Altbier All Day in Düsseldorf

Altbier All Day in Düsseldorf

  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” 

The Augustiner Bräustuben: From Barn to Beerhall

The Augustiner Bräustuben: From Barn to Beerhall

  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 

Cologne and Its Kölsch: A Rough-and-Ready Guide

Cologne and Its Kölsch: A Rough-and-Ready Guide

Cologne is famous for its majestic Gothic cathedral known locally as the Dom, a massive edifice that took over six centuries to complete. It’s the symbol of Cologne and the most-visited landmark in Germany. There’s even a beer named after it: Dom Kölsch. You know 

Bad Reichenhall: Beer in an Upper Bavarian Spa Town

Bad Reichenhall: Beer in an Upper Bavarian Spa Town

  Of Salt and Spas The first thing I’ll say about Bad Reichenhall in the southeastern tip of Bavaria is that I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve never been one for spa towns, and have left places like Bad Ischl in Austria and Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) 

Postcards from Belgium: De Halve Maan in Bruges

Postcards from Belgium: De Halve Maan in Bruges

If you happen to have read some of the beer buzz coming out of Europe about a half-decade back, you might recall a Belgian brewery that made international headlines with its beer pipeline. That brewery is De Halve Maan, a centuries’ old brewery set amid 

A Few of My Favourite Things: Belgian Beer Cafes

A Few of My Favourite Things: Belgian Beer Cafes

  ~In Search of Belgium’s “Best” Beer Cafes~   Belgium is home to countless beer cafes ranging from hole-in-the-wall locales in the working-class districts of Brussels to beer pilgrimage destinations like In de Vrede, Westvleteren’s beer café in West Flanders. Many lovers of Belgian beer 

The Hofbräuhaus and the Origins of Bock Beer

The Hofbräuhaus and the Origins of Bock Beer

  The Horns of a Bock-Like Dilemma Duke Wilhelm V found himself caught between a rock and a hard place in matters of beer. Despite the promulgation of what we now call the “Reinheitsgebot” by his forebears in 1516, and despite subsequent attempts to regulate