I see no Pickles...

You may be thinking of "gherkins" they are similar to cucumbers, being in the same family. They are pickled and depending on what region of Germany you are in can have different tastes. I was stationed in Germany in the early seventies and attended the annual "Gherkinfest" in Biblis several times. Ahhh,the good old days. If I remember correctly, they were brined in wooden barells packed with grape leaves.

Sounds like fermented pickles, can be a lot of fun. Be sure to use clean equipment and stay safe. Don't be too scared to try it though, this doesn't require a lab or anything.

Get yourself a pickling crock, or better yet a Harsch crock, or making something like one of these (super simple to make) http://www.simply-natural.biz/Picklemeister.php I recommend the Harsch Crock, and you will earn your money back by making your own pickles, sauerkruat, kimchi, etc. Far better than anything you can buy at the store.

3 to 4 lbs cucumbers (use good cucumbers with no bruises/blemishes or other problems)
1 gallon Distilled Water (very important, you want the microbes that occur on the skin of the cucumbers to ferment the pickles, tap water will kill it with the chlorine)
3/4 cup Sea Salt
3 to 4 heads of fresh Dill
2 to 3 bulbs of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
handful fresh grape, cherry, oak or horseradish leaves (optional)
a few peppercorns

Clean cucumbers being careful not to bruise them. Dissolve sea salt in distilled water. Into a clean crock, place garlic, dill, leaves and peppercorns. Place cucumbers in the crock. Pour brine over the cucumbers making sure they stay submerged (by using method used for your crock) and cover/seal to keep out any bugs. Store in a cool place. Check the crock every day and skim any mold that appears on the surface. Rinse the plate/weight covering the cukes, cover again and let continue to get happy. After a week you should ahve noticed the pickles have fermented. Taste one every day or two and continue fermenting to desired level of sourness is reached. Four weeks is about the maximum to let them go. Move to the fridge to slow fermentation and enjoy, or can them and save them for later. When you can though, you will put them in a vinegar bath, which will change the flavor from the natural acid bath the pickles produced on their own.

Not gherkins. As stated they are small. I remember barrels in the grocery store that had pickles to die for. Am still lookin and find them rarely. Found a flea market that sells some on a stick, better than ice cream.

Try Biagabyte's recipe, he is describing what you are looking for, fermented dill pickles. The barrel is a holdover from older times when salted vegetables and meats were stored in barrels yada yada yada...you will get the sour dills you are looking for.