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Beer drinking in Denmark and a brewery called Apollo.

© Damien Franczek & Britt Koch Franczek-Pedersen

I had the opportunity to visit a very nice brew pub in downtown Copenhagen. Though rare in this city, this particular brewpub, called the Apollo Brewery, is one of three owned by the same family.

This is a time-honoured art in Denmark. With ties harkening back to the Viking era, beer has been a staple in the Danish diet for centuries. A stop to the Carlsberg Brewery, one of the largest breweries in Europe, for a free tour and, to my satisfaction, a few free samples; will teach you much about this tradition.

The Apollo served great beer, some of the best I've ever tried, in fact. Two notables, the Apollo Pilsner and the Honey beer, stood out in my mind, with fresh, sweet beginnings and a delightful finish, you can really taste the freshness of this brew, which is almost always in the process of being created, every day, in fact, 10 hours a day the brewers are hard at work. A notable side mark to this brewery, the beer brewed is organic, all natural, with ingredients as natural as the ground they grow in, the sky above and the water used to nourish them, and brewed to traditions of way, way back.

A great beer is best enjoyed in moderation, and the Apollo is no slouch. You can purchase this beer in sizes ranging from 1/4 litre to the mega, have-a-few-friends-and-cab fare 10 litre mini-keg. One notable size, called a Kwak Glas, is similar to the yard glass, having the appearance of a test tube with a wide opening, bottom and narrow middle. When purchasing a Kwak Glas, it's also tradition to surrender one of your shoes for one made of papyrus. I did not get the chance to reveal the reason, which is just as well, this is something one must experience and is better left to mystery.

One particular post on one of the storied walls in the Carlsberg brewery told of a daily ration for it's employees, a ration amount that averaged 8 to 10 litres per day. This is quite an amount of beer to say the least. It's so common to drink beer in this country,- beer draft fountains rival soda fountains for space along the bar in any cafe, restaurant, movie theatre, just about every public house where beverages are sold, you can see the similar Carlsberg and Tuborg brands proudly poured.

Food is also served at Apollo, which is a great accompaniment to the beer, which is the direct reason for frequenting this wonderful place. The Chefs are on display here, as is the brewer, who works in the center of the dining area, each transforming their training into daily works of potable art.

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