The Beer Bars
Who are we kidding. Yes, Copenhagen is very beautiful and it has the great coffee and the great food scene but there was one main drawcard - the world's premier gypsy brewer and his world famous beer bars. The big M.
Mikkeller and Friends
This is a place of beer geek legend. If Mikkeller Sthlm is already the bar of our dreams then I'm not really what this is because it's at a whole different level.
40 taps from Mikkeller and his friends and when his friends are from the upper echelons of the beer world you know that you're in for something special going for a drink here.
This is the kind of place that you have to drink tactically and in a team. 40 taps to get through over a couple of nights is hard enough work as it is but when something runs out and is immediately replaced with something else equally as sexy they have you on your knees.
It's the finer touches like splitting two glasses of two different barrel aged editions of Funky E* into four separate glasses so you can drink them side by side that makes places like this great. Two nights weren't enough and ten nights still wouldn't be enough. Expectations were smashed.
Mikkeller Bar
The original that is a bit like a scaled down version of Mikkeller and Friends with less friends.
Fermentoren
We thought it was best to get a third opinion on Copenhagen's beer scene so dropped into here for a few. In a lot of cities around the world this would be it's number one beer bar. 20 taps full of quality and a bottle list consisting of just big dark beers, barley wines and sours. All in surroundings that are a bit cosier than that of the Mikkeller bars.
The Noms
Pastries from Danmark
Yes, Danish pastries if you will. But no, you don't walk into a bakery asking for "two Danish pastries please". That would make you look like a dick. We had various things from Meyers Bageri and Lagkagehuset filled with custard and jam and chocolate and more and all were bloody delightful.
relæ
My partner in eating has already debriefed you on this one - Michelin Meal, Take Three
Organic Hot Dog
A goat sausage in a homemade seeded bun with "everything" where everything is some good shit. Mmmmmmm, look at that thing....
Meatball Sandwich at Smagsløget
Our search continues for the best ever sandwich. Unfortunately Portugal's bar is still too high.
Torvehallerne Market
We just couldn't stay away from this place. At literally every turn there is another stand serving up something that has you reaching for your wallet and looking for more stomach space. It appears that unless you're offering up fare that meets the highest of standards, you're not getting a look in for a space in this market.
We had a duck confit sandwich at Ma Poule that is pretty much perfection inside a bread roll, a mango and skyr (an Icelandic sort of cream cheese yoghurt) porridge at GRØD that had surprisingly little sweetness to it but was very good and a decent helping of Smørebrød - small open sandwiches that come in a mind boggling number of iterations and are the jewel in Denmark's culinary crown.
We tucked into a potato, with chicken salad and crispy bacon, fried fish fillet with remoulade and the show stopper - a steak tartar that was packed with a ridiculous amount of flavour. Raw horseradish is pretty much the best thing ever. From now on when I eat dinner, on the table I'd like: salt and pepper, dried chili and raw grated horseradish. On the double Nix.
The Black Stuff
Keep it coming please.
Coffee Collective
We had coffees at both their Jægersborggade location and the Torvehallerne Market location. Faultless.
Service, quality, complexity, attention to detail. Check, check, check, check.
Democratic Coffee
No Koppi roasted beans liked we'd hoped but still very nice espressos and a V60 using Drop Coffee beans.
Some Other Cool Things
Little Mermaid
It's like Brussels' Mannekin Pis, when you're in Copenhagen you have to see it. But do you really have to see it?
Naps in the Sunshine
A post feed siesta down here in the sunshine was an inspired decision.
Some other nice bits of Copenhagen
ARoS in Aarhus
We dropped in to Aarhus for a night on our way to the top of Denmark to check out ARoS - a modern art museum. Because we're so arty and shit, you know?
Highlights were The Boy (by an Aussie!), Wes Lang's exhibition (of which I got no photos and copped it) and the ARoS Rainbow which sits on top of the museum and gives sweeping views out over Aarhus in, well, all colours of the rainbow.
We'd waited so long for Copenhagen and Denmark and all of its beery goodness then all of a sudden it was gone.
After doing the Nordic city, beery, coffee, foody thing it was time for some nature and we were off to the Grand Daddy of all things natural - Norway.
The Beers
Mikkeller Monks Brew, Nelson Sauvin IIPA, It's Alive BA Chardonnay, Funky E* BA Sauternes and Chardonnay, YS2 Lambicus, Spontanmandarin, Spontanbeetroot, Spontanrosehip, Black Moon, Cù’t Cà Phê Bia, Koppi Barley Wine Ale
To Øl Yeastus Christus, Yeastus Christus Super Sour, Goliat BA Bourbon, Sans Frontiere, Sur Maelk, Mine Is Bigger Than Yours BA Muscatel
Lervig Galaxy IPA
All In/Lervig Imperial Porter
All In/Stronzo 100% Viking
Beer Here Executioner, Nordic Rye, Harwood Brown
Omnipollo Astral
Beerbliotek Pale Ale Raspberry Ale
Brodie's Oyster Tea Stout
De Dolle Boskeun
Aarhus Bryghus Snapper IPL, Sour Dragon
Stillwater Stateside
Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S.
