Päffgen breweries
Bierhaus en d’r Salzgass
QUICK FACTS
- Back in the day, the fish that was sold at the fish market used to be salted in Salzgasse
- Because salt is known to make you thirsty, there used to be a brewery there, “Zur Täsch”
- Until 1798, the last guild brewer brewed there
- Brewing took place in the “Zur Täsch” brewery until 1907, after which it was rebuilt and only used as a restaurant
- Päffgen is served there today
From “Brauhaus Zur Täsch” to “Bierhaus en d’r Salzgass”
The passage from Heumarkt to the banks of the Rhine leads through Salzgasse, as it has done for centuries. In the Middle Ages, the fish sold at the fish market were salted here.
Next door, in Lintgasse, the fish baskets were woven and around the corner “Unter Käster” the herring barrels for Cologne’s most famous export, the salted herrings, were made. Salt therefore plays an important role on this street. It is also a fact that salt makes you thirsty, so it is no wonder that a brewery also existed here in ancient times.
When the French dissolved the guilds in 1798, the last guild brewer “Zur Täsch” was Christian Schuld or Schult. He had been a councilman and member of the Gaffel during the Imperial period, a fact which suggests that the small brewery must have had a good reputation. In 1838, Heinrich Schult – probably his son – took over and ran the brewery until 1840. He was followed by Johann Flatten until 1844, from whom Anton Hintzen took over the brewery until 1849. The brewery register then lists Sophia Decker as the owner, who ran the brewery for three years until 1852. Gottfried Thelen, who had previously brewed in the “Verlorener Sohn” diagonally opposite on Buttermarkt, was the owner of the “Zur Täsch” for three years until 1861.
The brewer Peter Brauweiler is in the register as the operator of the brewery from 1861 to 1872, followed by Heinrich Hilgers from 1872 to 1877. Peter Werker then brewed in Salzgasse for twenty years, until 1897. Shortly before the turn of the century, Reiner Schallenberg took over the “Zur Täsch” brewery. He was the last brewer in this traditional brewery. After his death in 1904, his widow continued to run the brewery until 1907, but then the fire under the brew kettle went out forever. Although the brewery continued to exist as a restaurant until the 1970s, it had changed its appearance and purpose several times over the decades.
Päffgen is the oldest home brewery in Cologne
The Päffgen brewery was founded in 1883 by Herman Päffgen, meaning that this excellent Kölsch has been around for over 125 years. Päffgen is the oldest home brewery in Cologne and still brews in its original location in the Friesenviertel (Friesenstraße 64).
The heart of the business beats in the house behind the beer garden. Until the 1950s, the only access route to the rear building led right through the pub. Even today, you can still see the small tables against the wall between the tap and the “Aula”, where horse-drawn carts used to rumble through the pub. Nowadays, hops and malt come in through a gate at the back.
Brauerei Päffgen
QUICK FACTS
- Päffgen is a home brewery
- Brews approx. 6,000 hectoliters of Kölsch per year, second smallest Kölsch brewery in Cologne
- Under the management of the fourth generation of the Päffgen family
- Fourth generation: the brothers Rudolf and Max Päffgen
- Brothers had a dispute, since 2001 Max Päffgen has been serving Pfaffen beer at Heumarkt 62 (orange building) Pfaffen is brewed by Max’s son in Lohmar and is therefore not officially considered a Kölsch beer
- Even during the Second World War, the brewery produced limited quantities of Kölsch.
Päffgen is the oldest home brewery in Cologne
The Päffgen brewery was founded in 1883 by Herman Päffgen, meaning that this excellent Kölsch has been around for over 125 years. Päffgen is the oldest home brewery in Cologne and still brews in its original location in the Friesenviertel (Friesenstraße 64).
The heart of the business beats in the house behind the beer garden. Until the 1950s, the only access route to the rear building led right through the pub. Even today, you can still see the small tables against the wall between the < wpml_nbsp >tap< wpml_nbsp > and the “Aula”, where horse-drawn carts used to rumble through the pub. Nowadays, hops and malt come in through a gate at the back.
Lommerzheim
History
After the Second World War, Hans Lommerzheim worked as a Köbes at the Päffgen brewery and opened the “Lommerzheim” in Deutz in 1959. He was the first to have a license at the time to serve Päffgen Kölsch outside the brewery. While his wife Annemie tapped the beer, he served the Kölsch. However, as was typical in other breweries, he did not bring a new Kölsch as soon as a guest’s Kölsch was empty, but only when Lommi decided it was the guest’s turn. On the other hand, it could also happen that you got three Kölsch straight away because he thought you weren’t drunk enough yet.
Moreover, Hans Lommerzheim never repaired anything in his restaurant; if a chair broke, people sat on empty beer crates or on piles of telephone directories. He never wrote down what he sold and never paid taxes. However, this was only possible because some of his regulars worked right next door at the tax office and turned a blind eye.
But at the Lommi not only tax officials, managers and bankers sat at the bar, but also craftsmen, hairdressers and gardeners, because everyone was equal at the Lommerzheim.
The Lommerzheim was a very popular restaurant in Cologne and everyone still knows the name Lommi today. He was stubborn and taciturn but also honest and tolerant, he was the epitome of a Cologne old hand and everyone wanted to be served by him.
On December 31, 2004, Lommerzheim closed his restaurant for health reasons and died shortly afterwards during a vacation trip in June 2005.
After its closure, various museums tried to buy the building to exhibit it, but Lommerzheim refused. The restaurant was eventually bought by the Päffgen brewery, renovated and extended to include the vaulted cellar, and then reopened in 2008. Despite the renovation, the atmosphere of the Lommerzheim was not destroyed and has been kept alive to this day.
Bill Clinton
In 1999 the G8 summit took place in Cologne and all the important world leaders came to the city, including the President of the USA at that time, Bill Clinton. When he was in Cologne he decided to eat at a good old German restaurant and so his management picked out the “Lommerzheim”. They called Mr. Lommerzheim and said: “The President of the USA would like to have something to eat with you.” But Lommerzheim just replied: “Yes, of course, and I’m the Queen of England!” and hung up.
Bill Clinton’s team saw that this was an unusual request and decided to visit Lommerzheim with the President in tow. So the whole team stood with Bill Clinton in front of Mr. Lommerzheim and said: “This is Bill Clinton, the President of the USA, he would like to have something to eat with you.”Lommerzheim shrugged his shoulders, unimpressed, looked around his restaurant and pointed to an empty table: “There’s a seat available, have a seat!” Of course, his reaction was completely unusual and incomprehensible to the team. So Bill Clinton’s security stepped forward and replied: “This is the most powerful man in the world, of course you have to kick all their guests out so that Bill Clinton is safe here.” Lommi didn’t think about that for 10 seconds before he said: “I’m not going to kick anyone out just because he’s some president of some country, besides, my regulars are coming.” Bill Clinton then stepped forward, against all expectations, and calmed the situation by saying: “That’s no problem, we’ll sit down here with the other guests.” So they sat down.
Bill Clinton and his team waited an incredible 90 minutes for a Kölsch and didn’t get one. After 90 minutes, Lommerzheim went up to the group, took a beer mat, wrote a number on it and said: “I won’t be serving you here today, but maybe they will.” The number on the beer mat belonged to the Malzmühle.
Of course, nobody was thrown out of the Malzmühle, but the group got their Kölsch and something to eat, and the president drank half a Kölsch that evening. As he left the restaurant and stood on the doorstep of the Malzmühle, he remembered Kennedy’s speech in Berlin: “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Bill Clinton wanted that too and said: “Ich bin ein Kölsch”, but there is only one translation for that and that is “I am a Kölsch beer”. . But if he really wants to be a beer, and ours too, then of course we have no problem with that.
