Nanobryg

Peter Klemensen

2008-04-14T11:03:00.002+02:00

I just had the pleasure to talk with Brew master Peter Klemensen from Thisted Bryghus. His Limfjorsporter is legendary. Peter has described it as the gentleman amongst beers. A slogan that has followed the beer for several years, and still does.

I have always had an issue with smoke in beers, but have learned to love this beer.

Peter told many stories about this beer and many other beers and breweries. I guess that what it all boils down to is a recommendation to have a Limfjordsporter with Peter Klemmensen.

It took Peter seven years to perfect the recipe for the Limfjordsporter. He bought the name from the closing Urban brewery around 1986, but the beer was not released until 1997, when he decided that the right combination of malts had been found.

I'm glad he found it!

Cheers

Canned craft brew

2008-04-13T22:31:00.004+02:00

I must admit that I was highly sceptical when I bought the latest three beer from Ølfabrikken. They got canned (pun intended). There seems to be a consensus here in Denmark that good beer needs to be in a glass bottle.

So now this? Well having sampled them, they are living up to the Ølfabrikken legacy.

There is a couple of advantages in these little cans. No sunlight has hit the beer upon consumption and less packaging.

Cheers

Ølfabrikken beer giveaway

2008-03-25T16:51:00.003+01:00

Oh joy - I seems that the controversial beer "Sinful Brother" which originally was brewed for Christian to give as a dividend to his investors as a final payment is going to be packaged and given to incestors in both Ølfabrikken and Gourmetbryggriet.

The beer holds 13.4% alcohol and should probably be aged for at least 6 months more before its mature.

To celebrate that Ølfabrikken is the brewery of the year, Gourmetbryggriet is giving all investors GB or ØF 10 free bottles of beer from their storage area.

From this Friday and the following week investors can also have 10 bottles of Sinful Brother! This offer is only available through the next week. If you would like your beer then come by the brewery in Roskilde and pick it up.

Source: EXPATS Brewer's blog

Mikeller on Facebook

2008-03-13T15:59:00.002+01:00

Mikeller has found its way to facebook with a fanclub.

Are there a lot of breweries on there, I wonder?

Ølfabrikken Porter being brewed on Fuglsang

2008-03-13T11:46:00.002+01:00

Yet another post about the brewery that seems to be my favorite subject at the moment.

On a regular basis Gourmetbryggriet brews on the brewery Fuglsang. Now they have visited Fuglsang again, and this time to brew the famous Ølfabrikken Porter.

In the picture we see Mike Murphy pulling out a sample while Claus Christensen watches.

Gourmetbryggriet claims to take on this beer in a humble manner and that this brew is brewed according to the original recipe. To honer the beer, it the fermentation is under way in the open vessel, that is used very seldom.

The best places to dine i Copenhagen

2008-03-13T09:27:00.003+01:00

According to the 2008 edition of the Michelin Guide there are some pretty good places to dine in Copenhagen. With no less than 11 restaurants on the map in Copenhagen alone, the city takes a fist place in nothern Europe. Only Sweden can match Denmark with an equal 11 restaurants.

Restaurant Noma ** (TWO stars!)
Strandgade 93, 1401 København K
Restaurant Formel B
Vesterbrogade 182, 1800 Frederiksberg C
Søllerød Kro
Søllerødvej 35, 2840 Holte
Era Ora
Ovengaden neden Vandet 33 B, 1414 København K
Restaurant The Paul
Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, 1620 København V
Restaurant Ensemble
Tordenskjoldsgade 11, 1055 København K
Restaurant Kong Hans Kælder
Vingaardsstræde 6, 1070 København K
Restaurant MR
Kultorvet 5, 1175 København K
Paustian ved Bo Bech
Kalkbrænderiløbskaj 2, 2100 København Ø
Restaurant Geranium
Kronprinsessegade 13, 1306 København K
Kiin Kiin
Guldbergsgade 21, 2200 København N

I have previously written about the best places to enjoy beer in Copenhagen. So now I am wondering if any of the above have a good selection of beer, as there is obviously no overlap beween the two lists.

Gourmetbryggeriet, could I please have my beer?

2008-03-11T16:39:00.004+01:00

Gourmetbryggeriet has done something that seems bad... again. Ølfabrikken has announced a special 'We are sorry' beer for the shareholders, and Gourmetbryggeriet promised to give it to the shareholders. The beer was meant as a compensation for their lost money in connection with the GB take over. Now Gourmetbryggeriet apparently have sold the beer to COOP (chain of grocery stores).

It just gives Goutmetbryggeriet a serious image problem. Their self-proclaimed rescue attempt of Ølfabrikken, that just looks and feels like a hostile take over, and now this.

Making the promise and not keeping it it results in a bigger dent in their credibility, than just denying the shareholders their beer in the first place.

I think that their PR guy has been on a holiday.

The trouble is only about 4000 litres of beer, that was meant for even distribution among the former shareholders of Ølfabrikken. A small amount that would not hurt Gourmetbryggeriet in any way.

It has been pointed out that beer brewing is a tough business, but this case can not be good business for GB. I guess that bad press is better than no press at all.

I thought that the Gourmetbryggeriet case was closed when the head brewer left, but it seems to go on for a while yet.

There has been some emails and some announcements that I have not covered, mainly because this is not an Ølfabrikken blog.

The latest twist, however, where I as a shareholder will not even get my beer as promised, motivated me to do yet another post about Ølfabrikken and GB.

I fell over this (danish) announcement http://gourmetbryggeriet.blogspot.com/ from the former head brewer Christian Skovdal Andersen titled "Gourmetbbryggeriet cheats small investors".

Please take action!

It seems that COOP has bought the beer in question. On behalf of myself and my fellow shareholders, I have written Kenn Thomsen on Kenn.Thomsen AT coop DOT dk urging him not to take an active part, mainly by not receiving the beer.

Are you a shareholder? Then write to ~~either Kenn Thomsen on the above address and to~~ the Director of Gourmetbryggeriet Tom Sand Kristensen, who initially approved that the beer was to be given to us. His email is tsk AT GourmetBryggeriet DOT dk

Update: 2008-03-13 COOP can not confirm any connection to the beer in question.

Best places to drink beer in Copenhagen

2008-03-01T23:30:00.001+01:00

Well some of them anyway. Anyone missing? Leave a comment!

Café Svejk
Czech inspired place by Frederiksberg Have.
Smallegade 31, 2000 Frederiksberg

Ølbaren
Really small place without all the additions like food and music. Real nice place for beer geeks.
Elmegade 2, 2200 Copenhagen N

Charlie's
A dark and real English pub.
Pilestræde 33, 1112 Copenhagen K

Zum Biergarten
Primarily German beer. Best visited when you can sit outside.
Axeltorv 12, 1609 Copenhagen V

Nørrebro Bryghus
Cozy place that includes good food with their own beers.
Ryesgade 3, 2200 Copenhagen N

Ørsted
Real bar with lit sourroundings despite the fact that it is in a basement.
Nørre Farimagsgade 13, 1364 Copenhagen K.

Plan B
Very trendy and beer friendly place. Cappotinoes are replaced by Belgian beer.
Frederiksborggade 48, 1360 Copenhagen K.

Cafe Viking
Real old-school danish pub with above avarage beer both on tap and in bottle.
Ægirsgade 36, 2200 Copenhagen N.

Den Tatoverede Enke
The number one place for people addicted to Belgian beer and food.
Gothersgade 8 C, 1123 Kbh. K.

Brewpub
Really nice place that serves good food and their own beer.
Vestergade 29, 1456 Copenhagen K

Mikeller is number one (according to people in Copenhagen N)

2008-02-28T00:05:00.004+01:00

We have just had a tasting of the finalists for the best new Danish beer of 2007. We thought that Monk's Elixir from Mikeller by far is the best one.

Here is the ranked list:

01 Mikeller: Monk's Elixir
02 Ølfabrikken: Kloster Jul (Sort Jul replacement)
03 Thisted Bryghus: Thy Eksklusive
04 Midtfyns Bryghus: Imperial Stout
05 Midtfyns Bryghus: Double IPA
06 Raasted Bryghus: Triple IPA
07 Djævlebryg: Nekron Stout
08 Bryggeriet Vestfyen: Willemoes Porter
09 Kongens Bryghus: Julemumme
10 Bryggeriet Vestfyen: Willemoes Jul 2007

Now this tasting was only in Copenhagen N, and is not the final national one. This is just so we can compare our list with the final one. Do we like Mikeller more than the rest of Denmark?

2008 Dkr for a Carlsberg (Approx. $400)

2008-02-21T17:44:00.002+01:00

My initial reaction: "You must be joking right?". A Carlsberg that is $400 a bottle. The beer is the new Carlsberg Vintage No. 1, and according the Calsberg it is probably the world's best and most expensive.

They are charging about $400 for a single bottle of less than a pint, 37,5 centilitre to be more exact. Brewmaster Jens Eiken says that there is only 600 bottles made and most og them will be sold through three of Copenhagen's most exclusive restaurants (Noma and Prémisse).

Jens Eiken said the beer, which weighs in at about 10,5% alcohol by volume, and is stored in Swedish French oak casks in a special place about 50 feet below Carlsberg's old brewery. I have been to the special place 50 feet below Calsberg - you would not believe the treasures stored down there. Now this new one seems to join the collection.

Tha plan is that consumers won't be returning the empties for a deposit as it is custom here in Denmark. Each bottle has a hand-stencilled label by a well-known artist. The empties are said to be worth about $100 each. Despite the hype, the beer seems to be less popular than anticipated. According to Børsen not a single one have been purchased at the restaurants.

With the missing sale at the restaurants in mind, I could conclude that we have missed our aim. I am sorry that we haven't been able to sell any, but we are not giving up. If we only can target the trend setters and celebrities in these restaurants, we will be able to alter the existing attitude towards beer.

Chief of production at Carlsberg, Rune Jessen to ibyen.dk

Mike's facts about Ølfabrikken

2008-02-18T13:28:00.004+01:00

Today I stumbled upon the blog of Mike, the head brewer at Gourmetbryggeriet. Yesterday he made a post about the purchase of Ølfabrikken. It contains a good timeline of events leading up to the purchase, and a special greeting to this blog :-)

Comment on Ølfabrikken

2008-02-16T15:26:00.004+01:00

Anders Kissmeyer from Nørrebrø Bryghus makes a note of the Ølfabrikken case in his latest newsletter. It seems he shares my views on what really happened (page 3):

Even among us veterans, the ones that have been here more than six months - we can feel the consideration for one's colleagues is under pressure in the micro brewery industry. 'When the crib is empty' one is tempted to say, and the first dirty ticks have seen the light of day. For example the execution of a college, and then trying to convince the media that it really was an unselfish attempt to save the brewery.

He goes on and distances himself from the above mentioned black sheep, as he call it. Nice to see my views backed up.

European Beer Festival 2008

2008-02-10T22:27:00.000+01:00

Just a friendly reminder that the European Beer Festival will take place in Copenhagen 12th - 14th of September 2008.

There is less than 10 months to the best beer Festival ever! I hope to meet you in Copenhagen. The preparations are are well underway.

At this website you will on a regular basis be able to follow the progress. As of now you can already find information about transport, ticket prices and more general info.

New Danish beer of the year 2007

2008-02-10T22:12:00.000+01:00

The Dansh Beer Entusiasts make a vote for the best new Danish beer of the year. The finalists have been found and the second round of the voting is now running.

So, without further a due, I here bring you the ten finalists:

Øl	Bryggeri	Procent
Double IPA	Midtfyns	9,2%
Imperial Stout	Midtfyns	9,5%
Julemumme	Kongens Bryghus	6,6%
Monks Elixir	Mikkeller	10,0%
Nekron Stout	Djævlebryg	8,5%
Sort Jul	Ølfabrikken	8,5%
Thy Eksklusive	Thisted	7,1%
Triple IPA	Raasted	9,0%
Willemoes Jul 2007	Vestfyen	10,5%
Willemoes Porter	Vestfyen	9,8%

This year there was no less than 556 candidats in the first round. Pretty good for a small country like ours. A total of 97 breweries have put new beers on the market in 2007. The x-mas beers are heavily represented as usual. Maybe we like x-mas beer a lot, or we just remember them better as voting is so close the the year end - I guess I'll never find out.

Ølfabrikken offline

2008-02-07T15:52:00.000+01:00

Why do I show all this attention for Ølfabrikken, all of a sudden? Well as it was my favourite brewery and I saw no other media mentioning anything, I felt compelled to write what I see and hear on the blog.

Ok - it requires no Sherlock to figure out that plug has been pulled on http://olfabrikken.dk

A couple of the Ølfabrikken shareholders have volunteered to look further into the matter of the takeover. Among these are legal and economical professionals. Whether they will find anything is unsure. But the important thing is that to have tried, instead of just standing by passively.

What happened to Øfabrikken

2008-02-06T13:07:00.000+01:00

This is just in from ølfabrikken. Translated by yours truely. The original danish statement is in the comments to this post.

Dear Shareholder,

Enclosed is a detailed presentation of the case.

The text below has been presented to the Dicretor of Gourmtbryggeriet , Tom Sans Kristensen and his corrections has been included. The correspondence regarding thins can be forwarded upon request.

I tne fall of 2005 GB contacted us the first time with an offer to buy Ølfabrikken. We respectfully declined, because we had just finished an expansion of the brewery in Tisvildeleje.

Rather quickly it became apparent that our capacity sill was too small. It was difficult to get a clear response from the Helsinge municipality whether we were allowed to further expand the brewery in order to comply with the ever increasing demand. In that context Martin and I began to look for a strong partner in the winther of 2007, that could help us to keep Ølfabrikken going.

There were several bigger breweries that were interested in working with us. After quite some considerations we ended up with BG. A private limited company "Bryggeriet Ølfabrikken", owned 50/50 by the "old" Ølfabrikken and GB was created. The intent was to split the revenue equally between the two owners.

The combination of the Ølfabrikken brand and the distribution of GB seemed to work well. A series of rather big orders was generated within a short period of time and a decent profit was within grasp. At this point GB begins to show interest in increasing their ownership in the new private limited company by buying the part that Martin and I represented. At that point he had a wish to leave the company.

December 2007 we have a meeting where the sale is discussed. During the meeting we could not entirely agree upon some of the conditions of the purchase. GB then jubilantly states that: "We can just wait for your bankruptcy and buy the remains from the bank". Unfortunately that was a correct observation. Ølfabrikken was entirely dependant upon the income from the private limited company, which contained the brand and the customers. The private limited company had its production in the brewery in Roskilde, that is 100% controlled by GB, thus easily being able to cut off any income to Ølfabrikken until it was down on it's knees.

However it is not until January 2008 that the full extent becomes apparent. GB does not only with to increase their ownership part, but want everything!
I try to introduce different semi desperate solutions, including 6 months of work, on my part, without pay and GB getting the lion's share without paying for it. In return GB had to leave some small part to the founders of the original company. There is no willingness to negotiate and I choose to resign.

Subsequently BG has tried to defend themselvs in a series of staments by leaving the impression that they were a rescuing angel and in reality saved Ølfabrikken. That is not correct. In the spring, when we were looking for new partners, our operations generated profit. The dept in connection with funding of the company was comparable with other Danish breweries of the same size and age. Meanwhile we were in a lucrative situation with a internationally recognised microbrew brand and a loyal customer base.

That said, we could easily have been in the same situation as we are now - there is always a risk in running a small business. Hovever it is 100% certain that we respectfully would have reclined GB's offer had we known their intention.

Best wishes

Christian Skovdal Andersen

This is the end of Ølfabrikken

2008-01-30T07:48:00.000+01:00

I just got an email from Gourmetbryggeriet and one from Ølfabrikken. Gourmetbryggeriet now owns 100% of Ølfabrikken. Not that long ago Gourmetbryggeriet bought the first half of Ølfabrikken. Ølfabrikken is now just another brand of Gourmetbryggeriet.

Christian Skovdal Andersen, the co-counder and brew master of Ølfabrikken is leaving the this new instalment. This makes me sad, as Christian *is* the spirit of Ølfabrikken. Without him I consider the brand to be a hollow shell.

Money talks, I guess.

The letter from Christian (translated in to my poor english):

Dear shareholder,

It is with great regret that I have to inform you that Gourmetbryggeriet has taken over 100% of the brand Ølfabrikken, that will continue as a brand within the context of GB.

That means that you, as shareholder, still have your shares, but in a company with debt and very few assets. The debt will be repaid by me the undersigned and the director of the company Martin Larsen.

All alternative solutions that would mean that we, the shareholders, would stay as owners, have been rejected by Gourmetbryggeriet and as a result I have dismissed myself.

[SNIP]

We shall see if the brand stays unchanged, but I seriously doubt it.

Here's to the Ølfabrikken that once was.

Novel Beverage Refrigerator

2008-01-04T13:22:00.001+01:00

FEATURING seven revolving shelves which accommodate 504 bottles, this novel electric beverage refrigerator display unit measures only 37 inches in diameter, saving floor space while advertising many brands.

Source: blog.modernmechanix.com

Why bother brewing craft-style in a light version?

2008-01-04T13:00:00.000+01:00

Miller Brewing Co. will test market three new versions of Miller Lite as the brewer tries to cash in on a growing consumer preference for craft beers.

They apparently will test market the "Miller Lite Brewers Collection" in February. The three new versions of Miller Lite will be a blonde ale, an amber beer and a wheat beer - each with fewer calories and carbohydrates than a typical beer for that style.

The three new beers will target mainstream drinkers and capitalize on trends that favour light beer, greater variety of beer styles and a willingness to pay more for "higher-quality" beers.

I hope that the light-wave will miss Europe, and we keep on getting heavy beers. Heavy on quality, taste, smell, ingredients and overall experience.

If we are counting calories, I'd rather drink fewer beers, than drinking lighter versions.

Source: twincities.com

Soldering your own furniture from beer cans

2008-01-04T12:48:00.000+01:00

How about some home made metal furniture from beer cans (Aug, 1936). 420 cans has been soldered together and has produced the table and chair shown in use below. Bernard Dier of Chicago made it in ten days. I think that the construction would not last a week in my home. Are the cans empty or not. Empty ones seen way too unstable to do furniture like this.

Source: blog.modernmechanix.com

Interresting beer according to the presidents of Danish Beer Enthusiasts

2007-12-27T01:15:00.000+01:00

The four presidents that have reigned over Danish Beer Enthusiasts in past and present, have all chosen an interesting Christmas beer. The four choices are:

Abbaye des Rocs 9 %
Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
37, Chaussée Brunehault
7387 Montignies-sur-Roc
Belgique
www.abbaye-des-rocs.com

Chimay Bleu 9 %
Abbaye de Scourmont
B – 6464 Forges
Belgique
www.chimay.com

Cascade IPA 5,5 %
Raasted Bryghus
Hobrovej 358, Råsted
8900 Randers
www.raasted-bryghus.dk

Samichlaus 14 %
Schloss Eggenberg
Stöhr & Co.KG
Eggenberg 1
4655 Vorchdorf
Österreich
www.schloss-eggenberg.at

See more at: www.ale.dk

Waiting for it

2007-12-10T15:40:00.000+01:00

This Guinness advertisement is imaginative and tells the viewer that the product is worth waiting for. The video is both original and able to sell me a pint.

Guinness advertisement

2007-12-10T15:33:00.000+01:00

Ten points for originality. The video below just did not make me thirty for a Guinness.

WTF? Westmalle Tripel commercial

2007-12-10T14:22:00.000+01:00

If the video below is used to sell beer, then I am president of the world. The beer itself is great, but this commecial kills it.
'

I guess that it is so bad, that it is good - I just posted it right?

Brew house out of the box (perfect gift?)

2007-12-04T10:53:00.000+01:00

"Brew house out of the box" aka. "GourmetTurnkey"

GourmetBryggeriet is now installing the first Turnkey brew house on Iceland.

The equipment arrives in a container and gets installed on site. The lucky owners of this new brewery is Ölvisholt Brugghús.

The project in it's third week and the equipment has been installed, and all piping done. Within one week the first brew will be made.

The perfect gift for the rich lad that has everything.