Nico Night - A Cologne Drinking Experience in London - Friday 24th November

London’s favourite Cologne drinking experience is back!

Round up your mates, book a table, and join us for a night of Nico Kölsch stanges, food from Cue Point LDN, and Nico served from the wood for a Cologne-inspired night out. Enjoy Orbit's award-winning Nico Lager the way it is supposed to be drunk!

Tickets on sale now

If you've ever been to Cologne, you'll have noticed that their drinking culture is wildly different to ours, instead of going up to the bar to order, the waiters (called Köbes) will bring over trays laden with tall thin glasses (called stanges), containing 200ml of freshly poured Kölsch.

When the beers have been served, the Köbe will mark your beer mat (pictured below) to keep track of how many you've had. When your beer is nearly empty the köbe will bring another stange, and another, until you place a beer mat on top of your glass, signalling you've had your fill.

Nico Night - A Köln Experience In London image

We're going to replicate the Cologne/kölsch experience at Orbit Beers Taproom, pouring our freshest batch of Nico on the night, and at around 6pm we'll be tapping a special Nico Night batch, which we'll dispense straight from a barrel on the bar. So, get a bunch of friends together and come on down to our taproom for something a bit different!

We recommend trying to attend as a group for the best experience, smaller groups may need to sit with other people. We will be printing out a handy guide on the night explaining how everything works just in case you forget or anyone wants to join in on the fun.

Tickets via Eventbrite

What does your ticket include?

Tickets include however many stanges of Nico Lager you want to pre-order and will guarantee you a table on the night. Once you’ve reached your ticketed amount you can continue to order as many as you like on the night though, as well as any other food and drinks which will just be charged separately.

Each Nico lager stange (200ml) is priced at £1.95 on the night and by ordering your ticket in advance you can save 15% and secure you and your group a table!

Tickets Here

What is Kölsch and why should you be drinking it?

Unlike other lager styles, Kölsch is often considered a hybrid between a lager and an ale. This is because it is cold-conditioned, as a lager would be, but it is actually fermented using ale yeast. We refer to our Kölsch as a lager, as that's how it's traditionally described in Cologne. There are over 20 breweries in Cologne (Köln) producing Kölsch, and to protect their brewing heritage, there is a law in place that states your beer cannot be called a ‘Kölsch’ unless it’s brewed within the Cologne metropolitan area.

That’s why Orbit’s flagship beer Nico is called a Köln Lager rather than a Kölsch (despite being brewed with a Kölsch yeast).

Our award-winning Köln Lager Nico is lightly carbonated and pours pale golden. Fragrant, herbal hop aroma with lemon citrus and green apple notes. Light on the palate, a touch of bready maltiness, with a more assertive hop character. The crisp bitterness makes it eminently drinkable. Look for the pear drop notes from the distinctive Kölsch yeast as well. Now gluten-free!

Named after Christa Päffgen under her singing alias Nico who hailed from Cologne, the city of Kölsch, an obergäriges (top-fermented) lagerbier.