Amager Bryghus

From the outside, Amager Bryghus may look like any other semi-leased factory building in the windy industrial area of ​​Kirstinehøj, nestled uncomfortably in a remote corner of the island of Amager next to Copenhagen Airport (CPH).

But inside—in the 30 fermentation tanks and even more oak barrels—the real magic happens, as simple ingredients are transformed into the most delicious brews to the melody of a gently bubbling melody. Locals walking their dogs late at night even claim to see a strange beam of light emanating from the brewery. We're inclined to think they might have had one too many beers, but we prefer to nod and agree with them to reassure them that it's all perfectly normal.

When homebrewers and school friends Morten and Jacob decided after a boozy night in 2007 that Amager needed its own brewery, they could hardly have imagined where it would all lead 14 years later. The two friends, both Amager natives, didn't have a single cent to invest in their new dream, so their start was modest. Their bank loan only covered the cost of renting a space in a former nuclear bunker in Tårnby—just a stone's throw from the local church. Their ambitions were modest, too. The goal was to establish Amager Bryghus as the preferred beer of Amager's residents. But when one of the brewery's first beers "accidentally" landed on an American Top 50 list of the world's best beers, their ambitions had to be refined and expanded, because the huge American craft beer market was demanding "Mr. Frederiksen," which was exactly what they were talking about.

Suddenly, the small brewery felt encouraged to brew even more interesting and experimental beers, which earned Amager Bryghus an underground reputation in the beer-loving and burgeoning craft beer scene. Not just in Denmark, but all over the world. Today, Amager beers can be found in up to 30 countries worldwide.

Amager Bryghus also brews good mainstream beers for the traditional beer drinker, but it's primarily their very hoppy IPAs and juicy Imperial Stouts that have made the brewery famous. In recent years, they've also received some of the highest ratings in the country for their whiskey barrel-aged beer. These beers have helped them secure a permanent place in the top 100 list of the world's best breweries for the past 12 years, according to the US beer rating website www.ratebeer.com.

Even today - 14 years after its founding - Amager Bryghus remains strictly independent, with founders Morten V. Lundsbak and Jacob Storm as the sole owners, holding equal shares (50/50).

What the future holds for the small brewery with its mere six employees is something they don't even dare to imagine. But Tårnby promises to continue bringing a range of innovative and interesting beers to craft beer lovers worldwide.