Beer in Denmark
Encyclopedia
Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew is the second largest brewery group in Denmark, selling under the brands Ceres, Faxe and Albani, although their best selling beer is marketed as Royal...
in 2005. Also in recent years a large number of micro breweries have appeared.
Economy
The Danish market is dominated by pale lagerPale lager
Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it...
, with more than 95% of total sales. However, stout
Stout
Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
and other dark beers are increasing in popularity, a trend driven by the market growth of premium-priced beers. The local microbreweries are strong innovators and produce a wide variety of beer styles, including strong IPA
India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale or IPA is a style of beer within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century.The first known use of the expression "India pale ale" comes from an advertisement in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30, 1835...
s and stouts.
Danish beer production was 723 million litres in 2001, and increased to 870 million litres by 2005. This is an increase of 20%.
Imported beer accounted for only 8% of total volume sales in 2006. This indicates that beer sales in Denmark are dominated by domestic brands; however, imports increased by 14% in 2006 to reach 36.3 million litres. Germany is the most important source market for imports.
Danish beer exports was 296.1 million litres in 2006. Germany continues to be the most important export market for Danish beers. The German market accounted for 30% of exports in 2006.
Based on data from the Danish Beer Association (Bryggeriforeningen), beer consumption for 2005 was 539 million litres.
Jacobsen
Danish industrialist J. C. Jacobsen revolutionized the world of brewing when his brewery, Carlsberg, bred a pure strain of lagerLager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. This enabled the breweries to achieve a large and consistent output, and lager has been the most popular style of beer in Denmark since Carlsberg started selling it in 1847. Smaller breweries in Denmark suffered greatly under the Carlsberg market dominance, especially during the middle of the 20th century, and this led to a large reduction in available beer quality and styles. In recent years the interest in higher quality beer has risen sharply, and the Danish beer landscape is now dotted with several small breweries and brewpubs, producing a wide range of beers.
Classic
An all malt pale lager with more colour and taste. The classic type is named after the Tuborg Classic. For instance: Tuborg Classic, Tuborg Classic Gylden, Carl's Special, Royal ClassicGuld
Guld (Gold) is a name commonly applied to pale lagers with a strength around 5.7% abvABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
. Examples include: Tuborg Guld (5.8%), Carlsberg Sort Guld (5.8%), Svaneke Mørk Guld (5.7%), and Wiibroe Guld Export (5.7%).
Hvidtøl
Hvidtøl (White beer) is a traditional Danish beer. It is usually under 2% abv, and quite malty and sweet. It was once the most common beer in Denmark but sales have declined so that it is mainly only bought at Christmas when it is served with rice puddingRice pudding
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and sometimes other ingredients such as cinnamon and raisins. Different variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly combined with a sweetener such as sugar.-Rice pudding around the world:Rice...
. The beer was originally termed "white" as it was made from kilned malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
, which was developed in the late 18th century in contrast to the malts dried over fires which produced smokey beers.
Julebryg
Julebryg and Juleøl (Christmas beer) are names given to beers marketed at Christmas. They vary in strength and style, though tend to be malty and around 6% abv. Examples include Tuborg Julebryg (a 5.6% pale lager), Svaneke Julebryg (a 5.6% dark lager), Fur Julebryg (a 6.5% brown ale), Fjordens Juleøl (a 6% dark lager), and Raasted Juleøl (a 8.5% dark ale).Nisseøl
Nisseøl (literally elf beer) is a dark, sweet hvidtøl (white beer) which is sold around Christmas time in Denmark. The name come from the nisserTomte
A tomte , nisse or tonttu is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. The tomte or nisse was believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep...
(mythical creatures of Scandinavian folklore) who are often depicted on the beer labels. It is not to be confused with julebryg, which is a much stronger Danish Christmas beer.
Påskeøl
Påskeøl (Easter beer) is usually tax category II strength beer. Examples include: Carl's Påske, Tuborg Påskebryg, Royal Spring.Pale lager
The most common type of beer in Denmark is pale lagerPale lager
Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it...
, simply known as Pilsner in Danish. For instance: Carlsberg Pilsner, Grøn Tuborg, Royal Pilsner.
Strong Lager
Strong Lager (Stærk Øl or Export) refers to pale lagers in the tax category III (6-8%) beers such as Carlsberg Elephant Beer, Tuborg Fine Festival, Royal Selection.Breweries
- Carlsberg
- Tuborg
- Wiibroe
- Royal UnibrewRoyal UnibrewRoyal Unibrew is the second largest brewery group in Denmark, selling under the brands Ceres, Faxe and Albani, although their best selling beer is marketed as Royal...
- Albani BreweryAlbani BreweryAlbani Bryggerierne A/S is a brewery located in Odense, Denmark, and the vast majority of its customers live on the island of Funen. The brewery was founded by MPharm Theodor Schiøtz in 1859...
- Ceres BreweryCeres BreweryCeres Brewery is a brewery located in Aarhus, Denmark. Today, it is part of Royal Unibrew.-History:Ceres Brewery was founded by a grocer named Malthe Conrad Lottrup, with help from the chemists A. S. Aagard and Knud Redelien, as the city's seventh brewery...
- Faxe BreweryFaxe BreweryFaxe Bryggeri A/S is a Danish Brewery located in the town of Fakse. The Brewery was founded in 1901 by Nikoline and Conrad Nielsen and it is best known for its strong export beers. In 1989 Faxe Brygeri merged with Bryggerigruppen which later developed into Royal Unibrew. It is well known around...
- Maribo BryghusMaribo BryghusMaribo Bryghus is a Danish Brewery located in the town of Maribo. The Brewery was founded in 1895 by Christian Jørgensen as Thor Brewery . It was renamed ten years later to avoid confusion with the Thor Brewery in Randers. In 1997 Maribo Bryghus was acquired by Albani Brewery, which later merged...
- Thor Bryghus
- Albani Brewery
- FuglsangFuglsang (brewery)Fuglsang is a Danish brewery situated in Haderslev.Current line up includes:* Black Bird. Style: Clear taste from Dark Münchner Malt.* Hvid Bock. Style: Heller Bock - * Golden Bird. Style: Traditional Danish Export strength beer ....
- Hancock Breweries
- Harboe Brewery
- Thisted BryghusThisted BryghusThisted Bryghus is a small Danish brewery located in the town of Thisted in northwestern Jutland, Denmark. The brewery supplies the locals with typical Danish pilsner beer, but has recently risen to some national and international renown for beers like Porse Guld and Limfjords-Porter, a Baltic...
- Vestfyen
- ØrbækØrbækØrbæk is a town in central Denmark, located in Nyborg municipality on the island of Funen.It has a population of 1,533 . There are four communities in Denmark with the same name.-References:...
- Nørrebro BryghusNørrebro BryghusNørrebro Bryghus is a Danish microbrewery located in the Nørrebro neighborhood of Copenhagen. They have an annual production of 50.000-60.000 hl.Nørrebro Bryghus opened in September 2003 and was founded by ex-Carlsberg brewmaster Anders Kissmeyer...
Literature
- Kristof Glamann, Beer And Brewing In Pre-Industrial Denmark, University Press of Southern Denmark, 2005. ISBN 9788776740689.