First Time in Germany

Emily, a friend and former colleague, was on a business trip to Frankfurt last week. Her meetings took place over two days in the hotel at the Frankfurt airport. She didn't even leave the hotel/airport over those two days. But thanks to the cancellation of a third day of meetings and the OK to stay an extra day before heading home, she had two days for an introduction to Germany. What to do?

Day 1 started with the train trip from Frankfurt airport to Koblenz where I met her at the train station. Emily arrived early enough that we could come back to the apartment for a German breakfast (see previous post).

About 10am we headed south for a tour of the "Upper Middle Rhine Valley", a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We began a Braubach with a tour of the Marksburg castle. This castle, built in the 12th century, is one of the few that have never been destroyed. Upstream we stopped at the Loreley. The story of the Loreley distracting the ship captains with her song and her beauty and causing them to wreck their boat brought on the observation, "It just like men to find a woman to blame their mistakes on." Later, we crossed the river using the auto ferry at Kaub, during which we could get some good view of the toll castle, Burg Pfalzgrafenstein. Next we spent a couple of hours exploring Bacharach, a village with a fantastic collection of half-timbered houses and great wines, and its Burg Stahleck. Finally we drove back to Koblenz to explore St Kastor (we were lucky to find the door open so we could see the interior of this Romanesque church that dates back to the 800-900 BC) and Deutsches Eck.

Day 1 finished with dinner at home consisting of very German menu of roast venison, apple sauce, rotkohl, potatoes, rote grutze and a Bacharach wine. Of course that also meant a conversation around the table until jet lag got too much about 11pm.

Day 2 involved a tip to Cologne to see the Cathedral, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, lunch in a traditional Kölsch pub, a bumble through the Altstadt, finishing at the Chocolate Museum. The last stop was to the sake of Emily's two boys.

Day 2 ended in the Koblenz Altstadt walking trough the stalls of the Christmas Market and having a pizza at a small Italian restaurant.

5am the next morning, we drove to Frankfurt to catch the 8:00 flight.

Well I realize, we only glimpsed a small part of what is Germany. Given the time available, I think we did a pretty good job putting together an introduction. Time will tell if it was enough to simulate the wanderlust for some follow-up trips.

Beers I've Tried: Küppers Kölsch

In continuing to learn about kölsch beer, here's one that I found that sort of turned me off. Not because of the taste though. Rather it was the marketing of the product.

Reading the description Küppers Kölsch on the back label of the bottle I noticed the claim that Küppers Kölsch was brewed according to the Deutsches Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law) of 1516 that states that the only ingredients allowed in beer are water, barley, and hops. There are two troubling things about this claim.

First is that some regional beer styles exist in Germany today because the Reinheitsgebot did not cover those regions of what is today Germany. Kölsch is one of those styles. But I suppose that being brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot is a symbol of quality. Even some American beers put this claim on their labels.

My second problem is a little more serious. In reading the ingredient list, I see yeast, wheat malt, hops extract. Yeast was not mentioned in the Reinheitsgebot because they didn't know what it was at the time, so no problem with that addition. But wheat is not on the list of allowed ingredients in beer. And if you are using hop extract, how can you be sure what is in there. I mean if you are going to use the Reinheitsgebot to invoke images of centuries of brewing knowledge, then I think you should be controlling the whole process. That means bringing in the grain and hops, malting the grain, extracting the proteins in water and using the whole hops. That's what brewing has meant for centuries.

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.

Beers I've Tried: Dom and Früh Kölsch

German beer is not all about pils. There a several regional styles that have developed. Fortunately for me, a couple of these regions are not far away and are quite available here. 

Kölsch is sort of a crossover beer in that the yeast is a ale (or top fermenting yeast) but uses the lighter roasted malts developed for pilsners and is largered.

Kölsch is the beer of Cologne (or Köln as it is called in German). The name Kölsch is protected (like "Champagne") so that only beers brewed in Cologne can use the name. In the past, Samuel Adams' Summer Ale was advertised as a "kölsch-style beer" and is the only American version of this style.

I brought two home recently, Früh Kölsch and Dom Kölsch.

 

Früh Kölsch was my favorite of the two. It combines malt and hops in a way that most beers can only hope to achieve. The head is made up of small, tightly packed bubbles that look like whipped cream. In addition, as the beer sat in the glass there were "string of pearls" bubbles coming from the bottom, reminding me of a good Champagne.

Dom Kölsch is not as malty or hoppy as Früh. It is much closer to the way that I remember Samuel Adams version. A really enjoyable beer with a good malt and good hops. Like the Früh, the head on the Dom has the whipped cream look that I like to see. All and all, an enjoyable, easy drinking beer that I would happily drink again.

Beers I've Tried: Königsbacher Pils

This was a surprising disappointment for me. You see, I've often had Königsbacher Pils from the tap at pubs and restaurants here in Koblenz and have enjoyed it. Königsbacher is Koblenz's local brewery and it's Pils is served at most of the pubs and restaurants here. The gocery store I bought this bottle from is less than 1/2 mile from the brewery.

Yet this one left me wanting. It looked and tasted light. The head had relatively large bubbles and was not long lasting. The hops (100% Saaz, so they claim) just did not snap out at me like I remember.

Can this be a difference between cask and bottle? Or was this just a bottle from a bad batch? I did read that Königsbacher has just been bought by Bitburger (Karlsberg had perviously owned it). Is this a new recipe? Or a quality control problem associated with the change in ownership?

Only way to tell is to try a few more glasses and maybe tour the brewery. But these are the things I'm willing to do in the name of research.

Beers I've Tried: Königsbacher 1689

Königsbacher is the local Koblenz brewery. In fact their current ad campaign is "Koblenz drinks Königsbacher". They trace their origins back to, you guessed it, 1689 when they made beer in the old city hall (a not that unusual combination back then).

1689 is one of Königsbacher's specialty beers. The recipe is suppost to have origins back in the original brew house. It in a caramel tasting brew with a nice deep brown color. If there is a complaint, the head is a little loose, not a tight as the last two brews that I wrote about. Still, this is the last of a half case that I bought, so I did enjoy this one.

Beers I've Tried: Battin Gambrinus

I was introduced to Battin Gambrinus on our trip to Luxembourg. Battin is a Luxembourg brewery since 1937. The Gambrinus is a pale lager with a rich gold color and a thick fluffy white head that has good staying power and that leaves laces on the glass as the beer is drunk. The taste begins with creamy maltiness that gives way to a finish that is hoppy (prehaps saaz hops) but not overly so. Over all a full flavored, balanced larger that is a pleasure to drink.

However, it is not cheap. 4 euros for 6 .25 liter bottles, or about 1.67 per half liter.

Beers I've Tried: Bitbuger Premium Pils

Bitburger is a classic German pilsner that is brewed int he town of Bitburg, within an hour's drive from Coblenz. Bitburger traces it's history back to 1817. While originally brewing ales, Bitburger brewed its first pilsner in 1883. Today, no ales are brewed, only pilsners. The Bitburger Premium Pils is the foundation of Bitburger's current reputation.

It is one of Germany's national brands. It is the official beer of the German national soccer team. There is probably no bigger sponsorship deal that that in German. It is also one of the German beers that can be found in the USA. It is Germany's no. 1 beer sold in draft.

This is one of the good one. Nice hoppy finish, light yet full-bodied, great foamy head. If you want to understand German pilsners, this would be a good starting place.

Of course, Bitbuger is brewed according to the deutschem Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law from 1516 that states that only water, barley and hops can be used in the production of beer.

Cost about .55 to .64 euros per .5 liter bottle.