Tvedes Bryggeri

Lore & Background

Hans Jørgen Tvede (1815–1878) was a builder by profession, but his grandfather had owned a distillery on Gråbrødretorv and his father managed a brewery in Grønnegade. Tvede gained brewing experience at Ørholm Mølle, which he rented for about ten years before acquiring a lot on Vesterbrogade in 1851. The first beer was produced in 1852, and the enterprise was an immediate success, leading him to acquire more land on both sides of the brewery.

In 1868, Tvede took his son-in-law J. H. Bruhn (born 1847) as a partner. His sons Jørgen Christian Tvede (1850–1909) and Peter Valdemar Tvede (born 1856) were made partners in 1872 and 1877 respectively. After Tvede's death in 1878, the brewery continued under the management of his two sons and son-in-law. In the 1880s, it became the largest producer of small beer in Scandinavia.

The introduction of a tax on beer in 1881 put the Danish beer market under pressure. Instigated by Carl Frederik Tietgen, Tvedes Bryggeri merged with several other Copenhagen breweries to form De Forenede Bryggerier. Both Jørgen Christian Tvede and Jørgen Henrik Bruhn served on the board of the new company until 1905. Production at the Vesterbrogade site continued until 1899, when small-beer production moved to nearby Rahbæks Allé.

Reader's Guide

Tvedes Bryggeri's significance lies in its rapid rise from a single lot on Vesterbrogade to the largest Nordic producer of small beer by the 1880s. The brewery's success was built on the experience of Hans Jørgen Tvede, who came from a family with distilling and brewing roots and had practical knowledge from running Ørholm Mølle. The merger into De Forenede Bryggerier in 1891, prompted by a beer tax and orchestrated by Carl Frederik Tietgen, marked the end of independent operation but ensured the brand's continuity under a larger umbrella.

Today, the brewery's legacy is preserved in the two heritage-listed street-front buildings (No. 140 and 152) on Vesterbrogade, which were converted into apartments in 1992–93. The rear production buildings, though not listed, are registered as worthy of preservation. About half of the original brewery, located on the other side of Vester Fælledvej in Frederiksberg Municipality, has been demolished. Additionally, Hans Jørgen Tvede's charitable work is remembered through Christen Vestbergs og Jørgen Tvedes Stiftelse, a foundation established in 1878 that provided residences for men and women in need at Vesterbrogade 144.

Did You Know?

• Hans Jørgen Tvede opened the Vesterbro Samaritan in the brewery's cellar, where people in need could get a meal.
• The architect Kristian Isager oversaw the conversion of the brewery buildings into apartments in 1992–93.