1625c. Tue 28/11/23: Erste Fracht Braugasthaus, Karlsruhe

Beer: Hertl Braumanufaktur 4.8%

One of my Dad’s favourite stop off places. He brought me here earlier in the year. In the daylight, and in one of the more clement months, sitting out with piles of luggage was fine.

Erste Fracht on a Tuesday night in winter is a different proposition. The garden is, of course, shut. The bar itself, which I didn’t set foot into on my first visit, is ok. Convenient for the station, and serving a hotel… it’s all set up to please passing trade. Comfortable, pretty good service and – well – just a little bland. Like a good airport bar.

Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing and Prince’s Purple Rain come on. I know people like this sort of stuff, but I’m not sure that worse songs have been recorded. Maybe C Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun, or a few of Level 42’s tracks; but I don’t know. Horrible music.

I make the mistake of not seeing past the crafty beer section of the menu. The Hertl seems the best choice on the basis that it’s a) not Shepherd Neame, Fullers or bloody Brew Dog, and b) that it’s not silly strong. It’s fine, too, but I have the normal tap beer for the second drink.

729a. Sun 16/6/19 Ambräusianum GmbH, Bamberg

Beer: Ambräusianum Bernstein Weizen 5.3%

A second visit, and a second time meeting at Ambräusianum. It’s a great place. I’m with SDK and Candida, who are leaving today. SRW and AW are also off. We’re joined by TPK and SA.

SDK’s set his heart on an Ambräusianum beer glass. He has a token and some wild notion that this token entitles him to take a glass home. He (SDK) was given this token last night as a deposit on a glass which, he explains, can either be redeemed or swapped for a souvenir glass. The server hears him out patiently. 

‘So,’ SDK concludes, having made a watertight case, ‘can I buy this glass?’

‘No,’ the barman replies.

Things go downhill after that. SDK and the barman come to some kind of arrangement viz the procurement of a glass, and there’s much chat about the Six Million Dollar people.

1542j. Tue 18/4/23: Goldalm, Wuppertal

Beer: Bierbrauerei Bayreuther Hell 4.9%

First entry while Interrailing with DGK. This place squeaks in, just, to what I’d qualify as either a pub, club, or other establishment warranting an entry in this project. But it calls itself a ‘bar’ outside, and we order and are served beer, so here goes.

Goldalm is more a DGK than an AJK kind of place. Its main purpose is serving food, and doing so in as twinkling a way as possible. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I order a Bayreuther Hell, hope for the best and am pleasantly surprised. As I am with the menu – there’s spaetzle on. When in Germany, and all that.

In the meantime, DGK’s more adventurous and arguably more reckless with his choice of drinks. He has one of those little paddles with five tasters on. Here are his scores:

Bayreuther Hell – 8/10
Grevensteiner Landbier – 8/10
Münchner Hell – 9/10
Paulaner Ur-Dunkel Naturtub – 2/10
Maisel and Friends Hoppy Hell – 7.5/10

719e. Thu 13/6/19: Gilden im Zims, Altstadt, Köln

Beer: Gaffel Kölsch 4.8%

Des is keen that I should have a Kölsch or two. I try some different ones out. As it happens, the Gilden in Zims’ brand is the same as the Die Ex-Vertretung, where we’d met up. 

I’d been given a couple of differing opinions of Kölsch; AW didn’t seem that keen, while German Tim was more enthusiastic. As someone with little in the way of discerning taste, I find it great, though not that much different from a Pils. Or lager. Still, given that we’re in Germany, this is a good thing.

This is my first encounter with the teeny tiny Kölsch glasses as well. I regard these with dismay when they’re first laid down in front of us, but a waiter’s always on hand to refresh. Not the worst system. 

Gilden im Zims is on one of the corners of what I suspect is Altstadt’s main square. It looks unassuming from the outside and unassuming as you enter. It does, however, go back a fair way. And up, and down. There are various nooks and corners on quite a scale, set up to welcome more tourists (by the look of things) than are in here at the moment. The most striking feature, I suppose, is the subterranean mezzanine level walk to the loo, which overlooks a couple of smaller bars which look a little like chapels. Which gives the place an ever so slightly creepy aspect.

728a. Sat 15/6/19: Klosterbräu, Bamberg, Germany

Beer: Klosterbräu Bamberger Braunbier 5.3%

We’re two hostelries and no more than three drinks in, but already, group cohesion is coming apart. The walk from the Schlernkela to Klosterbräu is successfully negotiated by TPK, SA, JfCTH, Lidia and CJ. I take it upon myself to go back for SRW and AW (we notice silver birches in and chalk etchings above a number of doorways). However, we lose SDK and Candida.

Klosterbräu is high up on the list of places those with lists of places to visit. The beer’s excellent. We take it outdoors, but are soon asked to move indoors. There appears to be a ‘staff only’ pub garden, which is slightly confusing. AW has a book of colours, which I mock. I ask her the colour of happiness. When pushed, she tells me it’s Ketchup Red. Actually, she says ‘tomato red’. Either way, I smell a rat.

We’re soon rejoined by SDK and Candida. They ask for tips of places to go in New York and are interested in my experience of going to see the Mets play. Other than that, I’m useless, although AW comes in and gives them some pretty decent sounding advice.

1546b. Sun 30/4/23: Piper’s Corner Celtic Irish Pub, Koblenz

Beer: Königsbacher Pils 4.8%

I’ve been walking the Koblenz streets for what feels like forever, but obviously isn’t. I’ve already gone past Piper’s Corner on the way out; now I’ve used wonder powers and found myself back outside on the way back to the hotel me and DG are staying in. It’s hot, my feet could do with a rest and I’m spitting not just feathers, but the whole damned turkey.

I thought the bar man might be as pleased to see me as I am to see him, but he’s not impressed when I pull out a 50 euro note. Understandable, I guess.

The main draw for Piper’s is that it’s a place to sit down. The Irishness is what it is, and the decor and rock music being played reminds me of a load of Irish pubs from student days.

What is this music? It sounds like an AI version of Nirvana. I note a few lyrics about a woman who “f*cking hates me” (i.e. the singer) and that she “tore my feelings like I had none.’ Not sure about who that might work. Subsequent research reveals that the band is/was called Puddle of Mudd. Which sounds like a tautology to me. Surely a puddle of mud is just mud….?

1542k. Wed 19/4/23: Wagner am Mäuerche, Wuppertal, Germany

Beer: Bierbrauerei Bayreuther Hell 4.9%

Inter-rail day two. DGK suggested I look for a place to eat. Somewhere more ‘German’ than Goldalm, where we dined last night. Wagner am Mäuerchen is a stone’s throw from where we’re staying and fits the ‘more German’ remit.

Tastes vary, but for me, this is a distinct improvement on Goldalm. The dark wood and booths give a cosy, gloomy feel, while the menu’s full of sausages, sauerkraut, brot and Weissbier. Everything feels reassuringly heavy, so neither the over-excited ladies on a post works do, or the bloke taking snuff at the bar upset me too much. I’m even enthused by the food – there are precious few veggie options, and although the one I have features spinach, it’s very palatable.

546a. Sat 10/11/18: The Ramones Museum, Kreuzberg, Berlin

Beer: Berliner Knoll 5.1%

Cheeky museum dedicated to “The Fast Four”. Like S036, which I’ve also written up, the Ramones Museum can hardly be described as a pub, but the front bar area passes, quite comfortably as ‘pub like’.

As this is a Ramones museum, so there’s a load of memorabilia. The museum itself is behind this front bar and represents a collection, mainly of posters and pictures running through the band’s early days in New York and their subsequent world fame. There are three or four pieces of memorabilia mentioning Aylesbury, indicating that Joey and co spent more time there than I ever have. And me a Three Counties citizen and all.

The bottled Berliner Knoll’s reasonably decent, with the barman noticeably more cheerful once we’ve been round the exhibits and he’s served our drinks to us. The Museum drinking area’s more than pleasant and feels more ‘hippy’ than ‘punk’. Rag rugs, or at least raggish rugs. I’d like to continue drinking, but there’s only four hours until we fly back, and it feels imperative, for some reason, that we should head south to Schoenberg with haste, and sit in a departure lounge.

751. Thu 20/6/19: S’Wirtshaus, München

Beer: Paulaner Munchner Dunkel 5%

We’re finding our way round Munich, through rain and booze addlement, and end up walking out of the town centre and back towards our hotel. That’s fine, we’re three drinks away from calling it a night anyway.

This place is markedly different from the tourist trap beer halls in the centre of town. Unfortunately, but for the crowds, I’ve got to admit I like the olde worlde beer halls better than places like this… apparently decorated in the 1980’s. It’s alright, dimly lit, comfortably furnished, American pop videos on the telly. Decent beer served unassumingly without contrived glee or pretense.

We drink up, then go back to the hotel.

749. Thu 20/6/19: Paulaner im Tal, München

Beer: Paulaner Munchner Dunkel 5%

It’s still pouring down outside, so we duck in here. Looks alright. I’m quite a fan of Paulaner beer in The Bear Club, so I’m quite happy.

Would be fine, but for one young American lady sat at a table – twenty feet away – with three other people, another girl and an older couple. I presume they’re American too, but can’t hear them. I can certainly hear her. She’s SHOUTING at the others. It’s wince inducing – and entirely unnecessary (if the older couple are deaf – how come nobody else has to raise their voice?). After a while the mature couple who, as has been broadcast to the whole of Bavaria, live in the vicinity of shouty lady back in the States, move on. Them gone, the two girls’ conversation returns to normal/polite levels.

Outside the lavs a lady sits behind the desk. I wonder whether one has to pay to pee but, no, it becomes apparent that she’s just begging. I tell her that I only have English money (it’s true, Steph holds the purse strings on holiday). She says that’s fine. I give her 50p.

Pub is big and bright and airy. Beer is fine.