Brauhaus Sünner Im Walfisch

Kölsch, the light ale of Köln, comes in tiny little glasses. This makes sense. You want it to be fresh, you want it to be cold. Waiters wander the room with trays of just-poured glasses, so you always have a fresh glass. It’s labor intensive, but it works.

Lovely dinner at Brauhaus Sünner im Walfisch, with plenty of Kölsch to accompany a Rosencranz, serenades (in harmony) from adjacent tables, and much good humor about bumbling Americans, the nature of Essen, and peppery schnapps.

I’m badly confused about meal times. In Eindhoven, it seemed the Dutch ate on an American schedule: you can have dinenr anytime you like, but the kitchen closes at 9. I work, and then I cook; 9 is dinner time for me, and 10 is not unknown. In German at midsummer, things seem to run a little later – at least if you know the code. Seeking a last beer last night, we stopped by Fruh but were told is was five minutes ’til last call. Next door, down two flights (or maybe three), the same establishment’s cellar was going strong, and while we drank a beer or two it filled up with lots of cheerful people who obviously thought this a perfectly reasonable time for a beer and a bite.