Peters Brauhaus

In the popular comic series Werner, there’s an equally popular “plopp” sound — the unique “music” that resounds when you open the flip-top of a bottle of (originally fictional) Bölkstoff beer. 

Today you can buy a bottle of Peters Kölsch, which is now brewed by the Gilden Kölsch brewery in Cologne’s Mülheim district, with the same swing stopper. You can also get this beer at the Peters brewery pub in the city’s Altstadt (Old Town) — but fresh on tap.

A traditional brewery pub located in Cologne’s historic Altstadt (Old Town) 

For Cologne residents, the location of the Peters brewery pub is part of the city’s history. It’s true that beer has only been served by this traditionally styled and managed brewery pub since 1994, but this historic building at Mühlengasse 1 in Cologne’s Altstadt (Old Town) has been a hotspot for beer lovers for almost 500 years. When the Peters & Bambeck brewery bought the building in 1994, it was being used for other purposes, but the buyers restored it to its original function as a brewery pub. When you enter, you’ll be welcomed by a traditional brewery-pub atmosphere characterized by colourful skylights and windows, typical wooden panelling and historical wall paintings. 

A meaty menu: the bill of fare

In a traditional brewery pub like the Peters, you’ll naturally find classically hearty brewery-pub fare. From Halve Hahn (a bread roll with Gouda cheese) and sauerkraut soup with mettwurst to goulash, black pudding, beef tartare, Kassler (gammon) and Himmel un Äd (blood sausage with mashed potatoes and apple sauce), everything your carnivorous heart could desire is served here. The substantial brewery-pub bill of fare also includes pork knuckle and Schlachtplatte (boiled belly pork, blood sausage and liverwurst). Vegetarians and vegans won’t find a wide variety of choices on the menu, but you can get a freshly tapped Peters Kölsch with everything you order.

More about that all-important flip-top 

The flip-top closure has been celebrating a comeback ever since the 1980s, and that’s not due solely to nostalgia. It’s due to a rediscovery of the advantages of being able to close your beer bottle periodically to keep its contents fresh. Today even bottles made of PET or aluminium can be bought with a flip-top. 
The flip-top closure has been manufactured and marketed in a dedicated factory in Germany since 1877. The first patent for this invention was received by Charles de Quillfeldt in the USA in 1875. The Peters brewery pub can look back on an even longer tradition. Delicious beer has been sold at this spot for many hundreds of years — that is, in its predecessor, the Zum Kranz brewery pub. By comparison, the flip-top closure, which solved the problem of safely transporting foaming beer in bottles made of clay or glass, almost seems like a modern story. 

The history: Zum Kranz at Mühlengasse 1

The Peters brewery pub in the heart of Cologne, which was refurbished and rededicated to draft beer in 1994, used to be the Zum Kranz brewery pub. The Zum Kranz was listed in the city’s tax books as long ago as 1544. In order to be listed, a business had to have a certain level of revenue, so it’s clear that Zum Kranz was one of Cologne’s leading brewery pubs at that time. 

Incidentally, Mühlengasse (Mill Lane) gets its name from the mills that were anchored in the Rhine River back then and ground the grain that was needed by the city’s residents. Even after the number of mills gradually decreased, Mühlengasse continued to play its central role: It connected the Alter Markt (Old Market) with the harbour and the warehouses along the Rhine. Besides, the goods trade flowed along it on an east-west axis from the harbour to the markets. As a result, it was a good location for a brewery pub.

The Zum Kranz brewery went out of business in 1898. The establishment of beer brewing on an industrial scale had made life difficult for the smaller breweries. That’s why the 350-year-old brewing history of this site was temporarily put on hold after it had withstood the turmoil of the French Revolution and the Prussians’ invasion of the Rhineland. 

The premises: cosiness is Kölsch

The reopening of the pub in 1994 brought the historical spirit of this time-honoured central Cologne brewery back to an authentic location. This unique tradition is reflected in the pub’s classic interior. The Peters brewery pub has seats for more than 200 guests and standing room for 50 guests indoors, as well as 100 seats outdoors. A variety of guest areas ensures that you’re always sitting in a corner with a special atmosphere — in the Schalander, the Braustube, the Fässchen, the Kapellchen, the Kränzchen or the Malerwinkel. 

A tradition with a future: the Peters am Hahnentor brewery pub

The year 2023 saw the opening of a second Peters brewery pub, the Peters am Hahnentor on Rudolfplatz in the city centre. It can accommodate 180 guests and also offers a typical Kölsch atmosphere. Its “Fooderkart” is identical with the bill of fare at Mühlengasse 1, with a changing weekly menu, lunch specials and, of course, Peters Kölsch.