Kölsch in Köln

Although I'm not a big beer drinker (unlike my dear husband), I've tried to enjoy the endless varieties available throughout this country and have have decided that my favorite beer here is Kölsch. This is a local beer speciality, brewed in Cologne (or Köln). It is a clear beer with a bright straw yellow hue, and it has a prominent, but not extreme, hoppiness. It is less bitter than the standard German lager beer, Pils. Here's some other interesting facts about my new fave beer; it is usually served in long, thin, cylindrical 0.2 liter glasses. This glass is known as a Stange (pole), but is often derisively called a Reagenzglas (test tube), or Fingerhut (thimble).

Why the sudden interest in this beer? This past Saturday, Jon and I visited Cologne with some friends and while there, we ate lunch at a brewery and of course had Kölsch beer and delicious schnitzels and sausages. It was a superb lunch and although they sell this beer everywhere, it was really cool to be able to have it in the city where it is brewed. Also, this beer can only be brewed in a brewery that has a direct line of sight of the Cologne cathedral. So, you couldn't set up a brewery just anywhere in the city.

We also visited the world famous Cologne cathedral. I have visited a lot of churches during my time in Europe and this really did blow them all away with the sheer size of it. It is enormous and each wall is lined with absolutely gorgeous stained glass windows. The church was begun in 1248 and took 300 years to finish. Beyond it's size, the church is significant due to the treasury filled with relics of the three magi.

It was a fantastic trip and the rest of this week has consisted of getting back in the routine of life (yes, very boring). But, we hope to take another trip this weekend to write about and the following week is our ski trip to the Bavarian Alps. Fun times ahead.

Have a fantastic week!