Cologne & Düsseldorf
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Tue-Wed, October 7-8, 2025
Custom Dates Also Available
- Minimum group size of 6 people and 2-month lead time.
- Rich will be in Europe from Sept 29 – Oct 11, 2025, so possibility of scheduling an additional Cologne-Düsseldorf Immersion during that window.
- Contact Rich to request custom dates or inquire about being added to existing groups.
Price: 2 days for $799
Likely breweries, visits, tours, and meals:
Cologne – Braustelle, Früh am Dom, Gaffel am Dom, Mühlen, Päffgen, Sünner im Walfisch, and more;
Düsseldorf – Uerige, Füchschen, Schumacher, Schüssel, and more!
10% discount for Beverage Industry! Cicerones®, Certified Beer Servers, Sommeliers, WSETs, and employees of restaurants and beverage producers & wholesalers get 10% off!
Cologne & Düsseldorf: Jewels of Beer Culture
On the banks of the Rhine River in northwestern Germany lie Cologne and Düsseldorf: jewels of beer culture. The two cities are home to a dozen traditional brewers of delicate, impeccably fresh ales served from wooden barrels hoisted atop the bar. Residents gather at all times of day to sip on beer, eat soft pretzels, mustard, cheese, sausage, and pork roast, and talk politics and football/soccer. Fashionable, upmarket Düsseldorf is the state capital, while cosmopolitan, diverse Cologne is twice as large. Cologne is famous for its 500-foot-tall, Gothic Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that largely escaped the devastation of World War II air raids. Both cities have large, welcoming Old Towns filled with plazas, statues, and pedestrian zones.
Kölsch & Altbier: “Neighbeers” a World Apart
Cologne and Düsseldorf are rival cities, divided by 25 miles and 2 different beer styles. Cologne, known as Köln in German, is home to straw-colored, balanced Kölschbier. Düsseldorf brews chestnut-colored, hop-forward Altbier. The overwhelming pride in local beer, and the disdain with which each city regards the other city’s beer, are inspiring, charming, and border on hilarious.
At the brewpubs and beer halls, blue-aproned beer servers swing trays full of small glasses of foam-topped beers about the beer halls, on the look-out for almost-empty glasses. When you take the final sip of your cold, crisp beer, you’ll find another freshly poured beer waiting for you. Small glasses, just 6 to 8 ounces in volume, keep each beer a manageable size rather than risking that a larger pour might go idle and flat. This brilliant, efficient service style keeps the conversation and the beer flowing.
In the US, bottled, exported kölschbier is the un-dead, a pasteurized shadow of its former self; and proper, traditional altbier is rarely shipped outside Düsseldorf. Real, unpasteurized kölsch and alt are revelations in freshness, smoothness, and character. These beers just aren’t meant for export, and and you really have to visit these cities to try them!
Special Beer Styles:
- Kölsch: vibrant, crisp, nuanced golden ale, served from wooden gravity kegs
- Düsseldorf-style Altbier: crisp mahogany ale full of malty structure and hoppy bitterness, served from wooden gravity kegs
- Wiess: unfiltered Kölschbier, smooth and nourishing with a veil of yeast
- plus: some great local craft beers, too
Local Dishes:
- Halve Hahn: translates as “Half Rooster,” but is actually just a starter of Gouda cheese served with rye rolls, butter, onion, and caraway seeds
- Strammer Max: warm, open-face sandwich of grilled bread, fried eggs, and ham
- Krüstchen Gulasch mit Röggelchen: crispy-skin pork cutlet in goulash, served with rye roll
- 3/4m Hausgemacht Bratwurst: sautéed coil of housemade, spiced pork sausage 3/4 meters (2.5 feet) long!
- Decke Bunne: broad beans with smoked ham and sometimes a light meat sauce
- Mett Happen: raw ground beef coated in chopped onions on rye rolls (not my fave, but a crazy popular bar food!)
- Flönz, Kölsche Kaviar, und Himmel un Äd: Flönz is popular, lightly smoked blood sausage; caviar is a joke about the visible fat cubes studded into the sausage; and Himmel un Äd is dialect for Flönz with applesauce (apples from the sky) and potato salad (apples from the earth)
- Apfelstrudel: delicious, warm spiced apple dessert wrapped in flaky pastry and served with vanilla ice cream
Local Customs We’ll Join In On:
- enjoying being automatically served freshly-poured beers whenever your beer glass is almost empty
- drinking beers served by gravity from wooden kegs
- eating and drinking in bustling pubs in the shadow of one of the world’s largest cathedrals
- listening to Kölners and Düsseldorfers insult each others’ beer, and deciding for yourself which is better: Kölsch or Altbier!
- strolling the banks of the Rhine River
Local Non-Beer Sights We’ll See:
- Cologne Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Reliquary of the Three Wise Men, Cologne’s Historisches Rathaus
- Jewish Quarter Archeological Zone, Ancient Roman walls
- large Cologne and Düsseldorf Old Towns
- the serene and mighty Rhine River
Hotel Recommendations
Functional/Budget Category:
- CityClass Hotel Alter Markt
- CityClass Hotel am Dom
- Hotel am Augustinerplatz
Alter Markt 55, Cologne ~ Hotel Website ~ TripAdvisor
My comments: Decent, clean rooms and in-room modern bathrooms in a medium-sized, modern hotel, with elevators. Central location has a tradeoff: it can be noisy outside due to proximity to bars and nightlife — consider bringing earplugs for sleeping. Located in the heart of the Old Town/Altstadt on the Old Market plaza. 7-min walk to the central train station; several Kölsch breweries and taprooms within 5-minute walk. A block away from sister property CityClass Hotel am Dom.
Am Hof 38-46, Cologne ~ Hotel Website ~ TripAdvisor
My comments: I haven’t stayed here, but I imagine it’s similar to the CityClass Alter Markt. Located in the heart of the Old Town/Altstadt. Some rooms have a view of the gigantic, imposing Kölner Dom (cathedral). 6-min walk to the central train station; several Kölsch breweries and taprooms within 5-minute walk. A block away from sister property CityClass Hotel Alter Markt.
Hohe Strasse 30, Cologne ~ Hotel Website ~ TripAdvisor
My comments: Small rooms with in-room modern bathrooms in a medium-sized hotel, with elevator. Perfectly clean, functional hotel in a good location, but lacks some charm (makes an attempt at character with low lighting and a black and pink color palette). Located at south end of the Old Town/Altstadt, near restaurants, bars, and modern shopping district. 12-min walk to the train station; 5-min walk into the historic heart of the Old Town/Altstadt.
Mid-Range Category:
- Hotel zur Malzmühle
- Hilton Cologne
Heumarkt 6, Cologne ~ Hotel Website ~ TripAdvisor
My comments: Located above the classic Malzmühle Kölsch brewery and restaurant. I haven’t stayed here, but I hope to soon. Located at south end of the Old Town/Altstadt, near restaurants, bars, and modern shopping district. 18-min walk to the train station; 5-min walk into the historic heart of the Old Town/Altstadt.
Marzellenstraße 13-17, Cologne ~ Hotel Website ~ TripAdvisor
Luxe & Historic Category:
- Excelsior Hotel Ernst
Trankgasse 1-5, Cologne ~ Hotel Website ~ TripAdvisor
These hotel recommendations are based on a combo of location, online reviews, and my experiences. I’ve stayed at some, but not all, of these hotels. I don’t get any perks or discounts for referrals. You should feel free to book at any of these, but of course you’re welcome to choose other accommodations.
10% discount for Beverage Industry!
Cicerones®, Certified Beer Servers, Sommeliers, WSETs, and employees of restaurants and beverage producers & wholesalers get 10% off.
Beer Immersions are an amazing way to study and learn about beer, and they’re incredibly fun, memorable team building opportunities.