One of the rather young brewpubs in Germany: Stefan Sausen’s BeSte Bräu Beer Manufactory in Cochem, opened in spring 2012. It is located in the Cochem fire station, and when you walk into the tap room, you can feel and see this immediately. The large roll-doors, the wide hall – the owners made every effort to keep the atmosphere as it was. Typical fire-fighter’s items are spread all over. Helmets are hanging on the wall; and in a niche stands a historic fire engine that was built on a wooden cart and operated by hand.
fiery red leather furniture
But what dominates the very first impression after entering, that is the fiery red leather furniture – the sofas and chairs at the numerous tables in the wide hall are upholstered with bright red leather. They are looking unusual, but they are comfortable and invite to lingering around. In the centre of the hall is the large, brightly lit bar, and behind it one can see through the large glass panes directly into the kitchen. Right of the bar, in brushed stainless steel and lit in iridescently changing colours stands the surprisingly large 10 hectolitre brew house.
Thus, overall an atmosphere that is quite unusual for a brew pub: modern, stylish, cool instead of classic, rustic and quaint. But attractive!
The waitresses are fast as lightnings and in a discreetly way attentive – I rarely experienced this high level of perfection in Germany. You even get the feeling that they are able to read your thoughts and can guess your orders before you open your mouth. Phenomenal!
It would have been nice to be able to praise the beer as well, but concerning this, I was sadly disappointed during my visit on 15th September 2012. At first, the nice waitress surprised me with her recommendation to taste all four kinds of beer before placing my order, and brought me four glasses with a small portion of each beer. Unfortunately however, they turned out to be of dubious taste quality. The “Obergäriges” (top fermented) was extremely phenolic, way more than usual even for a wheat beer, and its smell reminded me of a freshly opened pack with antibiotics. The “Rauchbier” (smoked beer) had a nice smoke aroma and at the very beginning a pleasant taste, but the finish was dominated by a long lingering, unpleasantly rubbery taste. The “Untergäriges” (bottom fermented) was slightly hoppy and dry, but it had a noticeable sour note, which did not only not harmonize with the hoppiness, but let me think whether this beer has already caught an infection. Only the “Dunkles” (dark) seemed to have no faults; it was malty and sweet, not the right beer for me, but at least as a mild nutritious dark beer well to style.
where the beers are brewed
The regulars do like the beers, however; even if we have been there in the early afternoon hours between lunch and supper, there were surprisingly many guests enjoying the beer. And this is even more surprising, taking into account the fact that on the other side of the building there was a competing event going on: the annual party of the fire fighters.
The BeSte Bräu brew pub is open daily from 11 o’clock; parking places (not for free, but reasonably priced) are available in the same building, right above the brewery.
BeSte Bräu
Cochemer Biermanufaktur und Brauerei-Gastronomie „Feuerwache“
Endertstraße14-20
56 812 Cochem
Rheinland-Pfalz
Deutschland
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