Starting in Cologne

What time of year?

Late May early June

I am partial to the Mosel Valley of Germany. Too early for the grape harvest, but should still be lovely that time of year. It is wine country, but they do have beer of course. Cochem is about 1 1/2 hours from Cologne with a train change in Koblenz.

Do you expect to be traveling by train?

Yes, we would be traveling by train
Thank you for your input, Sam

Aachen - former headquarters of Charlemagne - is a short distance by direct train from Cologne and a very worthwhile day outing, IMHO. Stunning cathedral, cozy and atmospheric old town. It's not easily compared with Cologne, but I kinda prefer Aachen.

The Aachener Brauhaus (#1 on this page) might be what you're looking for in the way of food and drink.:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187367-Aachen_North_Rhine_Westphalia.html

https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ATS_Broschuere_2025_EN_Website.pdf

More: https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/en/genuss-und-ausgehen/restaurants-und-cafes/

It might also be possible to just make a stopover for the day in Aachen (stow bags in a station locker) if you should choose to book accommodations Maastricht (Netherlands) for a couple of nights. Both Aachen and Maastricht are near their shared border, and the direct train journey to Maastricht takes less than an hour from Aachen. I was very favorably impressed with Maastricht. Like Aachen, it's a walkable town and has a number of things to see/do.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g188575-Activities-oa0-Maastricht_Limburg_Province.html

Self-guided walking tour: https://www.visitingthedutchcountryside.com/limburg/free-walking-tour-in-maastricht-netherlands/

And as I remember the beer was good there. I don't like the wimpy Kölsch stuff that Cologne is famous for, and I don't really remember where I had some good beers in Maastricht, but I remember having them. Perhaps one or more of the links below will help you find somewhere nice.

https://restaurantguru.com/Stadsbrouwerij-de-Maastrichter-Maltezer-Maastricht
https://restaurantguru.com/Sjinkerij-De-Bobbel-Maastricht-2

Maastricht is hard to compare with Amsterdam too. But again, I think I like smaller Maastricht better.

The Mosel and Middle Rhine Valleys are all about wine. But you can of course find beer there, and there are some wonderful towns/castles/etc. there as well. I'd visit each if you can afford the time.

https://www.mosel-inside.de/en/travel-guide/mosel-villages.html
https://www.mittelrheinentdecken.de/en/

Day trip to Dusseldorf gets you into altbier territory, rival to Cologne's Kolsch.