Copenhagen Beer Celebration (again) Top 9

The flight from Stuttgart to Copenhagen, Denmark is just over an hour. We flew Scandinavian (SAS) air which provides a free non-alcoholic beverage – a life-saver when the only direct flight in the morning is at 6 a.m. (coffee!). Stuttgart airport 6 a.m. flights are surprisingly crowded so get there 90 min early vs. the usual 60 min. for no checked bags with mobile boarding passes. We were still nervous about missing the flight, security was so busy for some reason. Fortunately there was a great agent there who let us pass some others to make our flight on-time. We made it!

The train from the airport to the central station is only 3 stops, 72 DKK which is about $11, and 20 minutes. We stayed on the same street near the festival again this year at the eco-conscious Axel Guldsmeden Hotel which is next door to the hotel we stayed at last time. Great place with a vintage vibe and free coffee and organic apples in the afternoon. We would stay again. It is a 5 minute walk from the train station, from the beer event and from a ton of bars and restaurants. We only took “transit” once – a rental city bike. Otherwise we really lucked out with sunny days the entire weekend (rare for Denmark). It was a bit windy one day, but we even got a little sun burned so overall fantastic.

To Do

This time we took the Free Walking Tour which is 2.5 hours around town. We got to see the changing of the guard, the royal training area where the horses are exercised and a few other spots we otherwise would have walked past. Best of all was having a guide that talks food – specifically coffee and cake.

He recommended the best cheesecake in town called Bertels Salon. It was good, not the best we have had. We actually had the best cheesecake so far recently in Berlin at the Sunday flea market but more on that soon.

Coffee Collective was another recommendation located in Torvehallerne food market. It is the same place we were heading anyway because the bottle shop Mikkeller and Friends is located there. We didn’t realize they were doing some kind of bottle release the same morning so there was a line out the door. We got breakfast and a cinnamon roll (everyone else was buying them so we had to try of course) at Laura’s Bakery and headed over to buy beer for the day. At the shop we of course meet fellow beer geeks who were connected to breweries or bars in Berlin. Since we were heading there in 2 weeks, it was great timing to meet really cool people to catch up with when we get there. New friends abroad are always the greatest.

Places to see:

• Nyhavn
• Changing of the Guard at Amalienborg Palace
• Free garden behind Tivoli Gardens amusement park
• Royal Stables at Christiansborg Palace
• All the towers and churches walking through  old town – the stock exchange spiral tower is our favorite. The inside of the churches are not that impressive we learned mainly due to great fires Copenhagen has had through history.

Illum – Go for the view – We kept seeing these shopping bags everywhere so went on a hunt for this place and we are so glad we did. Its essentially a concept building, not just a store or mall. The top floor terrace has multiple amazing looking restaurants and a coffee bar with outdoor bench seating if you can find a spot. We weren’t lucky this time so stood, but it was equally as nice to grab a coffee and view Copenhagen’s old center from above.

The city bike rental situation – city bikes are easy to register to use for the first time on the digital screen with a credit card on the bike and with data on your phone to confirm the account. However, the bikes are not made for short people and are extremely heavy so getting on, off and stopping was a challenge for me for sure. We all made it though, and fortunately had new friends to follow who had done this before in Copenhagen. The bike lanes are easy to follow and there is a map for points to leave the bike on the digital display. We would consider doing it again there, but we will probably stick to walking.

More Food Stops

Breakfast:

• Granola – The only place that opens early (9 a.m.) in walking distance to the hotel. We went here last time, it is always delish. Try the croissants.
• iBagel – OK, open early, a little expensive, fresh juice, terrible coffee, did the job for a breakfast/regular lunch sandwich.

Lunch/afternoon snack:

• Hotdog (really a Copenhagen style sausage) at the beer fest – mandatory.
• Paper Island, Papirøen – Food truck style vendors, beverages, indoor and outdoor picnic style. All kinds of food. Go now, it is rumored to be closing in the next year or so because a developer bought it.
• Haven Bar at the Strand – Good drink stop, outdoor seating on the water.
• Warpigs – also a mandatory repeat before hopping on the plane. Outdoor seating, craft beer and smoky barbeque unlike any other we could ever get in Germany.
• Best Ice Cream: Vaffelbageren located in Nyhavn.

Dinner:

MaddKlubben – We made a reservation online for dinner here because the reviews were good. They have set menu or individual options. We did a set menu because for what we wanted it ended up being a better deal. The steak is delish, salad fresh and it is a cool vibe, but hot! inside. We received affirmation from the 2 sitting next to us that it is a good local spot too. We were one of very few tables speaking English which is rare to see in Copenhagen. We ended up chatting and befriending the guys next to us and all went out for drinks after.

After Dinner: 

Fermentoren – This sour beer bar is always a good bet, plus our locals had never been there. Of course they ordered pilsners, but they did try and like our beers.

Bang & Jensen – Our new friends brought us here, cool local bar to end the night.

The Beer –  stops this time: 

• Fermentoren (again)
• Paper Island  – just ok for beer, better for food.
• Any of the many Mikkeller bars and locations
• Warpigs
• Taphouse
• Lord Nelson Bar 

The MCBC Fest Top 9:

1. Cycle Brewing –  Rare Scooop and Tuesday – pure dark chocolate deliciousness stout with cocoa nibs, (Florida)
2. J Wakefield – Orange Dreamsicle (Florida)
3. Sahtipaja – Honey ginger (Sweden)
4. Fonta Flora – The Big Shrug –  appalachian blueberries and fennel, and appalachian wild ale with plums (North Carolina)
5. 7th Sun – Oak fermented KumQuat? (Florida)
6.  Cascade Brewing – Tangerine Dream –  bourbon barrel aged sour with tangerines (Oregon)
7. To Øl,  One Ton of Blackberries sour ale (Denmark)
8. Letra – moscat barrel aged saison (Portugal)
9. Lervig – maple stout (Norway)

Favorite beers not at the fest: 

• The Answer Brewpub – Vanilla Vixen from Richmond, Virginia, we met the brewer at our hotel who was nice enough to share. Great beer.
• Haven Bar – Mikkeller white wine barrel sour with grapes

View the more photos 

PROST!