I Found Heaven on Earth at This Brauhaus in Cologne

If you read my weekly destination spotlight on Cologne (aka Köln), Germany, then you know that I was right in my element during my near-week there. And there’s a reason why. Every pocket of the city is scattered with what I consider the ultimate eating and drinking haunt - the brauhaus. 

Time stands still in these traditional German beer halls as locals and tourists mingle with one another, chowing down on popular drinking snacks like Halve Hanh and mett-happen, along with hearty entrees like schnitzel, ham hocks, and marinated meat roasts, all while Köbes (Kölsch waiters/waitresses) glide across the dining area, swapping out empty 0.2-liter stangens of Kölsch beer for fresh ones. 

If you ask me where my little slice of heaven on earth is, it’s here. At 33, I feel slightly late to the party since I only just discovered Cologne’s vibrant beer culture and the sanctity of “the brauhaus.” However, I’m ready to make up for lost time. 

Here’s the Köln brauhaus that started it all for me. It isn’t just a highlight of my time in the city. It’s a highlight of my entire eating and drinking tenure on this planet.

But first, let’s start with a primer on exactly why Kölsch beer makes a convincing case for being “the perfect beer” and what a brauhaus is.  

School is in Session: Cologne Drankin’ 101

What I always find incredible when stepping into literally anywhere in Europe is that beer culture often extends back to well before my home country (United States) was even formed. And as one of Germany’s oldest cities, stretching back to over 2,000 years ago when it was founded as part of a Roman Colonia Agrippina (colony), you can bet your bottom dollar that (inevitably) beer drankin’ is deeply rooted in the city.

While it took several hundred years since the city’s establishment, Kölsch beer traces its origins to the latter half of the 9th century, with production and regulation requirements fine-tuning themselves in subsequent centuries - the most significant being the celebrated “purity law” (aka the Reinheitsgebot) governing and limiting the ingredients in German beer. 

In a nutshell, Cologne and its Brewery Association (Kölner Brauerei-Verband) ran with this like no other, taking on one of the strictest interpretations of the purity law in its quest to ensure the utmost quality and preservation of this unique beer. 

Kölsch Beer Primer: a Beer Style You Need to Try

First, true to its name, it’s not Kölsch beer if it’s brewed any further than 50 km outside of Cologne. 

While Kölsch beer appears to exhibit all the aesthetic and telltale signs of a lager, it is actually classified as an ‘ale’ due to its use of ‘ale yeast’. It is, however, cold-conditioned like lagers (which results in the beer being cleaned similar to how a lager’s yeast does). 

Having adopted one of the strictest interpretations of the Reinheitsgebot (only using water, yeast, malted barley, and hops), Kölsch beer is top fermented (the yeast rises and accumulates at the top rather than the bottom) and sports an original gravity between 11 and 14 degrees Plato. 

Simply put, ‘degrees Plato’ refers to a beer’s relative density compared to water in the fermentation process by measuring the amount of sugar in the wort. This defined scale allows brewers to better determine the future alcohol content of their beer. 

Kölsch beer sports a straw-yellow hue that’s bright and slightly vinous. The taste, crisp, somewhat dry, refreshing, and reminiscent of a pilsner (aka the most drinkable beer). 

If you’re someone who makes a grumpy face every time you get to the bottom of your average-sized beer because it’s gotten warm, don’t worry. Kölsch beer protects against such by being served in a tall, slender 200-milliliter (0.2-liter) glass called a “stange” or “stangen” (plural).

As 0.2-liter beers can go down quickly, waiters, known as ‘Köbes’, watch patrons' glasses like a hawk, frequently making rounds with their circular metallic “wreath” of freshly poured glasses to replace empties. 

To keep track of how many stangen you’ve consumed, they use a pen or marker to tally the number on your coaster. If you don’t want a new beer, simply place your coaster over the top of your empty glass. 

So, where is Kölsch beer typically consumed and where can you find them? At a brauhaus, of course. 

The Institution of “The Brauhaus”

Translating to “brewery” or “beer hall,” brauhauses are well…breweries. However, the term ‘brauhaus’ can, at points, be somewhat of a misnomer because the beer isn’t always brewed on-site. 

It has become more of a de facto term to define any German drinking establishment with an attached restaurant that serves its own beer (which is brewed offsite) or a specific brand of beer. There are roughly 30 Kölsch brewers in Cologne that are approved by the “Kölsch Konvention.” Simply put, you aren’t typically going to see any more than one single brand of beer on draft.

I’m sure there are further semantics to this that are lost on me but I don’t speak “Sprechen sie Deutsch.” 

From my understanding, most German locals have their “home court” brauhaus that they frequent and develop a relationship with the staff. Naturally, this is often dictated by where one works or lives. 

Just as I’m a creature of habit who can’t be bothered to make my way across town just to get my fix of whatever vice (or virtue?) has taken a Venom-esque hold of my being, so too are most people. This results in a vibrant, cozy, and intimate atmosphere that has you feeling like you’re stepping into the German version of Cheers.

“Where everybody knows your name…”

Max Stark: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

“Good people, good drinks, good smokes. Got me thinking this is how life should go.” - Big Sean

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.max-stark.de/ 

• Location: Unter Kahlenhausen 47, 50668 Köln, Germany

• Price: $ - Very reasonably priced. I think I drank roughly 1,000 0.2-liter beers in a night along with two mett-happen, 1 jägerschnitzel, and a dessert crepe, and the total was just over USD 50. 

Normally, when I’m in a new city, I put together a list (or pin locations on Google Maps) of restaurants and bars that I want to tick off. Unless I’m in one spot for the long term (over one month), I usually circle through as many as I can (often multiple in a single night) to get a feel for the city and its cuisine. 

I somewhat sanctimoniously used to scoff (not literally) at those who would latch onto a single place during their journey and opt against expanding that restaurant Rolodex. However, there’s no single right way to travel, eat, or drink. 

When you’ve found your idea of perfection, why depart from it? 

Plus, I only had just under one week in Cologne and was in a somewhat peculiar routine that saw me running later than usual. So, after stumbling on Max Stark (by chance) on my first night in town, and the fact that it was within a stone’s throw from my hotel, I was sold.  

I’m about to put some serious weight behind this sentence. Max Stark is a top three restaurant and drinking haunt that I’ve ever been to. 

If my maker came to me letting me know that my time was up and I had one place to choose as my last meal and drink before shaking hands with Tupac, Elvis, and the Grim Reaper, I’d struggle to think of anywhere BUT Max Stark (there may be one Japanese standing yakitori bar that gives it a run for its money). 

Here’s a little bit about this gem and what you can expect when stepping in the door.  

Pale Ale Travel Tip: When in Cologne, you can’t miss heading to the Cologne Cathedral (aka the ‘Kölner Dom’). It’s likely the first thing you’ll notice when you arrive in Cologne and provides incredible panoramic views of the city (should you decide to make the 500+ step ascent in the South Tower). 

Controlled, Historic Chaos

Stepping in the door at Max Stark is the definition of controlled chaos. But I mean, why wouldn’t it be controlled by now? The Max Stark wheels have been in motion since 1899 (you read that correctly) when Max Stark himself took up brewing. 

Unfortunately, like most buildings in Cologne’s city center, this small brewery was destroyed by the Allied bombings at the end of World War 2. After a roughly 8 year hiatus, Max Stark was back in business, this time under a different name. Nearly half a century later, things came full circle and the original name was restored. 

Upon entry, you’re already right in the thick of it. Marbled top standing tables provide refuge for regulars waiting on an open communal table or wood-paneled one-seater by the window. Cream-colored walls with more wood paneling paint a picture of times long gone but not forgotten. 

It’s somewhere that if Gaston were to suddenly burst into a self-aggrandizing song while portly patrons interlocked arms and danced on tables, no one would bat a lash. 

Köbes, wielding their circular Kölsch beer wreaths with faithfulness and purpose, bob and weave as they swap out patrons’ finished Päffgen beers for crisp, fresh ones, and tally counts on individual coasters. 

There’s no music. Only the sound of merriment and kitchen staff in the back tenderizing schnitzels with what sounds like a Thor-sized mallet. 

Of the five nights I spent in Cologne, I was at Max Stark four of them. Each time, positioned right at the front of the bar area was the same group of local gents. As each would trickle in after a day of work or doing whatever it was they do during the day (I’d guess half or more were retired), they would immediately be greeted with an ice-cold golden Päffgen.

In my opinion, it’s what we’ve lost over the years. Intimate, engaged conversation with one another. True community. 

Collective Effervescence That Would Put Tomorrowland to Shame

One thing I’d like to bring up is the concept of collective effervescence which is the sociological harmony that’s achieved when a group of people are engaged in the same activity and/or doing something with the same shared purpose. 

As someone who almost entirely travels solo and lives a relatively itinerant lifestyle, where I often find myself somewhat lonely, establishments like Max Stark epitomize and fuel this concept. 

Collective shared experiences like this are a rarity when traveling solo. Being elbow to elbow with other patrons, sharing communal and standing tables, and enjoying frequent visits from the intrepid Köbes help to fend off feelings of isolation by allowing you to indirectly (or even directly) get your social fix in. 

Because of this, it’s why I’ve found this place to be the most memorable. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: I did ask the gregarious local Kölsch man who I spent one night talking to and drinking with where his favorite brauhaus in the city was and he emphatically stated ‘Bei Oma Kleinmann’ to the southwest of the city center. This was also a name that frequently popped up as one of the G.O.A.T. brauhauses when searching online. 

Hearty Traditional German Cuisine & Ice-Cold Päffgen Kölsch

I know I’ve heavily focused on the atmospheric and spiritual elements of Max Stark but the food isn’t to be slept-on at all. This is quality, heart, traditional German fare at an affordable price. For me, these are the best versions of staples that I grew up on. 

It’s not sexy at all. But you know what? I don’t crave gold leaf-topped seafoam uni. I crave the rich, savory, earthy mushroom cream sauce that covers a breaded, tenderized cut of veal. I crave pungent raw onions by the handful to accentuate the mildly sweet, tartar-esque pork (mett-happen) that’s spread across a German bread roll. I crave goulash, bratwurst, and pork chops the size of my head. 

Max Stark has it all. And, there’s over one hundred years of history that goes into each dish, resulting in precise “non-precise” dishes. There’s a nonchalance to the construction of it all. But with high-quality ingredients, large plates, and butter…lots of butter… you don’t need a team full of culinary school grads in the back crying out “Yes Chef!” while grating white Alba truffles over tiny wagyu cuts.  

It’s also one of the remaining brauhauses in all of Cologne to still serve traditional sauerbraten with marinated horse meat. 

While you could find me at Max Stark almost every single night I was in Cologne, I still made my rounds at several other brauhauses in the early evening to sample various Kölsch beers. While my Kölsch beer constitution is still in its infancy, Päffgen reigns supreme for me. 

Light, slightly grainy, and not overly dry, with a mild hops finish (enough to let you know you’ve drank a beer), there’s a reason that some brauhaus regulars consume hundreds of these per month (remember, it’s 0.2 liters). 

If I lived in Cologne, I’d be one of them.  

Max Stark is Just the Tip of the Kölsch Beer & Culture Iceberg

While I’ve dedicated this post to Max Stark, it’s really the entire Kölsch beer culture that I’m enamored with. In all of my time abroad/my travels, I’ve only encountered one or two other drinking cultures that come anywhere close in terms of such collective harmony, energy, and intimacy (Vietnam comes to mind as one of the others). 

The effect was so powerful that as I sit and type this in Hong Kong, I can’t help but reevaluate what I value in a community and the city I choose to make my permanent home in the following years. 

Until then Cologne. 

If you have questions about traveling to Cologne, Germany, or need any restaurant recommendations, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email ([email protected]).

Eat and drink well everyone,

Big Body