To mark International Beer Day tomorrow, the team at Carlsberg, in Copehagen, have been busy carrying out their annual ‘beer count’.
This involves counting, cleaning, and inspecting the Home of Carlsberg’s 22,000 unopened bottles of beer, including some of the oldest in the world.
Thought to be the largest in the world, the collection is one of a kind, home to some of the world’s rarest beers, including the Carlsberg Royal Lager 1932, brewed by the Prince of Wales, the Alliance Pale Ale — a Carlsberg export on its way to the Virgin Islands, but which never made it, being fished out of Hamburg’s harbour in the 1990s — and the Ratcliff Ale, one of the oldest beer bottles in the world.
Carlsberg’s director of brewing science and technology, Zoran Gojkovic, led a team of beer experts in an annual count of the Home of Carlsberg’s prized collection. They ensured its 22,000 beers — some dating back to 1883 — are secure and protected from thirsty, enthusiastic visitors. This meticulous preservation reflects the Danish brewery’s core value of conservation, a significant concern for the scientific community.
The collection was started by Leif Sonne, an engineer from Svendborg, in Denmark. Leif collected unopened bottles of beer of every style, brand, and country from 1968. When the collection eventually outgrew his house, in 1993, it was moved to the Carlsberg Brewery, which was fitting as some of his earliest beers were Carlsberg’s own.
“Counting 22,000 beers might sound like a mammoth task, but for us at Carlsberg, it’s a labour of love,” said Lynsey Woods, global brand director at Carlsberg.
“Our collection isn’t just about volume; it’s about preserving brewing history and innovation. By meticulously counting and cataloguing each bottle, we ensure that we can continue to give the world access to more of the best things, whether that’s a rare vintage from our archives or the next great brew we’re perfecting.”
To find out more about Carlsberg’s epic collection, visit the Home of Carlsberg website and the digital library of the bottle collection.
