Like it’s north westerly neighbour and sometime rival, Denmark is a land of beautiful architecture, clean streets and really great bread. Copenhagen, where we were visiting, is the coolest city in Scandinavia, so hip it hurts at times. If you don’t believe me, check out this video for the soon to open hotel “Urban House”, which honestly looks like a parody but is actually quite real.
While I wasn’t yet able to visit the sustainably vintage and ethnically chic Urban House, I did manage to visit a pretty awesome bar called Ørsted Ølbar, which serves up beers by some Denmark’s trendiest brewers. These are the guys that hang out with the likes of Brewdog, and make beers that I find in Cotteridge Wines for £9.99 a bottle.
First up was Hancock’s Hoker. This surprisingly English sounding brewery is actually based in Skive, in the North of the Danish mainland. The brew is very crisp, fresh and almost metallic in flavour, very highly, and perhaps over, hopped. These guys certainly fit into the Brewdog mould. Brewski’s 44th, which is actually a Swedish beer (say it quietly), promised something similar, but was in fact well balanced, with some nice fruit and honey flavours before the green and astringent hoppy finish.
To Øl (you may have heard of them) offered Messiah, a dark, thick, oily and boozy beverage, full of roasted coffee bitterness. Potent stuff but really rich and rewarding. My final beer in this rather excellent establishment was Amager’s Christianshavn. A local Copenhagen brewer, they’re based in a southern district of the city near the airport. The beer was another pale and hoppy number, more subtle and with some caramel notes, drinkable if a little forgettable.
As you’ll have seen from my tuborg Julebryg review, the Danes are also fans of Christmas ales – dark and sweet brews which suit the winter weather. Royal Xmas was sampled in Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen’s city centre theme park. During Christmas time it gets turned into one enormous orgy of lights, tat and sugary things. Kirsty was in her element. The beer was pleasant enough, more bitter than the Tuborg and less liquoricey (a plus) but still retaining the strong malty, bready sweetness before the hopped finish.
Weirdest of the drinks I tried was Carlsberg’s version of Porter. Of course, Carlsberg are a massive worldwide company so it is perhaps not surprising that they so dominate the Danish market (they really are everywhere). I didn’t realise this extended to brewing just about every beer style imaginable! The porter was actually very nice, mild and sweet to start, with a chocolatey middle a touch of bitterness to finish. There was little or no smokiness or burnt malt flavours as you might expect, and this uncomplicated beer is dangerously easy drinking at over 6%!
German beer styles seem pretty wide spread as well, which is perhaps not surprising given their proximity. Mr Bock is one such example, and although brewed in Denmark by Thisted is (you guessed it) a German Bock style. Fruity to start, it has a peppery, spicy middle with plenty of bitter tang, but fades unfortunately to a fairly unimpressive finish.
Lastly, we have Carls Special, an amber lager brewed (obviously) by Carlsberg. It is unremarkable stuff, sweeter and almost creamy compared to the stuff in the green cans we’re more used to. Not very special I’m afraid! Still, a cracking city well worth a visit!
Carls Special, Mr Bock, Hoker:
Brewski, Carlsberg Porter, Amager, Royal Xmas:
Messiah: