The
Carlsberg Group is a
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
brewing company founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen after the name of his son
CarlCarl Christian Hillman Jacobsen was a Danish brewer, art collector and philantropist, the son of J. C. Hacobsen, who founded the brewery Carlsberg and named it after him.-Career:...
. The headquarters are in
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
,
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
. The company's main brand is Carlsberg Beer, but it also brews Tuborg as well as local beers.
After merging with the brewery assets of
NorwegianNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
conglomerateA conglomerate is a combination of two or more companies engaged in entirely different businesses together into one overarching company . Conglomerates are often large...
Orkla ASA in January 2001, Carlsberg became the 5th largest brewery group in the world. In 2009 Carlsberg is the 4th largest brewery group in the world employing around 45,000 people.
History
Carlsberg was founded by J. C. Jacobsen; the first brew was finished on 10 November 1847. Exportation of Carlsberg Beer began in 1868; foreign brewing began in 1968 with the opening of a Carlsberg brewery in
BlantyreBlantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce and its largest city, by population, with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
,
MalawiThe Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by...
. Some of the company's original logos include an
elephantElephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant...
(after which some of its lagers are named) and the
swastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form or its mirrored left-facing form. Archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the Neolithic period and was first found in the Indus Valley Civilization of the Indian...
. Use of the latter was discontinued in the 1930s because of its association with political parties in neighboring
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
.
Carlsberg founder J. C. Jacobsen was a
philanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and avid art collector. With his fortune he amassed an impressive art collection which is now housed in the
Ny Carlsberg GlyptotekThe Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark...
in central
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
.
Jacobsen set up the
Carlsberg LaboratoryThe Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark was created in 1875 by J. C. Jacobsen, the founder of the Carlsberg brewery, for the sake of advancing biochemical knowledge, especially relating to brewing. It featured a Department of Chemistry and a Department of Physiology...
in 1875 which worked on scientific problems related to brewing. It featured a Department of Chemistry and a Department of Physiology. The
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
yeastYeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans. Most reproduce asexually by budding, although a few do so by binary fission...
used to make
pale lagerPale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and 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 to existing...
,
Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, was isolated at the Laboratory and was named after it. The concept of
pHpH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. It is defined as the cologarithm of the activity of dissolved hydrogen ions . Hydrogen ion activity coefficients cannot be measured experimentally, so they are based on theoretical calculations...
was developed there as well as advances in
proteinProteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer chain are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues...
chemistry. The laboratory was part of the Carlsberg Foundation until 1972 when it was renamed the Carlsberg Research Center and transferred to the brewery.
The old brewery in Copenhagen is open for tours and famous visitors have included
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
and
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
.
Carlsberg acquired Tuborg breweries in 1970 and merged with Tetley in 1992.
Carlsberg has two breweries in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
-
HuizhouHuizhou is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. Part of the Pearl River Delta, Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shaoguan to the north, Heyuan to the northeast, Shanwei to the east, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, and...
and
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
. It used to have one in
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, but shut it down in 1999 due to high costs. Carlsberg's Shanghai brewery started production in 1998.
Baltic Beverages Holding
Baltic Beverages HoldingBaltic Beverages Holding is a brewing company owned by Carlsberg Group. It is a significant operator in the brewing industry in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and Kazakhstan, most notably holding a controlling stake in Baltika Breweries...
is a Russian brewery owned by Carlsberg. The company is a significant operator in the brewing industry in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and Kazakhstan. In 2007 the companies revenue increased by 31% to 10,4 Bn
DKKThe krone is the currency of Denmark, including the autonomous provinces of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The krone is pegged to the euro via the European Union's exchange rate mechanism. The plural form is "kroner" and one krone is divided into 100 øre, the singular form being the same as the...
. A significant increase in revenue and profit is also expected in 2008.
In 2007 Carlsberg and Heineken International announced that they would make a bid for
Scottish & NewcastleScottish & Newcastle plc was one of the world’s leading "long alcoholic drinks" companies with strong positions in 15 countries, including leadership in the UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base...
. After much negotiation,
Scottish & NewcastleScottish & Newcastle plc was one of the world’s leading "long alcoholic drinks" companies with strong positions in 15 countries, including leadership in the UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base...
agreed to the sale in early 2008, and it was completed in June 2008 after receiving shareholder approval, for an amount close to 8 Bn £. Most of
Scottish & NewcastleScottish & Newcastle plc was one of the world’s leading "long alcoholic drinks" companies with strong positions in 15 countries, including leadership in the UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base...
operations in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
,
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
& Eastern Europe were transferred to Carlsberg, including Scottish & Newcastle's share of Baltic Beverages Holding.
Brands
Brands held by the Carlsberg brewery group:
- Carlsberg a 5% abv pale lager
Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and 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 to existing...
with a global distribution; marketed as Carlsberg Export in the UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
to avoid confusion with the UK Carlsberg lager which is brewed at 3.8% abv.
- Aldaris (Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
)
- Semper Ardens
Semper Ardens is a product line of beer by the Danish brewery Carlsberg. Semper Ardens is Latin for always burning.The product line consists of the following beers:*Semper Ardens Abbey Ale*Semper Ardens Blonde Bier*Semper Ardens Bock...
- Kuche Kuche (Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by...
)
- San Miguel
San Miguel, Spanish for Saint Michael, describes numerous locations.-Places in the world:*Angola**San Miguel Fort*Argentina**San Miguel Partido**San Miguel, Buenos Aires...
(UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
)
- Mythos (beer) (Greece)
- Wusu
Wusu can also refer to Taiyuan Wusu Airport.Wusu is a county-level city with more than 100,000 residents in Xinjiang. It is a part of Tacheng Prefecture of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. Wusu is a city, where oil-production is a major part of the economy...
(NW China)
- Elephant
- Special brew
- Tuborg (Regional)
- Dick
-Names:As a given name, Dick is a diminutive form of Richard. A number of the bearers of this name are popularly known as "Dick" rather than "Richard", see articles starting with "Dick"...
(Regional)
- FuZzi (Regional)
- Carls (Regional)
- Tetley (UK)
- Halida Beer (Vietnam
Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
)
- Chang Beer (Thailand
The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
)
- Holsten
Holsten Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1518 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener...
(Germany)
- Lav
Lav pivo is a popular Serbian beer brand. Produced and bottled by Carlsberg Srbija in the village of Čelarevo, Bačka Palanka municipality, it has the second biggest market share among the beer brands in Serbia, just behind rival Jelen pivo.In addition to Serbia, it is also available...
(SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
)
- Feldschlösschen
Feldschlösschen is a brand of beer. The brewery, located in Rheinfelden, Switzerland is the biggest brewery in Switzerland. It was bought by Carlsberg in 2000.The following brands are produced* Feldschlösschen* Hürlimann* Cardinal* Carlsberg* Tuborg...
(SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
)
- Cardinal Lager (Switzerland)
- Baltika (Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
) - through the 50-50 joint venture BBH
- Pripps
Pripps was a major brewery in Sweden and is now a part of Carlsberg, in which Pripps remains as a trademark. The company was based in Gothenburg; their main product was Pripps Blå. They also owned Ramlösa. Pripps was founded in Gothenburg by Johan Albrecht Pripp in 1828.-Beer:Pripps Blå, lit...
(SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
)
- Carnegie Porter (Sweden)
- Falcon
Bryggeri AB Falken was a brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden. After being bought by Carlsberg it is now just a brand name....
(Sweden)
- Karhu
Karhu is a Finnish beer brand brewed by the Sinebrychoff brewery in Kerava. It is a pale lager with a strong taste. The brewing of Karhu began in 1898 and in terms of market share, it has become the most popular beer in Finland in the last few years. Currently there are three beers with different...
(FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
)
- Koff (Finland)
- Ringnes
Ringnes is the largest brewer in Norway. It was founded in 1876 by brothers Amund and Ellef Ringnes and financial director Axel Heiberg. The company's brewery in the Grünerløkka district of Oslo produced its first beer in 1877.The company sponsored the polar expeditions of Fridtjof Nansen and...
(NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
)
- Frydenlund (Norway)
- Dahls
E.C. Dahls Brewery is a Norwegian brewery founded in Trondheim in 1856 by the colorful business man Erich Christian Dahl, a local in Trondheim. A few years earlier he had bought 'Sukkerhuset', which means the sugarhouse, in Kalvskinnet, where there had been a sugar refinery since 1754...
(Norway)
- Arendals (Norway)
- Nordlands (Norway)
- Tou
Tou was a brewery established in 1855 at Tau near Stavanger, Norway.In 1901, the production of beer was moved to Lervik in Stavanger....
(Norway)
- Okocim
Okocim is a village in Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Brzesko and east of the regional capital Kraków....
(PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
)
- Bosman
Bosman is a Dutch surname, and may refer to:* Dick Bosman , American baseball player* Herman Charles Bosman , South African writer and journalist* Jean-Marc Bosman , Belgian footballer...
(PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
)
- Piast (Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
)
- Kasztelan (Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
)
- Harnaś (Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
)
- Pan
Pan is a Croatian lager beer, which is produced by Carlsberg Croatia....
(CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
)
- Pirinsko and Shumensko
Shumensko or Shumensko pivo is a Bulgarian beer company based in Shumen. Since 2002, it has been owned by Carlsberg. The brewery was founded in 1882 by merchants from Shumen and the Czech master brewer Franz Milde, who arrived in September and founded the Bulgarian Brewing Association on 26...
(BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
)
- Saku
-Estonian brewing traditions and Saku Brewery:Beer was already known in present-day Estonia between 500 and 1000 A.D., when it was mostly used as a sacrificial drink. Breweries were first established in the larger villages in the middle of the 13th century. Beer was brewed at home, in abbeys and...
(EstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russian Federation...
)
- Splügen and Bock 1877 (Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
)
- Ramlösa
Ramlösa is a brand of carbonated mineral water from a source in Ramlösa Brunnspark in the southern part of Helsingborg, Sweden. Ramlösa goes back to the year 1707....
(SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
)
- Troy and Venüs (Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
).
- Saxon Beer (Gluten-free beer)
- Jacobsen
Jacobsen is an upscale brand of specialty beers owned by Carlsberg. Named after Carlsberg's founder, J.C. Jacobsen, it is housed in the original Carlsberg brewery in Valby in Copenhagen, Denmark and is currently headed by brewmaster Jens Eiken.- History :...
- Vole (Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
).
- Astra (Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
)
- Carlsberg (Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
)
- Behnoush (Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
)
- Kronenbourg
Kronenbourg Brewery is a brewery founded in 1664 by Geronimus Hatt in Strasbourg, France as the Hatt Brewery. The name comes from the area where the brewery relocated in 1850. The company is owned by the Carlsberg Group...
(FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
)
Carlsberg India Pvt. Ltd.
Carlsberg India Pvt. Ltd.headquartered in Gurgaon, National Capital Region, India is a Foreign direct investment company formed to brew and market Carlsberg beer in India. The company has also brought the Tuborg and Palone brands into India. Palone is sold as a 'strong' beer with 7.5% alcohol by volume. Strong beers dominate the Indian market, estimated in 2008 to total approximately 17 million hectolitres with over a 72% share. Carlsberg is available in most states of India: Goa with three operational breweries in Alwar, Rajasthan; Aurangabad, Maharashtra both of which started in the summer of 2008 and the former Hacke-Beck brewery in Ponta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh where brewing commenced in July 2007. Carlsberg India Pvt. Ltd. currently employs over 200 professionals and is headed by Pradeep Gidwani as of May 2009.
Carlsberg pilsner
Carlsberg Pilsner or
Carlsberg Lager is the beer most people expect when ordering a Carlsberg. A German style pilsner, first brewed in 1904. In Denmark the beer is often known as
HOF (
courtThe court of a monarch, or at some periods an important nobleman, is a term for the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler or central figure...
) due to its
Royal WarrantRoyal Warrants of Appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
. This nickname was adopted into the brand in 1931 but discontinued in 1991.
Special Brew
Special Brew is a very strong
lagerLager is a type of beer that is stored for at least three weeks before being served. It is a general term that includes several variations or styles, such as Pilsener, Export and Märzen.-History of lager brewing:...
(sometimes known as premium lager) brewed in Denmark and the United Kingdom. It comes in a can with a distinctive gold and red colour.
Special Brew was first brewed by master brewer, Thomas Marfleet, and was brewed by Carlsberg to commemorate a visit to Denmark of
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
in 1950. In May 1951 two crates were delivered to Churchill's London home. In a thank you letter Churchill called the drink "Commemoration Lager". In Denmark the drink was called
Påskebryg (
Easter Brew), but the Easter Brew has been replaced by a weaker beer (Carls Påske). For the British market Carlsberg called the drink Special Brew and production was started in
NorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene...
in the 1950s.
At 9% alcohol, Special Brew is part of a group of strong lagers that are termed "super-strength" in the UK and
malt liquorMalt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common parlance, however, it is used for high alcohol beers made with...
in the USA. Journalist Matt Weaver from the British newspaper
The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
associates this beer with binge drinking amongst vagrants..
Elephant beer
In 1901, on brewer Carl Jacobsen’s initiative the Architect, Professor J.L. Dahlerup created a
tower resting on four elephants carved in granite from the Danish island
BornholmBornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming...
. Brewer Jacobsen was inspired to this gate by the obelisk supporting elephant on the Minerva Square in Rome. The four elephants each bear the initial of one of Carl Jacobsen’s four children: Theodora, Paula, Helge and Vagn. This became known as The Elephant Gate and is a landmark entrance to the brewery. To the west of the gate, Carl Jacobsen’s motto was inscribed: Laboremus pro Patria (Let us work for our country). Since then the Elephant has been a famous part of the Carlsberg Family, especially after the strong Elephant Beer was created in 1955 under the name “Export Lager Beer” and featuring the Elephant label. Marketed in Ghana, the Gold Coast, Nigeria and on promotion in Malawi. Launched on the Danish market as Elephant Beer on 9 November 1959. The Elephant is still brewed in Carlsberg Breweries in Copenhagen and exported around the world. A few markets brew their own Carlsberg Elephant beer locally according to the original recipe.
Vintage No. 1 beer
This limited edition beer, unveiled in 2008, is probably the most expensive beer in the world, at roughly US $400 (2008 Dkr) per bottle. Brewmaster Jens Eiken says that "We believe that there are people out there who are willing to part with this amount of money just so that they can taste an amazing beer or to keep it on their mantelpiece."
San Miguel Lager
A result of the take over of Scottish and Newcastle Brewing, Carlsberg now control the San Miguel brand in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
Visitors Centre
The Carlsberg Visitors Centre is located at 11 Gamle Carlsberg Vej, 2500
Valby' is one of the 15 administrative, statistical, and tax city districts comprising the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark.On the southwest border of the municipality, it covers an area of 9.23 km², has a population of 46,161, and a population density of 5,002 per km². Copenhagen Zoo is a...
,
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
at the location of the first Carlsberg Brewery. In the courtyard is a smaller replica of the
Little Mermaid StatueThe statue of The Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the Copenhagen harbour at Langelinie. This small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction....
that
Carl JacobsenCarl Christian Hillman Jacobsen was a Danish brewer, art collector and philantropist, the son of J. C. Hacobsen, who founded the brewery Carlsberg and named it after him.-Career:...
donated to
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
. The entry ticket includes a free drink at the bar. The centre can be reached by bus no. 18 or 26 from downtown Copenhagen.
Advertising
Carlsberg's tagline "Probably the best beer in the world" was created in 1973 by Saatchi and Saatchi for the UK market. It began to appear in company corporate ads around the world from the 1980s onwards. The voice over for the original ad. in 1975 was voiced by actor
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
, his voice has been used repeatedly over the years. The Canadian-born voice-over artist Bill Mitchell was also used when hiring Orson Welles became too expensive.
Carlsberg was featured in the film
Ice-Cold in AlexIce-Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the Berlin International Film Festival...
(not, however, in the book on which the film was based) as the lager the main cast get to drink after driving across the desert. Lines from the film gave rise to one of Carlsberg's best known advertising slogans in the UK: "worth waiting for".
Sponsorships
Carlsberg was one of the major sponsors of Euro 2008. Carlsberg was one of the major sponsors of the 2004 European Football Championship and use the promotional slogan "probably the best beer in the world"; they were also a sponsor of the
1990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 14th staging of the World Cup, was held in Italy from 8 June to 8 July. Italy was chosen as hosts by FIFA on 19 May 1984, making it the second country to host the event twice. USSR was the rival of Italy's candidacy to host the event...
. Carlsberg are best known in the UK as the main and shirt sponsors of
Liverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
having sponsored the club since 1991. Carlsberg also sponsor
F.C. CopenhagenF.C. Copenhagen is a Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment company who, among other things, also own the professional men's and women's teams of FCK Handball.FCK plays in the Danish Superliga and is one of the most successful clubs in Danish...
, Havant and Waterlooville, Odense Boldklub,
Pirin BlagoevgradPirin Blagoevgrad may refer to:* PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad - the former football club in Blagoevgrad* PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad - the current football club in Blagoevgrad...
and are also the secondary sponsor (after
EircomEircom Group plc is an Irish Telecommunications company, and former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in the UK....
) of the
Republic of Ireland national football teamThe Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in Association Football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Croke Park in Dublin....
and
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club based in Tottenham, North London which currently plays in the Premier League...
. Carlsberg also sponsors other sport events, such as
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
and
skiingSkiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
Carlsberg was the sponsor of "probably, the best view in the world" from the
Carlsberg Sky TowerThe Tiger Sky Tower, previously known as Carlsberg Sky Tower, is Singapore’s highest observation tower located at Sentosa. It has a height of 110 metres above ground, about 36 floors high, and 131 metres above sea level where one can view the entire length of Singapore's skyline and a panoramic...
in
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
till 2008.
The Institute of Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen, which was an international center for theoretical physics during the 1920s and 1930s, when quantum mechanics was being developed, was largely supported by the Carlsberg brewery.
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