German Beer Day

Yesterday, April 23 was German Beer Day. This date was chooseb because it is the date of the signing of the Reinheitsgebot or "German Beer Purity Law" in 1516. This is the law that states that the only ingredients that can be used in the production of beer are barley, water and hops. The law was passed largely to put a stop to methods of preserving beer other than the use of hops. It is held out today as the first example of a law passed to protect the purity of food supply.

You notice one important ingredient missing from this list, namely yeast. It was in the 1800s when Louis Pasteur described the role of yeast in fermentation.Prior to this, brewers either let wild yeast do the work, or added a bit of the sediment from a previous batch.

Contrary to popular belief, the Reinheitsgebot is no longer a part of German law. It has been replaced by the Provisional German Beer Law. But beer brewers in Germany (and the USA) still reference it in their marketing. This leads to some rather funny (or dishonest) marketing. For example, I have seen wheat beers, or beers containing wheat malt (a common trick for beer head retention) claiming to be brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot. Also making the claim are beers using hop extract.

Also interesting is seeing this claim on beer styles like Kölsch and Alt that existed today largely because the Reinheitsgebot did not cover the parts of Germany that they come from.

There was one provision of the Reinheitsgebot that I would mind still being in effect. That provision set the price of a Maß (one liter today) at 1 to 2 pfennings. Assuming that there was no inflation clause in the law (I've never heard mention of one), that would be a good deal today.

Beers I've Tried: von Fass, Königsbacher Pils and Früh Kölsch

We happened to go to restaurants a couple of times recently that gave me the chance to compare beers from the tap that I had recently had from the bottle. I was quite surprised as the difference in the experience.

Köingsbacher Pils that disappointed me from the bottles was a quite different beer from the tap. This was the beer that I remember from my past trips to Koblenz. Nice malty start, steely hops coming through at the finish, nice light brown color. Really a good pils. It is actually very similar to Bitburger, who recently bought them. Maybe it just doesn't hold up in a bottle.

Früh Kölsch was also quite different from the tap. It was not so highly carbonated as the one from the bottle that I tried. Actually, the lower carbonation is more consistent with this beer's style. The idea is that the beer served in the in the Klöschausschrank (Klösch pubs in Cologne) doesn't bloat the drinker, so he/she will drink more. The custom in these places is to continue replacing the empty glass, until you signal you're done by placing the beermat (the coaster that the beer is served on) on top of the empty glass. Don't worry, they'll let you know how many you drank at the end of the evening.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Further Lessons from the French Autoroute

We learned a couple of lessons about the French Autoroute on this trip. One of these was covered in an earlier blog. It is expensive. If the West Virginia Turnpike would charge at the same rate as the French Autoroute, it would cost $5.28 per toll booth instead of the current $2.00.

Others can be guessed. Like the gas from the service stations on the toll road cost .10€/liter more that gas off the toll road. And traveling on Sunday is easier than other days of the week.

There are a couple of other lessons we learned and will not forget. One is that all roads lead to Paris. It is really pretty difficult to get around Paris.

The companion lesson to this is if you are traveling on a Friday afternoon, avoid Paris at all costs because all of France is either on the road ahead of you, or coming from behind. Take a smaller road, take a gravel road, take a dirt road. Whatever is available, as long as the road is not taking you to Paris.

We took the Autoroute that cuts through the southern part of Paris and got stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam. And there was no apparent reason for it, no accident, no lane closures, no construction, no nothing. That was just how it seems to work and the French are apparently fine with it.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Chartre

Last stop on our way home was to see the cathedral in Chartres. This was one of the cathedrals that I always wanted to visit. So when we noticed that it was just a short detour from our route home, we decided to go for it.

We caught our first glimpse of the cathedal from about 8 km, a solitary building seeming to rise out of the fields. In fact, it is in the middle of a city, but it appears that they have been careful not to build high enough to compete with the height of the cathedral.

There are a couple of things that make the cathedral in Chartres special. One is that it was built is a relative short time frame and so reflects a uniformity in style that other Gothic cathedrals lack. Work began on the cathedral in 1194 and the roof was put on in 1220. Work on the north and south portals took another 40 years. The north tower was erected in second half of the 13th century. The south tower waited until 1507, which explains the difference in styles of the towers.

The other special thing about Chartres cathedral is that it was undisturbed by the French Revolution or by the World Wars. This means that the stained glass is original and dates to the 13th century. As are the cravings decorating the exterior and the interior of the cathedral.

Even on the dark and raining day the we visited, the 176 stained glass windows were spectacular. Unfortunaely, it was too dark for our attempts at pictures to come out. We could only imagine what it would be like on a sunny day. It is a reason to return.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Loire Valley

The first stop over on the way back from Chasseneuil was to visit a couple of chateaus in the Loire Valley. We visited 4 chateaus, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord and Blois.

Chenonceau was the first, and under normal circumstances would have been the best. This is the one of the best known of the Loire chateaus. It is the one that seems to float above the Cher river. It was built on the site of a fortified castle in the 16th century. Only the keep from the previous castle was left standing. It was then owned by a series of 5 women that were responsible for refinements in the design to create what stands today. One of the 5 women was Catherine de Medici who ruled France from a small room over the Cher until her son came of age.

The each room in the chateau is decorated in a style of one of the owners. The thing I remember the most are the tapestries on the walls. Some of them were exceptional.

There were a couple of unfortunate things about visiting Chenonceau when we did. The first, we knew about. One of the magnificent things about Chenonceau is the gardens. But at this time of year, we were a bit early to enjoy the gardens. Second is that this time of year, Chenonceau is a magnet for buses full of kids on school trips. Third was that the front of the chateau was covered for repairs.

Still, we spent 2 hours before we had to leave. We could have easily spent doubled that with out being bored, more if the gardens had been in bloom.

Amboise was a fortified position on a hill above the Loire. It was the home of Francois I who became the king of France in 1515. Francois I was a patron of the arts. He was the first to build in the style of the Italian Renaissance. He surrounded himself with Italian artists, including Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo served Francois I from 1516 to his death in 1519. Leonardo is buried in a small chapel on the ground of Amboise.

One of Leonardo's projects was certain design elements for Francois' hunting lodge at Chambord. As you turn the corner in the forest and look down a 2 mile path cut out of the forest to view the chateau, you understand the this was more than just a hunting lodge. It was a statement that the King of France was one powerful fellow.

Work began in 1519 and the chateau was completed in 1537. I don't think the picture give you an idea of the scale of this place. It is simply huge. This is also the chateau with the double winding stairways.

After Chambord, we were pretty chateaued-out. But we did stop be Blois to view the exterior of the chateau there. It is famous for the staircase in the picture that could be used to ride a horse into the upper floors of the chateau






The slide shows below can also be used to links to more of our pictures from Chenonceau and Chambord.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Cognac

We took a side trip with Jacqueline and Sonja to Cognac to visit the Hennessy distiller. Cognac is made from grapes grow in the area around the city of Cognac. Hennessy, being the largest producer of Cognac and one of the oldest controls many of the vineyards close to the city, which they say produce the best grapes for their brandy.

The tour at Hennessy was informative, but a bit too staged for me. At 9.50€ per person, it is not a cheap thing to do.

Cognac is made by double distilling the wine from grapes grown in the Cognac region. To be called Cognac, the distillation must be done before the end of March and must be done in a traditional three stage still. The result is a clear liquid with a fruity, flowery aroma that the French call "l'eau de vie" or "the water of life". The liquid is then stored in a cask made with French oak for at least 2 years. These cask all come from a single producer at a cost of about 700€ per.

Each barrel is carefully labeled with the year, the vineyard, name of the distiller, and the volume. As they as stored, a certain amount of the alcohol evaporates. The French calls this the angel's portion. It is also the reason that the storage building, and all the building in Cognac appear black. There is a black fungus that feeds on the evaporate and colors the buildings.

Each barrel is checked annually to determine it's quality, decide if adjustments need to be made in the aging, or if it is ready for one of Hennessy's products. Possible adjustments would include a drier or more humid warehouse, putting the vintage in a new cask, or deciding that it cannot get any better. The the latter case, the vintage is placed in a wicker-covered, glass bottle which stops the aging process. Note that the cask in the first picture here is from the 1898 vintage and is still being aged.

Hennessy's products are all blends. VS is made from 4-5 vintages, each 2-5 years old. VSOP is made from 10-15 vintages 5-10 years old. XO is made from 100 vintages from 6 to 100 years old.

Cognac in a sealed bottle does not age. So a sealed 40 year old bottle of Cognac tastes the same as when it was bottled. However, once opened, deterioration begins.

Below is a link to my photo album from Cognac.

Cognac

Spring Vacation 2010 - Jacqueline's Parents

Magda had her reunion with Jacqueline's parents, and I met a most interesting couple. As I mentioned in a previous blog, Jacquiline's parents are 95 years old, but your would never know it.

They are former teachers that retired almost 40 years ago and moved to Chasseneuil to his family home. A 95 they are remain bight and aware. They still live independently in their home and maintain their large garden behind the house.

Monsieur has a dry sense of humor. You can see a tinkle come to his eyes when something strikes him as humorous. He drinks a glass of wine each day, almost always red and almost always from Bordeaux. He does still drive on occasion.

Madame spoke to use the way she probably talked to her primary school classes over 40 years ago, slowly and with great expression. This is exactly what both Magda and I needed as we struggled to recall our French. She shops an the market each Wednesday and Saturday, engaging the merchants in conversation.

They are a part of the old French bourgeois. That is to say no only are they middle class, but also certain attitude and formality about how people relate to each other. This implies an expectation of  gentleness in relating to others that we were fortunate enough to enjoy. It is also the reason that Magda and I never asked their first names. For us, they were address as Madame and Monsieur, as it should be based on our difference in age.

The picture was taken after dinner the night before we left. In it, you can see, right to left, Jacqueline, Monsieur, Madame, Magda, and Sonia, Jacqueline's daughter.

Walking Frannie - First Spring Hike

What with the weather and vacation, it had been a few weeks since we had Frannie on a hike. So we decide to take a Easter hike today and I got a couple of videos of Frannie enjoying herself. Hope you like as well. Just click on the images to see the videos.

From 2010-04-04

From 2010-04-04

Spring Vacation 2010 - Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure

The town in France that we visited was Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure in the region of France known as Charente. To get there, we had to leave the autoroute and drive 90 km across country, through small towns, farmland and pastures filled with sheep and small brown cattle. we learned later that the cattle were the Limousin cows that the area is famous for.

We arrived in Chasseneuil to find a town of about 3000 people who are living in one and two story homes with wooded shutters. The buildings are of a uniform brown color matching the local stone and have just the right level of exterior dilapidation to give the town the label "charming". This must be like Provence was 30 years ago, before Peter Mayle wrote his books. Like the towns in Provence at that time, this is a small, charming,  working agricultural town, built from the local materials and still relatively untouched by tourism. As someone that has shared the Mayle dream, I fell in love with this little hamlet in the French countryside almost immediately.

Chasseneuil and Charente are in the southwest of France, north and west of Provence. It is therefore a bit colder. Wines are made in Charente, but it is not important product. Most of the grapes grown in Charente are used for another product, Cognac. However, Bordeaux is only 100 km south, so good wines are quite available and are still cheaper than water.

Several restaurants in town offer excellent 3 course meals using local ingredients (including those Limousin cattle) for around 12 €. A half liter of wine at a restaurant cost 5€. We found four bakeries in the town, two butchers, three grocery stores, and two gas stations. There is a small Romanesque Church on the main square and an art deco city hall.

The main square in town has a small market on Wednesday and Saturday that includes fresh fish (it is only 100 km from the Atlantic), produce, and cheese.

A few English have discovered Chasseneuil and are living there. It is only 5 hours by ferry and car from the southern coast of England. There is an English tea room there that will serve an English tea or a full English Breakfast, in case you get tried of the daily availability of fresh baguettes and croissants. 

All in all, this is the kind of place that someone can escape to and truly experience what it means to be French. It would not surprise me when the world is ready for the next escape book like in "A Year in Provence" or "Under the Tuscan Sun", that the book would be about life in Charente

The one tourist attraction in town is the memorial to the French Resistance. Chasseneuil was a center for the French Resistance during WWII. They were actually able to keep the Nazis from fully controlling this part of France through their sabotage efforts.

An interesting note in looking at the graveyard surrounding the memorial, the head stones mark the religion of the person. There you can see former Jewish and Muslim members of the resistance lying side by side. It was a different time then.

Spring Vacation 2010 - French Autoroute

Koblenz to Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure is 977 km. The plan was to head to Chasseneuil as quickly as possible, spend a few days there and then work our way back visiting Loire valley and the cathedral in Chartres.

So on Sunday we spent some 9 hours driving, mostly on the French equivlent to the Autobahn, know as the Autoroute.  About 450 km of this was toll road. The toll road was great. They were smooth as can be, I don't remember rough spots. And there were almost no trucks. The non-toll portions were also good road, although certainly not as improved as the toll portions. There was some congestion as we passed through the southern part of Paris, but there was no toll there.

Certainly traveling on Sunday was one reason for the lack of congestion on our trip. But another reason for these wonderful, uncrowded road was the toll. The cost of those 450 km was 40€ (between $55 and $60). Pretty stiff tolls by anyone's standards. However, we checked on what it would mean to avoid the toll roads on the same trip, it would mean a 16 hour trip. Is 40€ worth a time savings that makes a two day drive into a single day?

Still we wondered about the logic of such high tolls. Well it does seem to keep the Autoroute free of trucks which helps the traffic flow and reduces maintenance cost, it forces those trucks onto smaller highways that often runs through small towns. 

Spring Vacation 2010 - Why France

German schools take a 2 week spring vacation that includes the the week before Easter and the week after. So Magda had some free time. My school was closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. So by skipping out on 4 days of classes, we could take a week vacation. So on Palm Sunday we packed up the car, took Frannie to a dog sitter, and headed off to France.

Why France?

Well largely because one of Magda's uncle was a German POW in a region of France called the Charente and loved it.

OK, the story is a bit more involved that than.

Magda has known one her close friends Jacqueline since the early sixties while Magda was in Gymnasium (the German equivalent of out High School). They started their relationships as pen pals when Jacqueline was given Magda's address by one of Jacqueline's friends, also named Jacqueline.

Magda and this second Jacqueline had met when she and her mother had traveled to Magda's home town to meet with Magda uncle. Magda's uncle and the mother had meet originally in France when he was a German POW there. Magda and the second Jacqueline had agreed to be pen pals, but this Jacqueline wasn't really so interested in writing so she passed Magda's name along to her friend, and now Magda's close friend.

Jacqueline has been living in Germany for a number of years. They see each other and talk often. This visit was actually to see Jacqueline's 95 year old parents who live in Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure in the Charente. Magda had visited them in France in 1971. Although Magda had seen them a few times in Germany, that was her last visit to see Jacqueline's parents in France. Jacqueline's parents had for years extended an invitation to Magda to visit them again. But for the last 20 years trips to the USA prevented her from going. But this Easter, since I am in Germany now, Jacqueline was planning to visit her parents and Magda had vacation time, it seemed an ideal time to accept the invitation an go.

So that's the story of how we were going to France because Magda's uncle was captured during WWII and sent to France as a POW.