Post 0019. March 15, 2016. In 1977 we visited Dusseldorf for the first time and were stunned by a business we had never seen before – a restaurant that made its own beer! It would be another five years before Yakima Brewing and Malting brought the concept to the United States, but had already had places we would call brew pubs for nearly a thousand years.
The range of beers was narrow – nearly all were some form of Alt, but that was fine with us. The best Alts are chewy and nutty with just a hint of chocolate caramel in the malt. Hopping varies, but always cleanses; a delicate fruitiness testifies that it’s an ale, but nothing overwhelms.
We talked about the difficulty of making a good Koelsch in an earlier post. Ditto for the Alt style, and no surprise since it’s essentially a cousin of the truly pale ale up the river in Cologne. We’ve talked to brewers who swear the only significant difference is the darkness of the malt, but we think it’s more complex.
Dusseldorf can be a good beer drinking destination on its own, or an easy day trip from Cologne. The journey from the Hilton in Cologne to the brewing areas of Dusseldorf is almost as quick as the streetcar trip from the Hilton Dusseldorf—and you’ll be sleeping in the shadow of Cologne’s magnificent cathedral. 
Much of Dusseldorf is very modern and a bit boring, but the old town has genuine charm. We could only fit one lone wooden barrel from Dusseldorf into our book. Here are some further views of a beautiful town with beautifully drinkable beer.
Sorry for the posts we missed when we were trying to rework some things on the site. I think we’re back on track now and there should be a new US-centered post by the end of the week.
