Intellectual Ferment of a Different Kind
Meeting the people who make your beer.
The Town Garmisch and Partenkirchen were separate towns before they joined together on the eve of the 1936 Winter Olympics. Partenkirchen, which found itself along the Roman trade route that ran from Venice to Augsburg, was long the more prosperous of the two towns. …
My Kind of Beer Around this time last year I penned a series that began with an account of my tastes in beer, followed by an exploration of the kinds of beers I like. The series ended with a list of twenty-five beers that …
When Päffgen opened its doors in 1883, it was just one of over a hundred small breweries in Cologne. Wars and consolidation exacted their toll on the other small breweries, but Päffgen soldiered on. Today, it one of the last small Hausbrauereien (“inhouse breweries”) …
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: You can never have too much Munich in your life. But what about those times you really do need a break from the big city? Maybe some meadows dotted with cows, Alpine scenery, …
We climbed the hill in the direction of the monastery as dark clouds began amassing. The storm broke loose with a crash of thunder and a biblical fury just as we reached the heavy doors. Inside, the heat melted away as we descended the …
A Visit Long Overdue The stars finally aligned with bus schedules, opening times, weather, and my schedule for a trip out to the illustrious Brauerei Zehendner, brewers of the highly regarded Mönchsambacher Lagerbier. I arrived an hour early, so I turned the outing into …
Introducing Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is only about forty-five minutes from Cologne by train — so close, yet in beer miles so far away. Düsseldorf and Cologne are unique: ale strongholds amid a sea of German lager. Yet these two “keepers of the ale faith” …
Beers I Like A few weeks back I wrote about the cultural dynamics that influence our taste, while also giving an account of what has shaped my own tastes in beer. I followed up with an exploration of the kinds of beers I …
The rush of cool mountain air was bracing as I stepped off the train on the banks of the Schluchsee. A short bus ride later and I’d be in front of an old beer wagon laden with barrels, the coral-coloured Rothaus brewery rising up in …
The scent of hops wafting through the air. The cookie dough fragrance of mashing grain. These are the first telltale signs as you make your way from Munich’s main train station a short walk away that you’re getting close to the Augustiner Bräustuben on …