Zappes Diploma
Some days ago, I did a trip to cologne to get my diploma on tapping Koelsch beer. Sounds easy, but the story behind all this was worth to spend this 3 hours - AND - somebody has to finish all the well tapped beers ;-)
The brewery Gaffel
Close to the Cathedral in Cologne and the main station there is the Gaffel - A nice place to get a cold refreshment while changing the train, as there is a nice place to sit in front of their place.
The cathedral
A place you should visit once in your lifetime
The entrance
Folles me into the Gaffel am Dom
The Bar
We only passed this place as our training room is located at the basement.
Surprise surprise, a fresh beer was the welcome drink
Lessons about the Tap
First we learned what is a good tap
Wood
Cheap, not easy to clean and not easy to handle as you have to water it for at least 2 hours before use. Don't least long.
Plastic
Cheap, but juck.
Brass
This is a material a good tap is made from. It least long, is easy to clean and don't has any taste.
What is a Koelsch
This one is called "Helles Vollbier"
First brewed in Köln, Germany, this formerly obscure style is now found at many US brewpubs and a number of breweries have released their own creative takes using American hops and other nontraditional ingredients. Light to medium in body with a soft mouthfeel and a straw yellow or pale gold color, Kölsch has a spicy, herbal Noble hop bitterness that is medium to slightly assertive—less than a Pilsner, but not by much. A somewhat fruity or vinous (grape-y from malts) quality and a crisp, dryish finish make up the rest of the flavor profile.
ABV: 4.0–6.0% | IBU: 18–25 | Glassware: Stange (Slender Cylinder)
From beeradvocate.com
Gaffel Koelsch
So, now we start to work on this two kegs. Both have 10l nice cold Koelsch beer inside.
Detlev working on a Koelsch
So, after a lot listening, we started to tap our own beer and here you see. 
Tap it in two takes
See my two Koelsch after the first take
The result
After another take and the Koelsch beer is ready. See my result after a minute or two at my place at the bar.
Sadly, we had to retry the tapping a few more time to be able to master it.
And as you know, somebody has to drink the freshly tapped cold Koelsch beer.
My Diploma
After tapping a few more beer - and finishing them - I finally got my official Koelsch tapping diploma
Geprüfter Zappes - Certified tap waiter
Here you see my branded glass for the new Zappes master. A Zappes is the guy in a beer bar in cologne who is taping the beer while a Koebes is the waiter who carry the beer to the guest.
Now I'm happy to have a new diploma and I was even more happy that we took the train back home.
Find the Gaffel
Here a link to the place where I did my Zappes Diploma. In the heart of cologne.
Some beer after all that work
Have a great day everybody
enjoy #BeerSaturday
and stay with positive vibes
@Detlev loves HIVE
