Amager Bryghus
Danish microbrewery known for its Ratebeer Top 50 Imperial Stout.
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Amager Bryghus, a Danish microbrewery, operates on the island of Amager. Morten Valentin Lundsbak and Jacob Storm founded it in 2007, setting up inside an old warehouse that had once belonged to the Church of Scientology. The brewery’s first beer to crack the Ratebeer Top 50 was an Imperial Stout named Hr. Frederiksen, brewed to honor a friend, Peter Frederiksen, who had spent a full year helping the owners get the brewery off the ground.
That success led to a partnership with Shelton Brothers and the start of exports to the United States. Since 2009, Amager Bryghus has ranked among Ratebeer’s top 100 breweries. In 2013, Sweden’s state alcohol authority, Systembolaget, censored a label for the brewery’s beer Lust because it showed a topless woman, deeming it unacceptable since “sexual success can not be associated with drinking beer.” Swedish media covered the resulting censorship controversy. The brewery moved to larger facilities at Kirstinehøj 38B in Kastrup, next to Copenhagen Airport, in 2017.
Lore & Background
Amager Bryghus was established in 2007 by Morten Valentin Lundsbak and Jacob Storm, who set up the brewery in an old warehouse that had previously been owned by the Church of Scientology. Their first beer to achieve notable recognition was Hr.
Frederiksen, an Imperial Stout brewed to honor a friend, Peter Frederiksen, who had assisted the founders for a full year in establishing the brewery. The success of this beer led to a partnership with Shelton Brothers and the beginning of exports to the United States. Since 2009, the brewery has consistently appeared on the Ratebeer top 100 breweries list.
In 2013, one of their beer labels, for a beer called Lust, was censored by the Swedish state alcohol authority Systembolaget. The label depicted a topless woman, which Systembolaget deemed unacceptable on the grounds that 'sexual success can not be associated with drinking beer.' This decision sparked a controversy that was covered by Swedish media. In 2017, Amager Bryghus moved to larger premises at Kirstinehøj 38B in Kastrup, adjacent to Copenhagen Airport.
Reader's Guide
Amager Bryghus holds significance as a Danish microbrewery that quickly rose to prominence in the international craft beer scene. Its founding in 2007 by Morten Valentin Lundsbak and Jacob Storm in a former Church of Scientology warehouse marks an unconventional start. The brewery's first major milestone was the creation of Hr.
Frederiksen, an Imperial Stout brewed to thank a friend who helped set up the operation. This beer's entry into the Ratebeer Top 50 not only put the brewery on the map but also facilitated a partnership with Shelton Brothers, enabling exports to the United States. Since 2009, Amager Bryghus has maintained a place on the Ratebeer top 100 breweries list, indicating sustained quality and recognition.
The brewery also attracted attention in 2013 when the Swedish alcohol authority Systembolaget censored the label of its beer Lust for depicting a topless woman, citing that sexual success should not be associated with drinking beer. This incident generated media controversy in Sweden. The brewery's move to larger premises in Kastrup in 2017, next to Copenhagen Airport, reflects its growth and ongoing operations.
More in Breweries of Scandinavia and the Low Countries
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Amager Bryghus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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