Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen

War Pigs beer list

A recent three-day break in Copenhagen is barely enough time to form a strong view of the cities beer scene, but it certainly left an impression on me for a number of reasons.

As one would expect, Carlsberg is the dominant brewer and very high profile. The main brewery is no longer on the outskirts of the city but there is still a very well run visitor centre where the brewery once produced thousands of barrels of beer and a micro brewery that specialises in the excellent Jacobson beers. The main production plant is now in Fredericia on the Jutland peninsular, but more of Carlsberg later.

In Copenhagen we visited Vesterbro, the old meat packing district. This has become the fashionable and vibrant place for new restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries to establish themselves. Its also a great place for a craft brewery and WarPigs is a brilliant buzzing brew pub. Targeting the younger drinker with a thirst for zany beers that challenge both the palate and traditional beer styles, they brew some interesting beers both in name and flavour. We only visited the once and tried a couple of beers, First Resort IPA and Iron Dice Weiss bier, both were very good. They have upwards of twenty taps and all beers are unfiltered and if the other beers match up to the two I tried then no wonder this place is so popular.



War Pigs Brew Pub

The food offer here was all around large chunks of meat, potato salad, beans and slaw. Kept very simple it was satisfying and tasty and fitted like a glove when paired with the strong robust beers on offer. The décor suited as well, it reminded me of a canteen from a British Leyland car factory of the late 1970's from where I began my working life - uniform, simple, unpretentious but functional. However, the surroundings were the picture frame that allowed the artist to shine with the beer and food offering.

So if WarPigs is a good example of the craft beer scene then it certainly looks like that is well catered for. Another interesting visit was to Charlie's Bar. This is a well known haunt that specialises in cask ales from the UK. I was delighted to find some fine beers on show including two St Austell Brewery small batch beers. The beer was in good condition and served at the correct temperature. The bar is small, narrow but cosy and has a certain charm about it harmonises with the beer. There were some English voices to be heard but also Danish and it was clear the bar is not just an outpost for Brit's missing their favourite beers.

So, back to Carlsberg, from where my latest rambling began. A much respected multi-national company they brew and own some very big brands. As a Brit, one tends to think of the UK Carlsberg Green that's brewed to 3.8% abv, a standard lager, it performs a role but is still a big powerful brand. However the Carlsberg beers in Denmark are different, they are not dull, they are not insipid, they are polished, crisp and very drinkable stunning beers. I enjoyed Carlsberg and Tuborg lagers and all were excellent. Carlsberg is clearly a brand the Danish are very proud of and rightly so, it was great to see their branding in Copenhagen is confidently visible and part of the fabric of the city. They may not be cutting edge fashionable craft beers, but they are beers people enjoy drinking and of reputable quality.

So if you do visit Copenhagen and I would recommend it, especially at Christmas time, do visit Tivoli, its for tourists but a night time visit is quite charming. If you are into your beers search out the local craft offerings and if you have time, Charlie's Bar is well worth a visit. However I would finish by saying, do try the beers from the Carlsberg stable, just because they are the large dominant brewer does not mean they are characterless, it means they are fine beers and people have enjoyed drinking them for generations. Skal!