The typical Kölsch beer is served in a tall cylindrical glass called a “stange” that holds 0.2 litres of liquid. Because these glasses have such a small capacity and the beer is tapped from a ten-litre barrel called a Pittermännchen, the kölsch is always fresh and cool.
Thanks to its special type of fermentation, kölsch contains less sugar and malt substances than other types of beer. The high proportion of hops and the low carbonic acid content make kölsch especially light and digestible. Perfectly to enjoy with the many regional food delicacies!
But the really special thing about this type of beer is that it may only be brewed in Cologne. There are about 25 different brands of kölsch.
As for the dishes, typical dishes are „Himmel un Ääd“, which means heaven and earth. This interesting name is easily to be explained looking at the colours on the plate they serve you: as there is potato puree and fried black pudding slices it looks like „heaven“ (white) and „earth“ (brownish). We hope you didn’t lose your appetite now, as this plate is really delicious and should be tried on your visit to Cologne!
Another classic is „Rievkooche“, which are actually hash browns accompanied or by apple puree or by sour cream and salmon. But there are many more ways to interprete the hot, tasty „potato pancakes“ as its literally tradition would be. Try it out!
In Cologne you will find both: cosy, traditional pubs where they serve the traditional Cologne dishes and sophisticated restaurants with a creative kitchen style and sustainable ingredients. Cologne is fortunately not far away from the German region Eifel, where many organic farms with species-appropriate animal husbandry have been established in the past few years. As ecological and sustainable food is an each time larger issue, and also more and more vegan restaurants are cropping up, these restaurants offer their clients „good taste with a good conscience“.
Ecological meat from the Eifel region is no rarity and also catering companies are establishing a more and more sustainable approach, starting from the menu ingredients to logistics and staff.