Just back from a 3 day drinking holiday in Koeln. 35 quid from East
Midlands (1:10 flight time + 15 min. train to Hbf)

* High quality beers everywhere, though prices seem to have gone up
since I last visited 18 months ago. Cheapest was 0.90 (200 ml) in a
local bar outside the town centre. Town center prices were about 1.30.
Tourist pubs near Dom, 1.40. Prevalent brands are Gaffel, Sion, Dom,
Fruh, Gilden, Sunner. The only brand I wasn't too keen on was Pfaffgen,
which I think a lot of people here are fond of.

* "The Ring" area (Rudolfplatz, Friezenplatz, Barbarrosaplatz). A lot
of "yoof"-orientated bars but still a few quieter watering holes for
the more mature drinker. And, as it was a warm weekend, there were some
outdoor beer gardens.

* Malzmuhle -- good koelsch and a nice traditional-style pub. But to
cap it all, the food (liver & onions) was exceptional and not nearly as
pricy as the tourist joints near the Dom. Also, a Paulaner outlet round
the corner facing the river.

* Bonn -- went for a day trip. Had a couple of pints at the Paulaner
outlet in the town centre. I also noticed a beer garden in the park
selling Paulaner.

* I saw some Irish pubs, but crossed the road to avoid them! (They
probably sell good koelsch, though).

* Koelsch glasses -- where can you buy these? I was thinking of letting
one fall into my bag, totally by accident, of course, but the waiters
are eagle-eyed and clear all empties immediately!

Oh well, back to work. Must start saving for my next expedition to
Antwerp!

Bruce

On 4 May 2005 06:10:45 -0700, bruce_phipps@my-deja.com wrote:


> Just back from a 3 day drinking holiday in Koeln. 35 quid from East
> Midlands (1:10 flight time + 15 min. train to Hbf)
>


Thanks for that interesting report.  You mentioned the prices, and it made
me think that at around 2.00/2.20 a glass, we must have had a knack for
finding some very expensive places when we went to Gent last month.

-- 
Cliff Laine, The Old Lard Factory, Lancaster  http://www.loobynet.com
* remove any trace of rudeness before you reply *
------------------------------------------------------------------
They want only to look at nude pictures, go to football matches, 
have a few pints and go to sleep.

  Abu Hamza on the English

In article , loobyloo <any.trace.of.rude
ness.loobyloo@loobynet.com> writes

>> Just back from a 3 day drinking holiday in Koeln. 35 quid from East
>> Midlands (1:10 flight time + 15 min. train to Hbf)
>>
>
>Thanks for that interesting report.  You mentioned the prices, and it 
>made me think that at around 2.00/2.20 a glass, we must have had a knack 
>for finding some very expensive places when we went to Gent last month.


Makes the days of 13.5 DM to the pound and a viertel for 7.5 new pence
look great, it was 40 years ago and I was only earning 4 a week sadly.

Mike

-- 
Michael Swift           We do not regard Englishmen as foreigners.      
Kirkheaton              We look on them only as rather mad Norwegians.    
Yorkshire                                       Halvard Lange

bruce_phipps@my-deja.com a crit :


>[...] The only brand I wasn't too keen on was Pfaffgen,
>which I think a lot of people here are fond of.
>  
>


Erm, tiny confusion, here ?
Pfaffen (on the Heumarkt) and Pffgen (Friesenstrasse, half a mile west 
from the Dom) are two separate businesses, have been since late 2001 or 
early 2002, and the beer served at Pfaffen is AFAIK not Pffgen Klsch.


>* I saw some Irish pubs, but crossed the road to avoid them! (They
>probably sell good koelsch, though).
>  
>

Indeed, though they would sell the top-pressure version, whereas the 
brewery taps are famous for their Klsch served by gravity without 
extraneous gas.


>* Koelsch glasses -- where can you buy these? 
>

In the UK ? Well, possibly at one of those german beer specialist shops ?...

In Cologne, either nicely ask the Kbes (local version of the waiter) at 
one of the brewery taps where to buy branded glasses, or head for the 
crockery department of either Kaufhof (a few mins on foot west of 
Heumarkt) or Karstadt (50 metres north of the north-eastern corner of 
Neumarkt) department stores.


>I was thinking of letting
>one fall into my bag, totally by accident, of course, but the waiters
>are eagle-eyed and clear all empties immediately!
>  
>

Many Kbes are indeed vigilant, considering themselves the absolute 
rulers over their bit of the Kneipe. They tend to have pretty fierce 
tempers, and are quite outspoken about it should you do anything "wrong".

Cheers !

Laurent


-- 
Warning : you may encounter French language beyond this point.

- Ben ? Qu'est-ce qu'elles font toutes l en tas ?
- 'Font gouzi-gouzi avec carotte... 
(F'murrr)

Laurent Mousson, Berne, Switzerland

>
> >[...] The only brand I wasn't too keen on was Pfaffgen,
> >which I think a lot of people here are fond of.
> >
> >
>
> Erm, tiny confusion, here ?
> Pfaffen (on the Heumarkt) and Päffgen (Friesenstrasse, half a mile
west
> from the Dom) are two separate businesses, have been since late 2001
or
> early 2002, and the beer served at Pfaffen is AFAIK not Päffgen
Kölsch.
>
>


Paffgen on Friesenstr. I wasn't too keen on.
Pfaffen on Heumarkt was closed everytime I went past.
There is also a Paffgen pub just round the corner from Pfaffen!

I would also like to recommend a Sion outlet just behind the Apostelen
church near Neumarkt, on the corner of Mittelstr. and Gertrudenstr.
Send the wife shopping and hole up in here for a few hours!

Bruce

In message , loobyloo 
 writes

>Thanks for that interesting report.  You mentioned the prices, and it made
>me think that at around 2.00/2.20 a glass, we must have had a knack for
>finding some very expensive places when we went to Gent last month.


Its pretty easy, just go to any of the bars in the usual guides and 
you'll pay a premium. Assuming everyone is using sterling that's a 
fairly typical bottled beer price - €2-3.50/bottle depending on 
strength/rarity (remembering bottles are 250ml/333ml rather than Bruces 
200ml draught).

A fairer comparison is local draught beer in any case, to match what you 
find in most German bars. Last Xmas/April the cheapest good De Koninck 
we found in Antwerp was €1.30/250ml (de Vagant I think), even Paters 
Vaetje was less than €1.50 (hard to remember exactly - we were mostly 
drinking the Winterkoninck xmas beer @ €2.30/bottle!). Exchange rate 
about 1.37 €/£ at the time and we didn't look very hard - too busy 
with beer festivals.

Most visitors only see the specialist bar prices in Belgium, as far as I 
can tell 'normal' prices there are still roughly comparable with the UK. 
We just don't go there to drink 'normal' beer in ordinary bars!

-- 
Paul Shirley: email unwelcome, reply by news

>
> A fairer comparison is local draught beer in any case, to match what
you
> find in most German bars. Last Xmas/April the cheapest good De
Koninck
> we found in Antwerp was €1.30/250ml (de Vagant I think), even
Paters
> Vaetje was less than €1.50 (hard to remember exactly - we were
mostly
> drinking the Winterkoninck xmas beer @ €2.30/bottle!). Exchange
rate
> about 1.37 €/£ at the time and we didn't look very hard - too busy

> with beer festivals.
>


Sounds OK as I will be drinking draught DeK in Antwerp.

Tip: For a cheap DeK and cheap 3 course meal head for the seamen's
mission in Falconrui. I stayed there last year, but bar and restaurant
are open to non-residents.

Bruce

>Koelsch glasses -- where can you buy these? I was thinking of letting
>one fall into my bag, totally by accident, of course, but the waiters
>are eagle-eyed and clear all empties immediately!


Not sure if this is much help, as they are based in Canada, but I've
purchased a couple dozen stangen from this place and they are packaged
very well upon shipping. ( I live in the US).

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?sid=&ccurrency=2&page=45168&category=2,40733,40734

Rick Seibt

On 5 May 2005 00:58:30 -0700, bruce_phipps@my-deja.com wrote:


>
>>
>> >[...] The only brand I wasn't too keen on was Pfaffgen,
>> >which I think a lot of people here are fond of.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> Erm, tiny confusion, here ?
>> Pfaffen (on the Heumarkt) and Pffgen (Friesenstrasse, half a mile
>west
>> from the Dom) are two separate businesses, have been since late 2001
>or
>> early 2002, and the beer served at Pfaffen is AFAIK not Pffgen
>Klsch.
>>
>>
>
>Paffgen on Friesenstr. I wasn't too keen on.
>Pfaffen on Heumarkt was closed everytime I went past.
>There is also a Paffgen pub just round the corner from Pfaffen!


Just goes to show that people have different tastes. I personally
think that Paeffgen is the best of the lot, especially as it's still
served straight from the cask, which makes it real ale in my book.
When the beer hall closes, there's a nightbar with a dj just around
the corner, which also sells it straight from the cask.

Malzmuehle would be my second favourite, also served straight from the
cask, but the beer hall is small and quickly gets uncomfortably
overcrowded.

Frueh also serves straight from the cask and would be the third best,
in my book..

All these three brew on the premises, I think (although I'm not 100%
sure about Frueh).


>
>I would also like to recommend a Sion outlet just behind the Apostelen
>church near Neumarkt, on the corner of Mittelstr. and Gertrudenstr.
>Send the wife shopping and hole up in here for a few hours!


Sion was one of my favourites 25 or so years ago, but they've since
moved the brewery out of town and the quality in their beer hall in
town is no longer as good as it used to be, when they brewed on site.

All in my personal opinion, of course.


-- 
 
Regards

Mike

mikedotroebuckatgmxdotnet