Land of brewers

Herbert Dick raises enough hops on his farm in Holsthum, Germany, to produce 132,000 gallons of beer each year. “This one vine,” he says, “can produce (423 quarts) of beer — enough to supply all of Luxembourg.” Mr. Dick, who is in his 70s, likes to exaggerate a bit, but Holsthum is near Luxembourg, and he is serious when he explains his vocation to a group of American travel writers learning about the hundreds of beers produced from Cologne, Germany, to Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium.

Mr. Dick began with six acres of hops in 1964; now he has 50 acres and since 1977 has produced hops exclusively for Bitburger, his region’s most prominent brewer. He has about 80,000 hop plants on his farm. During the harvest season in September, Mr. Dick and his crew pick hops from about 1-1/2 acres each day.

From the hops field, we move into a barn, where the temperatures rise and aromas become increasingly sweet and sour as we move up from floor to floor where the hops are bailed and stored before being shipped for processing into the concentrated pellets used for brewing.

The tour concludes with a glass of Bitburg Pils and a sample of Mr. Dick’s own Holsthumer Hopfentau (Hop Schnapps), Spiritouse. That translates to “Morning Dew Spirits,” and it whiffs lightly of apples and has a calm, soothing effect on the senses. As we are leaving, I notice that one of my fellow travelers has a bottle of the stuff in his hand, so I rush back to the barn and give Mr. Dick about $10 for a bottle of my own.

This is our third day in Germany, traveling at whirlwind speed since my arrival on a Lufthansa flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany. From the airport, our group takes a high-speed ICE train to Cologne, a very old city in western Germany.

Located at a major crossroads of Western Europe on the Rhine River, Cologne remains a center of transportation. Its train station is said to be the busiest in Germany, serving as a major hub for high-speed carriers, with more than 1,000 trains arriving daily. The recently completed high-speed rail link to the Frankfurt airport has cut a two-hour trip in half.

Our beer-drinking excursion really begins with our arrival at the Hyatt Regency Cologne, with a sample of the region’s signature Kolsch beer. During lunch, we learn of the provincial attitudes the different German cities, states and regions have regarding their beers. In Cologne, it is rare to find any beer other than Kolsch on local pub menus.

Kolsch is more than just beer in Cologne; it is a culture with its own dialect and beer-specific lexicon. On a walking tour of the city, we pass many a brauhaus (beer house or brew pub), and we become increasingly familiar with these places and the terminology associated with ordering beer.

Though it is Octoberfest time across the country in Munich, we have arrived a few months before the carnival season in Cologne. As Mardi Gras is to New Orleans, carnival is to Kolsch culture: an essential element. Running concurrently with the Christian Advent season, carnival begins in mid-November and runs through Epiphany, Jan. 6. However, a certain amount of carnival attitude is retained throughout the year in Cologne, which prides itself on having a looser and more carefree attitude than the rest of the country.

With a population of slightly more than 1 million, Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany and the center of commerce in western Germany. Founded by the Romans about 2,000 years ago, it also is the oldest city in the country.

The Cologne Cathedral is a major attraction. The towering high-Gothic structure took 632 years to complete after construction began in 1248. By the middle of the 13th century, the cathedral chapter committed itself to build a French-style sepulchral church. After more than 300 years of continuous work, construction was halted in 1560 and was left unfinished for nearly another 300 years until 1842. At its completion in 1880, the cathedral was said to be the tallest building in the world.

Inside the cathedral, the arched ceiling soars almost 143 feet and is lit brightly in the daytime by sunlight shining through stained-glass windows. The cathedral was badly damaged by bombing during World War II, when 90 percent of the city was destroyed. The cathedral was restored in 1956.

Though sightseeing is a component to our agenda, beer is our objective. We take our first happy hour at the Malzmuhle, a brew house where the Kolsch keeps flowing. It is common practice for the waiters to continue serving rounds of beer whenever they see an empty glass. A coaster placed on top of the glass indicates no more.

At Malzmuhle, I ask our guide about a rather large piece of meat being served at a table across the room. It is eisbein, I am told, a popular dish at local restaurants and pubs. A few hours later, I order eisbein — a pig’s knuckle or part of the shank that is usually boiled — for my dinner at Cologne’s largest restaurant-pub, the Brauhaus Fru am Dom. The meat is pink and has a cured quality to it, served, of course, with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes.

We are up and out early the following morning with a 10 a.m. appointment for a tour of the Reissdorf Kolsch Brewery. The brewery was founded in 1894, but it was relocated and completely revamped in 2002. A picture-perfect example of modern brewing techniques and efficiency, Reissdorf is so sparkling clean it seems improbable that beer is actually being brewed around the clock for 4-1/2 days per week — the other half-day is allotted for cleanup.

Much of the brewing process is administered and maintained by computers in a small control center where brewery employees look more like software technicians.

A staff of 95 employees working eight-hour shifts produces about 160,000 gallons of beer annually. The place seems to operate on its own, though. Our tour concludes with a sampling in the brewery’s taproom.

Drinking beer early in the morning, followed by drinking more beer through the afternoon, is something we become addicted — make that “accustomed” — to during our weeklong journey.

The Reissdorf Kolsch is light, crisp and clean, qualities consistent with most of the beer produced in Cologne. Kolsch is a top-fermented beer, low in carbonation, consumed at cold temperatures and in small portions rather quickly before it loses its carbonation. About 99 percent of Reissdorf’s Kolsch is distributed and sold in Cologne, although a small amount finds its way to certain U.S. cities, including Washington and Baltimore.

Before lunch, we tour the Dom Brewery and Museum, where we get a lesson in the history of Kolsch brewing. Beer has been brewed in Cologne since the ninth century.

The first beers were odd concoctions derived from combinations of bread and water. According to our guide, it was discovered and historically recorded that drinking the liquid derived from bread soaking in water “makes those who consume it relaxed and joyful.”

Later, mead beers were made with honey, which evolved into grutbeers made with spices and then the hop beer that came to be known as Kolsch. The formula was perfected with the German Purity Law, enacted in 1517 and still in effect. It states that only hops, barley and pure water can be used to create German beer.

Much smaller in scale than the Reissdorf brewery, Dom employs 24 workers who, in keeping with tradition, are paid partially in beer — about 10 gallons a month — as a means of quality control.

Lunch is in Zum Treppchen, a distinctly Old World eatery that has been at its current location by the Rhine River since 1656. Again, I order eisbein, which this time is grilled, with a crispy skin, which I much prefer to the boiled version. The beer menu gives us our first alternative to Kolsch. After lunch, we take a boat ride a few miles up the Rhine, back to the center of town.

After a concert of the Cologne Philharmonic, we stop at Peter’s Brauhaus, Alt Koln, and Paffgen, where to my taste the beers are strikingly similar, but easily drinkable.

The next morning, we go by bus about 11/2 hours away to Bitburg, near Holsthum, and we have a brief walking tour on the cobblestone streets of the city. Allied bombing raids during the latter part of World War II destroyed about 85 percent of Bitburg, to the extent that it was considered a dead city, but it was rebuilt.

Bitburg has experienced a continuous military occupation for most of its existence. Since the early 1950s, Americans have maintained military air bases on the edges of town, and there still is a prominent American presence in Bitburg.

Our tour guide is the daughter of an American military man who as an adult chose to stay in Bitburg and become a German citizen. Bitburg has become a popular tourist destination, receiving about 1.5 million visitors annually.

Just as in Cologne, in Bitburg people are proud of the local beer, and the Bitburg Brewery has more than 1,000 employees. The brewery’s catchy slogan, “Bitte ein Bit” (Please a Bitburg), is also regional.

We lunch at Zum Simonbrau, named for the original Theo Simon Brewery, which began producing Bitburger Pils in 1817. We begin with a bowl of smoked trout soup, whose heady aroma carries a calming influence over our table as everyone enjoys the soup. The main course is a stuffed pork chop prepared in a beer sauce, accompanied by glasses of Bitburg Pils.

After lunch, we visit Schloss Hamm, a 14th-century castle that is the spectacular residence of the family of Eva Westerholt; the Countess of Westerholt gives us an informal historical tour, explaining how the castle was occupied by the SS — the Nazi Schutzstaffel — during World War II and was torched by the SS troops as they fled upon the arrival of American troops. The castle has undergone several phases of restoration since then.

The rest of our afternoon we spend in Mr. Dick’s hop fields. In the evening, we dine at another splendid castle, Schloss Rittersdorf. Throughout the German countryside, we see a constant juxtaposition of old and new, many stone buildings and castlelike structures co-existing with modern buildings.

We leave Germany the next morning, quickly passing through Luxembourg on our two-hour drive to the Trappist Orval Brewery in Belgium. Almost hidden behind a lush wooded hillside, accessible only by a rugged country road, the Orval Abbey was founded in 1070 and became part of the Cistercian order, the only authorized designation of a “Trappist” product, in 1132. Orval is one of six Trappist breweries in the world.

The monastery was destroyed during the French Revolution and was rebuilt in 1926. The Orval Brewery was established as a business in 1931 to finance construction of the new monastery. All profits from beer sales are donated to charities.

In contrast to the silence on the monastery grounds, the brewery itself is a noisy factory, bottling house and distribution center. Nearby is the Orval Auberge de l’Ange Gardien, a beer and cheese cafe, where we stop briefly.

It’s another spectacularly scenic drive into the heart of the Ardennes to the Achouffe Brewery, makers of Chouffe beers, McChouffe and La Chouffe. We also have lunch in the Brasserie d’Achouffe Taverne, where most of the menu items are prepared with beer and served with suggested pairings.

The Chouffe brewery is a dream come true in a storybook setting for a hobbyist brewer and his brother-in-law. When they opened their brewery in 1982, the small town of Achouffe had a population of 40. In the first two years of operation, they produced about 65 gallons. In the 20 years since, production has grown to more than 5,000 gallons, with 66 percent of its distribution in Europe, Canada, the United States and Israel.

The two beers brewed here are rich and flavorful, containing relatively high percentages of alcohol. La Chouffe is a strong and spicy, lightly hoppy golden ale; McChouffe is a similar but darker and smoother ale. Our tour guide, brewery co-founder Chris Bauweraerts, says his products are “not for drinking when you are thirsty; they’re for drinking when you want to have a good time.”

In keeping with that tradition, at Mr. Bauweraerts’ insistence, we stop at his favorite local pub, a small roadside watering hole, for a couple of happy-hour Chouffes before going to the quaint village of Durbuy, self-billed as the smallest city in the world.

Durbuy seems to have been relatively untouched in several hundred years and has charming little hotels, restaurants, and gourmet food and gift shops on streets that are almost too narrow for cars. We stay at Hotel Jean De Boheme, where we enjoy an elaborate dinner featuring seasonal wild game for the main course. There is not a lot of night life in Durbuy, so we enjoy a quiet night of drinks and conversation at the hotel.

A busy day in Brussels begins with a tour of the Cantillon Brewery. Founded in 1900, Cantillon is the last of what once were 70 makers of lambic beer in the city.

Although fruit juices are associated with the production of this particular style, Cantillon produces traditional non-sweet lambics with late 19th-century machinery. Despite being tucked away on a side street, this artisan brewery of international renown receives 25,000 visitors a year, about 1,000 of them Americans.

Hops are not as important to the lambic brewing process because bitterness is not sought. However, the beers are not sweet, even though Cantillon uses Belgian cherries, French apricots, Italian white grapes, Hungarian raspberries and red and black grapes from France’s Bordeaux region. These lambics, which include a house specialty of Gueuze, are intended for a specific consumer.

“Our beers are made for the minority, not the majority,” says brewer-proprietor Jean Van Roy. “They are a missing link between beer and wine.”

The beer produced here is also aged on premises in oak casks previously used for aging port and cognac. Cantillon beers have received critical acclaim at beer festivals, and while we are touring the brewery, Mr. Van Roy is notified by telephone that the cherry-flavored Cantillon Kriek has won the Golden Award for best beer at a festival in Stockholm.

We spend the rest of the afternoon sightseeing in Brussels, our first stop being the Manneken Pis statue and, across the street, the Poechenellekelder pub, known for its extensive beer menu. We sample some of the hundreds of Belgian beers available — along with traditional pub fare of bread, cream-cheese spreads, vegetables and pates.

Afterward, we go along the busy blocks filled with tourists to the famous Grand Place, whose Flemish Renaissance buildings around the square are the heart of Brussels. Grand Place was destroyed by two days of French cannon fire in 1695, but almost immediately was rebuilt into the spectacular assembly that appears today.

I break away from the group to shop for Belgian chocolate, beer and cigars — all available along Grand Place.

As the capital of Belgium and headquarters of NATO and the European Community, Brussels is a bustling metropolis that moves at a frenetic pace akin to that of New York City. Residents and workers crowd the sidewalks, moving elbow to elbow with tourists through a maze of twisting, turning narrow side streets and busy major thoroughfares.

The Greater Brussels area is a conglomeration of 19 suburbs that form the Bruxelles-Capitale Region. We stayed in the luxurious Hotel Plaza, which during World War II was taken over by senior German officers.

Beer is again the main focus over dinner at L’Aviete, where each course is paired with an appropriate accompanying beer; a delicate mussel tart in puff pastry goes wonderfully well with a refreshing Hoegarden white beer.

The next day at the DeKoninck Brewery in Antwerp, we have a different approach to our beer tour — we sample beer before the tour, and we drink concentrated brewers yeast. Our host touts the health benefits of yeast and how taking yeast supplements has become a health craze. He says the yeast contains a variety of essential vitamins good for hair, skin and general well-being.

He also tells us of the yeast content in DeKoninck’s signature Bolleke beer and his response to the yeast craze, “My advice: two Bollekes a day.” He pours the muddy, sludgy liquid into attractive DeKoninck chalices.

As we bring our noses to the snifters of yeast and promptly snap our necks back, he insists it will not taste as bad as it smells. He is right. It tastes even worse. This may be the most memorable collective experience our group has. The taste is still stored in our consciousness if not on our tongues a few hours later as we gather for lunch at Antwerp’s famous 11th Commandment for the traditional Belgian fare of mussels and frites — french fries, although they are a Belgian creation.

One afternoon is not enough time to see all that this art-filled, historic and diverse city has to offer.

Antwerp is also the hometown of Peter Paul Rubens. Three of his paintings can be viewed at the Cathedral of Our Lady, which occupies 21/2 acres on a corner of Antwerp’s Grote Markt, the central square. The ornately gabled buildings encompassing the square are akin to Brussels’ Grand Place.

Antwerp is known for its 1,500 diamond companies and four diamond exchanges as well as a thriving fashion center. I treat myself to an unguided tour of Antwerp’s shopping district, stopping at the well-stocked Jazz CD store and Mike’s Havana Humidor.

Later, we meet in the lobby at our charming Hotel ’t Sandt, which looks old-fashioned on the outside but has modern art-deco furnishings in unique rooms.

After dinner at Neuze Neuze and near the end of our beer trip, we venture out to the aptly named Kulminator, whose beer menu is as thick as a dictionary.

Breweries to see, places to stay

BREWERIES

Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval, 6823 Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium; phone 1132-61-311261; www.orval.be.

Brasserie Achouffe, Rue du Village 32; 6666 Achouffe, Belgium; phone 1132-61-288147; www.achouffe.be.

Brewery Cantillon, Rue Gheude 56, 1070 Brussels, Belgium; phone: 2-521-4928; www.cantillon.be.

Brewery DeKoninck, Mechelsesteenweg 291, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium; phone: 32-3-218-40-48;www.dekoninck.be

@Subhed.frcd.10:LODGING

@Text.rag:Hyatt Regency Cologne, Kennedy-Ufer 2a, 50679 Cologne, Germany; telephone 221-8281-234; cologne.regency.hyatt.de. The Hyatt Regency Cologne may have the best view of Cologne’s renowned Gothic cathedral and the rest of the city skyline. Single rooms start at about $200.

Hotel Am Wisselbach, Bitburger Strasse 2, 54636 Rittersdorf, Germany; 65-61-95-97-0; www.hotel-wisselbach.de. This hotel is a quaint roadside inn with a full-service restaurant in the Eifel region. Rates start at $45 for standard double-occupancy rooms. Full pension (bed, breakfast and dinner) is about $155 based on one- or two-night stays.

Hotel Jean de Boheme, Place aux foires 2, 6940 Durbuy, Belgium; telephone 86-21-28-82; www.jean-de-boheme.be. This charming 26-room hotel is a splendid fit in a storybook village. Rooms facing the front have views of this “smallest city in the world.” The restaurant is top-notch.

Hotel Plaza, Boulevard Adolphe Max 118-126, 1000 Brussels, Belgium; 2-278.05.70; www.leplaza-brussels.be. In Brussels’ Lower Town, this luxurious Old World hotel has the beautiful L’Esteral bar with a blue-sky domed ceiling just off the lobby.

Hotel ’t Sandt, Zand 17/19, 2000 Antwerp; phone 3-232-9390. Hotel ’t Sandt, looks like an old-fashioned hostel on the outside with art-deco furnishings in unique rooms. Located just blocks away from Antwerp’s Grote Markt.

@Subhed.frcd.10:DINING

@Text.rag:Hoffbrau Fruh am Dom, Am Hof 12-14, D-50667 Cologne, Germany; phone 49-221-26-13-211; www.frueh.de. A 100-year-old pub serves regional specialties in the shadows of the Cologne cathedral.

Zum Treppchen, Kirchstrasse 15, 50996 Cologne, Germany; phone 221- 39-21-79. Restaurant founded in 1656.

Zum Simonbraeu, Am Markt 7, 54634 Bitburg, Germany; phone: 65-61-33-33. Fine restaurant on the site of the original brewery in the Eifel foothills.

L’Auberge de l’Ange Gardien, adjacent to the Orval Trappiste Brewery at 6823 Vilers-devant-Orval, Belgium; phone: 32-61-311261; www.orval.be.

Brasserie d’Achouffe, Rue du Village 32, B-6666 Achuoffe, Belgium; phone: 32-61-2888264;www.achouffe.be

Restaurant at Hotel Jean de Boheme, Place aux Foires 2, B-6940 Durbuy-sur-Ourthe, Belgium; phone: 32-86/21-28-82, www.jean-de-boheme.be

Poechenellekelder Pub, Rue du Chene 5, 1000 Brussels, Belgium; phone: 2-511-9262; Old World pub with possibly the largest selection of beer in Brussels.

L’Aviette, Rue du Vieux Marche aux Grains 3, Brussels, Belgium; phone: 2-512-7550, www.la-villette.be. Traditional Belgian fare, lots of meat and seafood dishes, near Place St. Catherine.

The 11th Commandment, Torfburg 10; 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; phone, 3-232-3611. “Het elfde gebod,” (which is “thou shall drink”), a fun and famous hangout in the historic Grote Markt district.

Neuzze Neuzze, Wijngaardstraat 19, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; phone, 3-232-9390; www.neuzeneuze.be. A fine dining experience in Antwerp.

@Subhed.frcd.10:AIRLINE

@Text.rag:Lufthansa German Airlines, 800/563-5694, www.lufthansa-ca.com, operates flights between Washington Dulles International Airport and Frankfurt, Germany.

@Subhed.frcd.10:TOURIST INFORMATION

@Text.rag:German National Tourist Office, 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168; 212/661-7200; fax, 212/661-7174;

Belgian Tourist Office, 780 Third Avenue, Suite 1501, New York , NY 10017; 212/758-8130; fax, 212/355-7675; www.visitbelgium.com