Haxenhaus Zum Rheingarten, Cologne

I visited haxenhaus around 15:30 on a Saturday afternoon with my son. Only about a third of the tables were occupied and most customers were just ordering beer. We sat at a table, and waited. And waited. Even though they weren�t at all busy.

Eventually a waiter came and threw a menu at me. When I said we only wanted a drink he told us we had to sit at the bar. It seemed totally ridiculous and unnecessary:

- it was well after lunch and long before dinner
- there was more than enough space
- most of the other customers had finished eating and were just drinking beer

This is the only pub in Cologne where the barstaff have been unfriendly to me. And the koelsch - at 1.70 euro - was 20 cents more than anywhere else (50 cents more than the cheaper pubs). I certainly wouldn�t go there again.

5 Sep 2006 15:24

De Bekeerde Suster, Amsterdam

Brewing restarted at the end of 2004. They regularly brew Blonde Ros, a 6% blond ale.

27 Apr 2006 22:47

't IJ Proeflokaal (Brouwerij 't IJ), Amsterdam

The Ij beers aren't lagers but ales, roughly in the Belgian style. Even their pils, Plzen, is top-fermented.

All of their bottled beers are on sale to take away, at prices lower than you'll find anywhere else.

The quickest way to get there from the city centre is a number 22 bus from Centraal Station. It takes about 7 minutes and stops right outside. You can also take a number 10 tram from the Leidse plein. That too stops right outside. It's easy to work out when to get off - just look for the windmill.

27 Apr 2006 20:13