Beer Advent Day 1: Perlenzauber Edition 2024

Kalea Perlenzauber
“Perlenzauber” is Kalea's tribute to the craftsmanship of independent breweries. Each year, the beer is brewed at a different brewery, with the brewmaster given full creative freedom—with one small requirement: they must use unique hop varieties, the "pearls" of brewing. Additionally, they are encouraged to showcase their expertise.

For 2024, the honor goes to Gaffel Private Brewery in Cologne. Brewmaster Reiner Radke based his interpretation of Perlenzauber on an old recipe for "Wiess," incorporating the hop variety "Perle." Wiess, a predecessor to Kölsch, was the traditional drink of Cologne until the mid-20th century.

Gaffel Private Brewery
For over 100 years, Gaffel’s address was "Auf dem Eigelstein 41," a location first recorded as a brewery in Cologne's city ledger in 1302. In 1908, the Becker brothers established the Gaffel Brewery, named after the medieval "Gaffeln," social guilds of craftsmen.

In 2016, the brewery relocated to Cologne-Porz due to space limitations at its original site. Gaffel remains one of the most renowned Kölsch breweries, known for serving its beers at the 1. FC Köln football matches and in its flagship tavern, "Gaffel am Dom."

The Perlenzauber Timeline
2017: Pale Ale (Hohenthanner Schlossbrauerei, Bavaria)
2018: Pale Ale (Herrnbräu, Ingolstadt, Bavaria)
2019: Pale Ale (Camba Bavaria, Seeon, Bavaria)
2020: Weißbier (Kauzen Bräu, Ochsenfurt, Franconia)
2021: Märzen (Fürst Carl Schlossbrauerei, Franconia)
2022: Kellerpils (Memminger Brauerei, Allgäu)
2023: Pale Ale (Gräflich von Mengersen'sche Dampfbrauerei Rheder, Westphalia)
2024: Kölsch (Gaffel Private Brewery, Cologne)

Follow Along with Us 🎄🍻
Starting today, we’ll introduce the beers behind each door of the Kalea Beer Advent Calendars (Germany Edition). Join us for daily updates and share your thoughts in the comments for a lively 24-day celebration!