A Pub Crawl Through Cologne, Germany

It’s Kölsch in Köln. Kölsch is an ale rather than a lager. Virtually every brewer in Cologne makes one and serves it in small 200ml straight-sided narrow glasses for about 1.25 to 1.80€. It’s a style that goes back 750 years. Actually most of the Kölsch in town is almost as indistinguishable from each other as Bud is from Miller – understandable since most are brewed in the same plant.

Almost all of these houses serve their Kölsch by gravity from a pseudo-wood cask. There’s still plenty of carbonation since it was pressurized when filled.

Waiters (köbes) carry 12 200ml Kölsch glasses (stangen) in trays (kranz) for easier service. They’ll just drop a fresh glass off at your table. If you leave your table for a minute with an empty glass you’ll probably find a fresh beer there when you return. Leave your mat on the glass if you don’t want any more.

They keep track of your tab by pencil marks on your mat. To avoid confusion, be sure to have a clean mat when you sit down. And remember,

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