Albani Brewery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See Albani for other uses of that name
| Albani Bryggerierne A/S | |
|---|---|
 Albani corporate logo |
|
| Location | Odense, Funen, Denmark |
| Owner | Royal Unibrew |
| Year opened | 1859 |
| Active Beers | |
| Odense Pilsner | |
| Odense Classic | |
| Odense Rød Classic | |
| Giraf Beer | |
| Odense Light | |
| Odense Extra Light | |
| Seasonal Beers | |
| Blålys | |
| Rødhætte | |
| Påskebryg | |
| H. C. Andersen | Celebrating HCA birthday |
Albani Bryggerierne A/S (Eng.: Albani Breweries) is a local brewery located in Odense, Denmark, and the vast majority of its customers live on the island of Funen (Danish: Fyn). The Brewery has a long history and was founded by cand.pharm. Theodor Schiøtz in 1859.
In 2000, the brewery merged with Bryggerigruppen, a consortium of Danish regional beers. The company is now known as Royal Unibrew.
Albani has successfully managed to maintain its traditional dominance on Funen, which is the last major area in Denmark not dominated by the beers of the Carlsberg group. Some people refer to Albani as Carlsberg's only real competitor on the Danish market.
Albani is most known for two beers, Odense Pilsner and Odense Classic.
Contents |
[edit] Beers
[edit] Odense Pilsner
Odense Pilsner has been brewed since 1934 and was originally not part of the Albani Brewery's port folio. It was introduced to the product line with the acquisition of Bryggeriet Odense. As the name implies, the beer is a pilsner. The taste is balanced between malt and fruit. Two different types of hops are used, both come from Hallertau in Germany.
Alcohol vol. pct.: 4.6 %
[edit] Odense Classic
Odense Classic was introduced at the brewery's 140 year anniversary in 1999. The beer, which is a Pilsner, has a more dark colour than the ordinary Pilsner. The beer has a more rounded and powerful taste of malt and hop.
Alcohol vol. pct.: 4.6 %
[edit] Odense Rød Classic
Odense Rød Classic (Danish: Odense Red Classic) is a Vienna lager. A mixture of dark caramel malt and Münchener malt is used. The result is a rounded dark beer. The colour is dark golden red, which might be the source of the name.
Alcohol vol. pct.: 4.6 %
[edit] Giraf Beer
In 1962, Odense Zoo's Giraffe (Danish: Giraf) Kalle was found dead. Albani Breweries had previously used this giraffe in its advertisement, and decided to create a special beer, the profits of it would go to buying a new giraffe for the zoo. The first year's produces, raised enough funds to buy two giraffes for the zoo. This beer is still known as the Giraf Beer.
Alcohol vol. pct.: 7.2 %
[edit] HC Andersen
Albani Breweries made created a special beer to honour Odense's 1,000th anniversary in 1988. This beer became so popular that Albani decided to keep it as part of its product range. In 1989, it was marketed under its current name honouring Hans Christian Andersen. A small batch of HC Andersen is produced every year, and is released on Andersen's birthday, 2 April. Each year's labels depict a different paper cutting by Hans Christian Andersen. The beers are also serial numbered. As a result, the beer has become a collector's item. The beer is bottom fermented and is matured longer than ordinary beer. The result is a beer with a light taste considered its high alcohol percentage.
Alcohol vol. pct.: 9 %
[edit] Christmas Beers
Albani produces two Christmas beers Blålys (English: Blue light) and Rødhætte (English: Red Riding Hood). Blålys was introduced in 1960, although not Denmark's first Christmas beer, Blålys effectively started the tradition of Danish Christmas beers. Denmark's first Christmas beer was produced by Carlsminde and had been introduced the previous year. Albani acquired Carlsminde in 1972. Blålys is a dark lager beer with a high alcohol volume. Rødhætte is also a lager but with a lower alcohol volume. The label depicts the church-like Gallery Tower of the brewery cover covered in snow. This is the reason why many people originally referred to the Christmas beer as the church beer . This only lasted a few years until other breweries introduced their own Christmas beers.
Blålys: Alcohol vol. pct.: 7 %
Rødhætte: Alcohol vol. pct.: 5.6 %
[edit] Easter beer
Påskebryg (Danish: Easter Brew) is Albani Breweries' traditional beer for the Easter season. Easter beers were Denmark's first seasonal beers in Denmark, and were introduced by Carlsberg in 1905. The Påskebryg was introduced in the 1950s and is brewed from a mixture of dark and light malt.
Alcohol vol. pct.: 5,6 %
[edit] Light beers
Albani also produces two light beers Odense Light and Odense Extra Light as a light alternative to its orignial pilsner. These beers are brewed using light pilsner malt, Münchener malt, and caramel malt.
Odense Light: Alcohol vol. pct.: 2.6 %
Odense Extra Light: Alcohol vol. pct.: 0.05 %
[edit] Mergers and acquisitions
At the turn of the twentieth century there was a large consolidation in the Danish brewery business, typically the larger city breweries bought the smaller countryside breweries. Albani was part of this development, buying smaller breweries in Odense and around the island of Funen. Later, when Albani had a near monopoly on beer distribution on Funen, Albani started acquiring breweries in other parts of the country; Sønderborg Bryghus, Brygeriet Slotsmøllen, Baldur, and Maribo Bryghus, in each case, Albani taking control of the other company. In 2000, Royal Unibrew acquired Albani Breweries A/S.
| Year | Brewery (Danish) | Brewery (English) |
| 1905 | Slotsbryggeriet i Odense | Odense Palace Brewery |
| 1913 | Bryggeriet Sydfyn, Faaborg | South Funen Brewery, Faaborg |
| 1923 | Bogense Bryggeri | Bogense Brewery |
| 1934 | Bryggeriet Odense | Odense Brewery |
| 1956 | Sønderborg Bryghus | Sønderborg Brew House |
| 1968 | Svendborg Bryghus | Svendborg Brew House |
| 1972 | Bryggeriet Carlsminde | Carlsminde Brewery |
| 1986 | Bryggeriet Slotsmøllen, Kolding | Castle Mill Brewery, Kolding |
| 1996 | Baldur Mineralsvandsfabrik | Baldur Mineral Water Plant |
| 1997 | Maribo Bryghus | Maribo Brew House |
| 2000 | Bryggerigruppen | Royal Unibrew |
[edit] Trivia
Denmark's best known poet and author, Hans Christian Andersen, was very fond of Albani beers. In a letter to a friend he described Albani beer as: Jeg kan ikke rose denne øl højt nok. Den er forfriskende, delikat og stærk. Prøv den! (English: I cannot recommend this beer enough. It is refreshing, savoury and strong. Try it!) This quote is occationally used in the company's marketing.
