Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

Tougher times ahead for Danish micros

An editorial in one of the Danish business papers, ErhvervsBladet, is predicting a drastic reduction in the number of micro brewers in the country in the near future. Although the growth has been amazing over the last few years, the shelf space allocated to craft/speciality beer in the supermarkets is now being restricted. It should come as a surprise to no one that the shops give priority to the beers they can actually sell.

There is a discussion on the Copenhagen forum on ratebeer on this topic which shows that the picture may be more complex than stated in the editorial. At the same time, I have stated earlier on this blog that the growth in the number of Danish breweries is not sustainable. There will be room for those who manage to combine quality with professional marketing and distribution, sure, but I don't think the banks will rush to give loans to any more hopefuls who want to produce another pilsener.

It is also a matter of combining brewing with other activities. The article mentions Svaneke and Fur Bryghus, who have respectively 80.000 and 30.000 visitors per year, and for a country with a sizable tourism industry, including thirsty Norwegian and German visitors, there is obviously more to be done.

There is also an international demand for quality beers, and I am sure we will see more Danish brews on that scene. But they can hardly charge 50+ Danish kroner per bottle in other markets.

I won't go into any exact predictions, but my advice is: If you haven't tried out the Danish beer scene yet, this summer is probably the time to go!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:37 | link | comments (3)
beer, brewers, denmark

Comments:

#1  02 June 2007 - 07:32

 

Hi Knut, found you at Facebook. You really have a interesting beer blog and I love beer too.
This fascinates me and I made a similar post from Trondheim you might like to visit:-)

Anonymous

#2  05 June 2007 - 15:36

 

Hi! I am an Event Planner for Village Pourhouse which is a bar and lounge in the East Village! We would love to have you come out to our next event:

Summer Beer Tasting
June 13th 7:00PM
You will sample a variety of beers and a brew master will walk you through the history of the beer, how to taste it , and more.
$25 cover

We are located at 64 3rd Avenue and 11th Street in Manhattan.

If interested, please contact me:
jordana@yourpartyplanning.com
212/979.2337 x8001

Thanks!

Anonymous

#3  07 June 2007 - 09:15

 

I think we will see more breweries brewing just another pilsner, because evere smaller town wants their own brewery, and that is unfortunately more important than the quality.

Anonymous

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