OUR STORY

Pioneering the Danish way
since 1847

A Great Dane

Back in 1845, a young Danish brewer travelled all the way from Copenhagen to Munich to get hold of special yeast for his beer. His name was JC Jacobsen and the name he gave to his new brewery was Carlsberg.

Probably the first hipster

JC Jacobsen, born in 1811, brewed his first lager in his cellar. In 1847, he established his first micro-brewery in Copenhagen.

So who is Carlsberg?

Well, now you know. Carlsberg wasn’t the name of our founder but that of his brewery.

Open source ante litteram

JC Jacobsen’s establishment of the Carlsberg Laboratory in 1875 marked Carlsberg as the world’s first large industrial enterprise to invest heavily in research and innovation.

Good beer, affordable to all

JC’s mantra was to make great beer “regardless of immediate profit.”

The first brainstorming in history

Every Friday, JC would have an open house party. Scientists, artists, writers, actors and musicians would sit around the Jacobsens’ table to share a nine-course dinner and a lot of ideas.

Probably the biggest fan of Denmark

JC was very fond of his country. Despite being incredibly busy with the brewery, he was actively involved in politics, society and the arts.

Beer Geeks United

Throughout his life, JC visited many breweries around Europe. This allowed for a continuous exchange of knowledge and technology and the consequent improvement of the brewery.

And the winners is...

At an exhibition in Vienna in 1873, JC Jacobsen was awarded the prestigious Progress Medal for brewing.

Probably the toughest Dad

JC was a very demanding father and never mollycoddled his son. Carl grew up to be a great brewer too, but he had ideas of his own.

Probably the first student exchange programme

Today, it is common for students to go on exchange programmes abroad. JC was, as usual, ahead of his time and wanted Carl to be educated around Europe.

Brewing disagreements

When Carl returned, in 1871, JC gave him the new Annexe Brewery to run as a tenant brewer.

Probably one of the first trademark rights dispute

After the fallout with his father, Carl set up his own brewery. The year was 1882 and he called it Ny (new) Carlsberg.

Brewing as art

The new brewery was a success; Carl combined his training abroad, his experience with the first brewery and his connections to practically every brewer in Europe to build a model brewery.

The power of beauty

Carl grew up surrounded by art and started his own collection very early on in his life. He believed that “art must not only be the rich man’s possession.

Birth of an icon

The famous Carlsberg logo was introduced in 1904 when Old Carlsberg commissioned the Danish architect Thorvald Bindesbøll to design a label for their Carlsberg pilsner.

A rose a day

In his later life, Carl Jacobsen developed slightly eccentric habits.

One Carlsberg is better than two

In 1906, New and Old Carlsberg were officially reunited under the Carlsberg Foundation and Carl became the first managing director of the Carlsberg Breweries.

Emil C.
Hansen

Carlsberg yeast man

When the going gets tough...

Emil came from a very poor and eccentric family.

The tough gets going

Luckily for him and for all beer lovers of the world, he was then accepted for a job as a tutor.

Good beer is a science

In 1883 he announced his system of pure yeast cultures.

A celebration of beer love

In 1902 Hansen celebrated 25 years of work at Carlsberg and was presented with a gold medal by Carl Jacobsen.

Søren P.L.
Sørensen

When chemistry met beer

How to measure a good beer

Did you know the pH scale was developed at Carlsberg?

Some great chemistry

Søren Sørensen conducted pioneering research into proteins, amino acids and enzymes - the basis of today’s protein chemistry.