We have written up quite a few museums on this blog, for example, big glass boxes like the Der Moderne in Munich, the Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur, the Mushroom museum in Saumur inside a cave, or the rather odd Schaulager in Basel. There are all kinds of museums around the world, for example, the unexpected Museum of Broken Relations in Berlin which we heard about but did not see.

Well, in Copenhagen, I(Chris) went to the Copenhagen Exbeerience – a beer museum created by Carlsberg where you can first admire and then consume the exhibits.

Located in Vesterbro, the museum is at the heritage site, where J. C. Jacobsen brewed the very first Carlsberg beer. Many of the buildings had its year of erection marked on the entrance.

The first brewery was built in 1847 but burnt down in 1867. It was rebuilt with a steel frame and is now still standing tall, seemingly untouched by time.

Part of the experience is that of an authentic brewery and a beer garden. Food is served naturally alongside the beer in the open space. Too bad I was only there in the afternoon.

In the various buildings, there were self-guided tours with stations where one can learn about the ingredients and the brewing process, and how these affect the flavor. The official brand store is in one of the buildings where one can buy the beers and branded mechandise – T-shirts, caps, etc.  I got a bottle cap opener. I am such a predictable tourist.

One can also get a horse carriage ride around the grounds.

We walked through the stables which were the cleanest I have ever seen.

No odors !

On the grounds of the brewery, there was also a small garden with its own Little Mermaid.

It would be fun for kids to ride around on a horse-drawn carriage.

The museum also houses the world’s largest collection of unopened bottled beer. In 1968 a Danish engineer started collecting unopened beer bottles from every corner of the world.

In the early 1990’s, the collection reached 10,000 bottles and due to the vast number, the collection was moved to the Carlsberg site.

The collection is organized in geographical order followed by breweries and brands.

In 2007, the collection entered the Guiness Book of Records – the collection comprised then 16,384 bottles. On a chalkboard, it was noted that on June 8, 2015, there were 16,879 on display but the total collection comprised 22,558 bottles.

Giant beer bottle labels adorn the walls of the brewery drinking room.

More to come in part 2.Built in 1879 and its twin in 1891.