Sorry guys, it has taken me a ridiculously long time to get around to finishing this post. I guess this is due to the fact that unlike the rest of Northern Europe, Denmark is not somewhere it is hard to find good beer. This is by far the most developed beer scene in Scandinavia & not coincidentally has the most liberal beer laws with independent beer shops, beers at supermarkets, brewpubs, craft breweries and beer bars galore. It helps that Mikkeller is based there and they really push the scene along. Mikkeller does this in part by organizing the Copenhagen Beer Celebration which looks like a great festival I 'd love to go to someday. There's a great report from the festival here.
As stated above, in Denmark(especially Copenhagen) you're never far from good beer. In other cities, the selection may be more limited but like in Japan you can order beers online & have them shipped to your door. During my time in the country I was mostly in Copenhagen & the surrounding area so I can't rightly speak for the whole country but these are my general impressions.
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| Brewpub across from Tivoli Gardens |
However, most brewpubs seem geared towards the tourist trade meaning the beers aren't as good as they could be. The exception to this is the Norrebro Bryghus where Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead fame used to work.
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| Tasters @ Norrebro Bryghus |
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| Norrebro beers in bottles-top shelf |
In Denmark, you have a strong mix of great domestic brewers (To Øl, Mikkeller, Amager, Beer Here) but also a wide selection of the best from Europe & the US. From rare Cantillons to funky Three Floyd's you'll find whatever kind of beer you're looking for in Copenhagen at several excellent shops. My favorites, in no particular order, were:
Barley Wine
Great small basement shop with color coded shelves splitting beers by style. Small fridge packed to the gills offers the option of drinking something right away & the central location means it is an easy stop while sightseeing or shopping nearby.
Olbutikken
Great small basement shop with exceedingly friendly outgoing staff. The great thing here for out of towners like me is you can reserve beers online for pick up when you visit. Also the home of the famous blueberry lambic by Cantillon, Blaeber.
Mikkeller & Friends
Mikkeller has two bars in the city, this one has a warren of rooms that include a small but great bottle shop. Bubble wrap helps out visitors like myself and the shelves are packed with interesting releases from Mikkeller & the friends who seem to mostly be powerhouses of the US Craft beer scene like Surly, Lost Abbey & Three Floyd's.
Hokeren
This had more of a local bar/shop feel and the staff quickly handed me a glass on the house while looking through their beers-nice! Another basement shop (definitely a trend going on) with a good selection of Danish, European & American brews. I was finally able to find Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout! Great, my only regret is I should have bought more than one bottle... it's just down the street from Norrebro Bryghus so easy to combine the two into one visit.
Kihosk
This place reminds me of Yamaoka in Kyoto as from the outside it just looks like a simple corner store but inside are shelves & fridges full of beery goodness. Rumor has it that the basement is a wondrous place - a great beer cellar! Alas, I had no idea how to get in there but I was satisfied with what was available on the first floor.
Verdict: A fantastic developed beer market means beer geeks will find lots to interest them in Copenhagen but less so outside major urban centers. The bottle shops kick ass in terms of service & selection but most brewpubs are fairly touristy and don't seem to take brewing seriously. The beer bars are generally very strong & I heard they have extensive bottle lists but most people tend to stick to what's on tap. Overall, a great place for beer but brewpubs & bars need to kick it up to the next level to reach the heights of places like Akkurat.
