Alaaf, Jecke!

As I’ve mentioned before, in Munich and environs the “fifth season” involves strong, dark beer and lots of it. In Cologne and areas around it, the “fifth season” is called Karneval, and culminates in a big parade through the streets of the city on Rose Monday. In case you didn’t know, that’s today.
Now, officially the Rose Monday parade is about sweets and flowers. Unofficially, though, beer is more prevalent than either, and most of it is the light, crisp lager known as Kölsch. Now, Kölsch can only be brewed in Cologne, and is often served in tiny 0.2 or 0.3 …read more