Cologne to Andernach

When we left Cologne there was a light drizzle. At times it became a shower but it wasn't too cold so we moved on, following the Rhine southward. About 1pm or so we reached Bonn and made our way to Brauhaus Bönnsch. By the time we arrived it was really starting to rain, so we parked the bikes under and awning and sat down on the covered patio.

Bönnsch on the patio

Their most famous (and until recently only) beer is call a Bönnsch -- Bonn -> Bönnsch = Köln -> Kölsch. It is unfiltered and a bit yeasty but I like it. We hadn't had lunch so we got some food (bar food) to go with it.

They have a filtered version of the Bönnsch -- called Klar ("clear") and also a wheat beer, so we tried both.

Wheat and Klar

 The wheat was what a Brit would call "bog standard brewpub wheat" -- a little on the sweet side and not as much clove flavor as I like, but drinkable. Which we couldn't say about the Klar -- it had a strange aroma ("wet urban streets" is what we came up with) and a sharp and unpleasant aftertaste. I couldn't believe it was the same beer as the Bönnsch.

While we were there it started raining in earnest, so much that the awnings we starting to break from the weight of the water. So we moved inside, where the Bönnsch comes in it's signature glass.

Bönnsch inside

We seriously thought about hopping a train, but then the rain stopped and it got a bit lighter. We plotted all the train stations between us an Andernacht in case we had to make a mad dash for cover.

Just outside of Remagen, we passed a BBQ place named Smokey Dokey with a giant happy pig out front. I just had to stop and take a picture.

Smokey Dokey

We regrouped in Remagen at a place called Brauhaus am Caracciola Platz. The beer wasn't brewed there but we were ready for a break so we stopped.

Friday wants a beer

The had two beers, Hell and Dunkel. They were fine -- drinkable but nothing special. Both were under attenuated and would have benefitted from a few more weeks of lagering, but hey, that is what German brewpub beer is all about.

Bog standard German brewpub Hell and Dunkel

It was only about 20km to Andernach, so we decided to push on. A few times the rain got harder and we almost regretted our decision, but we made it.

Dinner was in the hotel restaurant (very nice) but the beer was Bittburger and Köstritzer so I felt there was no need to document the atrocities.

Tomorrow (Sunday) the weather is supposed to be nicer. Which is good because we have a 90+km ride, with a number of breweries on the way.

Distance Ridden:  82km
Total Distance: 479km