“Drink thine mead”, was the bluff retort of Vikings before they went into battle. They were in no doubt that beer lent them the brute force required to fight the enemy. This was the ambrosia of the Gods – mere mortals had just been lucky enough to snaffle the recipe! Today the fabled brew is worshipped like never before.

“Hmm, I detect a faint top note of spices”. Or “Would that be a hint of acacia honey?” That’s the tone of it at Charlie’s Bar, Gullivers Pub and all the other new pubs – pure cult joints – where young beer buffs do the tasting as if their lives depended on it. And when it comes to beer, the range is now larger and more diversified than ever before. Countless foreign beers have hit Denmark in recent years, but the Danish breweries too are holding their own when it comes to new brews.

Danish innovations include the delicious golden Porse Guld from Thisted Bryghus. This is the only brewery in Europe to offer this form of beer, which is produced as in the Middle Ages to a secret recipe. Every autumn the brewery workers venture out onto the Jutland heathland to pick sweet gale (also known as bog myrtle) growing in the wild. Carlsberg has also brought out its brand new Abbey Ale, a brew which includes dark-roasted chocolate malt. The beer tastes and smells of chocolate, apricot, aniseed and orange. And then there is Royal Spring from Ceres, which is scented like a whole bouquet of flowers.

No open sandwiches without beer. In die-hard Danish restaurants such as Slotskælderen in Copenhagen, diners can enjoy Danish quality beer with the national dish of “smørrebrød”. Another good tip is to stop by some of Denmark’s evocative restaurant breweries where food and beer are a match made in heaven. At Bryggeriet Sct. Clemens in Århus, guests can enjoy the restaurant's own speciality brew with the dishes, e.g. honey or hemp beer!

If you happen to be in Århus, a visit to Den Gamle By (“the Old Town”) is simply a must. As a recent innovation the brewery in Ålborggården dating from 1570 is now open to the public at certain times of year. Here you might almost feel transported back to the Viking Ages, as you sup fine malt beer fermented in original old wooden kegs. No matter how many novelty beers are being tasted across Denmark, one thing is certain. In the festive season, there’s nothing to beat the good old Danish Christmas beer (“juleøl”). The same goes for the equally traditional “påskeøl” at Easter.

Check out www.ale.dk to find a good beer site about everything from the different types to serving them.

Mariette Tiedeman

Sherlock Holmes Pub, Århus
Fox & Hounds, Aabenraa, Holstebro and Herning
Carlsberg