Countries like Belgium and Germany probably pop to mind
first when thinking of European beers. But
Denmark also has a huge beer culture. Not
only does Denmark have one of the largest beer brewing companies in the world,
it also has a number of craft breweries around the country producing local Danish beer. However, it can sometimes
be difficult for travelers to find Danish craft beers since Carlsberg dominates
the beer taps of Denmark. When we
traveled through Denmark we sought out some of the best places to enjoy Danish
beer, both mega and micro.
Danish Beers in Copenhagen
The quintessential beer drinking experience in Denmark is to
be had in Copenhagen along the Nyhavn canal.
In fact, drinking Danish beer along
the Nyhavn canal is on my list of 10 things to do in Copenhagen. There are a number of bars and cafes along
the water serving Danish beer. However,
if you want to have a real local experience, and save some money, head to Nyhavns
Vin & Tobak Kiosk and buy a can of beer to enjoy while sitting in the sun
along the canal. Most of the beers sold
at the kiosk are Carlsberg and Tuborg, but there are some varieties of those
brands that are not regularly served at the bars. Romeo enjoyed a Tuborg Fine Festival, which
was originally created for the English market in 1953 to celebrate Queen
Elizabeth’s coronation. I chose a Gl.
Carlsberg Porter Imperial Stout, a dark beer first brewed in 1930 featuring,
amongst others, a flavor all Danes love, liquorice. During our travels through Denmark we also
tasted Carlsberg’s Master Brew and Elephant.
Another important experience for beer lovers visiting
Copenhagen is touring the Carlsberg Brewery. The Carlsberg Brewery tour illustrates in
great detail the history of the family-owned Carlsberg Brewery and also
provides tastes of Carlsberg’s original beer recipe during the self-guided tour
and countless Carlsberg, Tuborg, and other Carlsberg-owned beers in the onsite
Jacbosen Brewhouse & Bar.
Another fun place to enjoy Danish beer in Copenhagen is in
the Tivoli Biergarten. The
Biergarten serves the standard Carlsberg and Tuborg beers plus has some foreign
beers on tap like Edelweiss Weissbier from Austria, just in case you want to
take a break from Danish beer.
Since Carlsberg is brewed in Copenhagen, it was a little
difficult to find craft Danish beer in Copenhagen. But we did find one place in Copenhagen brewing
craft beers, Told & Snaps. Told & Snaps is a restaurant serving the
classic smørrebrød, but they also distill their own craft snaps and brew their own craft beer. Told
& Snaps brews four beers: Pilsner, Classic, Organic Wheat, and Dark
Lager.
Danish Beers in Roskilde
While we loved all of Denmark, I felt a special affinity for
the city of Roskilde. One reason is because of Roskilde’s love for
and celebration of their local beer.
While in other Danish cities it was sometimes difficult to find the
local beer in bars and restaurants, in Roskilde all of the restaurants were
serving local Danish beer and we also found a bar showcasing craft Danish
beers.
Roskilde has two
popular local breweries: Hornbeer Brewery and Herslev Bryghus. Every restaurant we visited in Roskilde,
including Gourmethuset Store Bors, Raadhuskaelderen, and Restaurant Vigen, served
one or both of these breweries’ beers. Even
our hotel bar at Hotel Prindsen was serving Herslev Bryghus beer.
My favorite beer
discovery in Denmark was Roskilde’s beer bar Bjergtrolden. Bjergtrolden is a beer lover’s dream come
true. Bjergtrolden has a rotating
selection of 14 beers on tap, both Danish and foreign. Each tap is numbered and a menu board lists
the corresponding beer of the evening.
The bar also features live music and a store selling an even greater
selection of bottled beers. I was so
thrilled with this beer find we visited Bjergtrolden both of the nights we
stayed in Roskilde. Some of the beers on tap during our visit were Hornbeer
Hophorn, Hornbeer Vårøl, and Hornbeer Dunkelhorn, all brewed in Roskilde, Mikkeller
Beer Geek Breakfast Stout brewed in Copenhagen, Crooked Moon True Rebel brewed
in Copenhagen, and Stronzo Proud Blonde brewed in Gørløse.
Danish Beers in Odense
Unlike what I’m used to in San Diego where small craft
breweries can be visited practically any day of the week, the craft breweries
of Denmark are not as easy to visit. If
open to the public at all, some of Denmark’s craft breweries are only open for
a few hours on select days of the week.
Our desire to taste Odense’s local beer is one of the reasons we chose
to stay at Hotel Plaza during our visit to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. When researching hotels I found Hotel Plaza has a small lobby bar serving
local Danish beers. During our stay we
tasted Albani beer, which is made in Odense, including Albani Classic and Albani
1859. Hotel Plaza serves some other
Danish beers as well, including beer from Indslev
Bryggeri and Ugly Duck Brewing Co.
Danish Beers in Aarhus
We were able to visit one Danish brewery, the Sct. Clemens Brewery in Aarhus. This local brewery is unusually located in a
chain restaurant, A Hereford Beefstouw. Even
though the brewery is located in a restaurant, it is still a fully functioning
brewery, and we even witnessed one of Sct. Clemens’ brewers testing a new brew
during our visit. In addition to their
standard beers, Sct. Clemens Brewery brews a beer of the month including a
Christmas beer and an Easter beer.
 |
 |
One of the great things to do in Aarhus is visit Den Gamle By, an open-air museum featuring buildings from around
Denmark and from different periods of history.
One of these buildings contains Den
Gamle By’s working brewery. The Den
Gamle By beer cannot be sold or served outside of the museum, so brewers
dressed in period costume brew and serve old recipe beer to Den Gamle By
visitors.
Another place to enjoy a Danish beer in Aarhus is along the Aarhus Canal. The Aarhus Canal was once covered by concrete, but the concrete has been removed and the canal is now lined with restaurants and bars. The Aarhus Canal is a relaxing spot to drink a beer, but most of the bars and restaurants only have Carlsberg, Tuborg, and other big beer brands on tap.
Danish Beers in Ribe
Even the tiny town of Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town,
has its own brewery, Ribe Bryghus. We
weren’t able to visit the brewery itself, though we did get to walk by and peek
in the windows, but we were able to taste Ribe
Bryghus’ Blond Ale and Brown Ale with our dinner at Weis Stue, a restaurant
in one of Denmark’s oldest inns.
Denmark surprised me with its beer quality and
selection. While I was familiar with
Carlsberg before we traveled to Denmark, I was unaware of the vast selection of
beers being brewed by Carlsberg and Tuborg.
I was also surprised to learn that practically every city and town in
Denmark has its own local brewery. While
it took a little extra work to try more than the standard mega-brewery beers,
beer travelers to Denmark will be rewarded with a variety of tasty local beers
which can be sampled in a diverse array of locations ranging from beer bars, to
restaurants, to hotels, to canals, to museums, to amusement parks.
