture. (Not the asparagus tops!) If using a regular blender, blend only one cup at a time to keep hot soup from splashing all over you and your kitchen counter!

Return the blended soup to the big pot.  Add sugar to taste.  Add the heavy cream.  Soup should be only very mildly sweet.  Add the asparagus tops and stir.

Decorate each bowl of soup with the chopped chives.

Serve with a crusty baguette and your favorite white wine.  Listen as the dinner conversation drops off to a low, appreciative whine.

Voilá!  You’ve just created one of the most delicious soups in the world!

Back to Mannheim. Back to the Past. Mannheim’s Technomuseum

Technomuseum 

The water tower on Friedrichsplatz 

Spargel Soup

Aston Martin DB9

Our view over lunch.

http://www.en.technoseum.de/

Take an only-slightly chilly April Saturday morning, hop a train to Mannheim and walk into a world of interactive technology.  Mannheim’s Technomuseum is not only a step back in time, but also a step back into what technology really is.  The inquisitive human mind at work.

Today, when we hear the word technology, computer chips, cell phones, and the latest electric car snap to mind.  We sometimes forget that even the more simple machines and implements we’ve come to take for granted followed the same human processes of thought, wonder, action and improvement.  Cars, cameras, motorcycles, even razor blades didn’t come from nowhere.  Someone saw a need, someone had a burning desire to examine a simple task more closely and find a better way.

Did you know the Wright brothers built their own simple wind tunnel?  They had nothing but need and desire to guide them.  There were no aeronautical tables and graphs.  And the Wright brothers weren’t the only ones to solve the intricacies of manned flight.  In the Technomuseum, there are hundreds of inter-active displays to let you understand the flow of air over a wing, to let you experiment with what makes a light bulb glow.  You can do a dozen other things.  Let static electricity stand your hair on end.  Take a short ride on a steam driven train and see what travel was like in a first class compartment, when wooden benches were a luxury.  Imagine what it was like to travel 4^th Class!  You can see paper made and a printing press in action, marvel at how workers toiled in a knitting mill, and see first hand the development of the automotive industry, including a modern production line.  Kids of any age, from 1 to 90 are not excluded.

Then, of course, it’s time for lunch.  Fortunately, the sun had made an appearance, the sweaters came off and hunger reared its head. And where would you effortlessly find a lovely spot? The Friedrichsplatz, an art nouveau park, punctuated by the famous Mannheim water tower.  Flowers abound, fountains arise, lovers hold hands, and normal people search for a quaint café.  Stores and restaurants surround the open square and we found a dandy in The Onyx. (http://www.onyx-mannheim.de/)  It’s spargel season. We began with white asparagus soup, followed by salad, a curried vegetable medley, and red snapper, all topped off with a local brew.

I have never made spargel soup, but I plan to try before 24 June, the birthday of John the Baptist and the unofficial end of spargel season.  Here’s the recipe I’ll start with:

(http://germanfood.about.com/od/soupsandstews/r/spargelsuppe.htm)

Ah, living in Europe is so stressful, racing from one idyllic spot to another.

Meanwhile, we chatted and gazed out at one of the most beautiful parks in any city in Germany.  Parked a few feet away was an Aston Martin DB9, listed in the $200,000 range.  We were in good company and suddenly a fifty dollar lunch seemed more than reasonable.