Tasting

What does a beer from Copenhagen taste like? The pale lager is fresh, slightly sweet, and mildly bitter. The IPA brings fruit and resin, the stout coffee and chocolate. To experience both sides, try comparing a pilsner with a pale ale.

Four beers make good examples. Carlsberg Pilsner and Tuborg Grøn showcase Danish lager, both belonging to the Carlsberg Group. Mikkeller's Beer Geek Breakfast represents the robust stout style, while Nørrebro Bryghus's Bombay Pale Ale shows a pale ale modeled on the British-Indian tradition.

At a pub, draft beer is ordered as fadøl. The glass is usually a simple cylinder or a handled mug, though craft beers are often served in a smaller, stemless glass or a tulip glass that captures the aroma.

The pale lager is best served well chilled, around 4 to 7 degrees Celsius. An IPA tastes better a touch warmer, around 8 to 10 degrees, and strong stouts reveal their full aroma even at 12 to 14 degrees.

When pouring, tilt the glass and let the beer run down the side until it's about half full. Then straighten the glass and let a solid head of foam form. Too much foam makes drinking awkward, too little lets the aroma escape.

In Vesterbro lies Kødbyen, the old meat market district now home to bars and restaurants. The craft beer scene in the city is so dense that Copenhagen is considered a major craft beer city. Here you can try a beer fresh from the tank.