Denmark has record number of breweries per person

Number of microbreweries has skyrocketed

The beer market in Denmark is changing, DR Nyheder reports. The number of microbreweries has exploded in the past decade and their market share has increased by a factor of eight, putting pressure on the big players.

READ MORE: Danish microbrews taking off

According to figures from the brewer’s association Bryggeriforeningen, while there were only 17 microbreweries in 2004, there are now 120 breweries in Denmark, including the four giants – Carlsberg, Royal Unibrew, Harboe and Vestfyn. This makes Denmark the country with the highest number of breweries per capita.

National drink
The microbreweries’ share of the Danish market has increased from 0.75 percent in 2004 to 5.9 percent in 2014.

Ole Madsen, the editor of the beer publication Danske Ølentusiaster, told DR that, while there might not be room for more microbreweries in terms of numbers, he expected their market share to continue to grow. “Denmark isn’t big enough to have very many more breweries,” he said

“But I’m quite certain that the market share for microbreweries will increase year for year. This is fulfilling, especially considering that beer is without question our national drink.”

In 2013 a count by the site Beerticker.dk put the number of Danish beer brands on the market at 1,014. 




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