Carlsberg

In 1847 J.C. Jacobsen founded Carlsberg, named after his son, Carl and the Danish word for hill, bjerg on which the brewery was built, and set out to follow his dream to brew the perfect beer.

Jacobsen's journey first started in 1836 when he tasted his first bottle of Bavarian lager. Convinced that this beer would pioneer the market, Jacobsen made the long journey to Munich, successfully returning with a pot of lager yeast in his hat box. Back home he used his mother's bath tub to experiment with making his new style of beer and after many attempts he decided to open the Carlsberg Brewery.

Carlsberg went from strength to strength until 1867 when most of the brewery was destroyed by a fire. Despite a lack of insurance and a severe water shortage J.C. Jacobsen was determined to quickly rebuild the brewery. By the start of the new brewing season, just 5 months later, Jacobsen had not only rebuilt his brewery he had also introduced new technology and helped to put in place public fire insurance legislation as well as modernising the Copenhagen Fire Brigade.

J.C. Jacobsen pioneered a greater understanding of brewing and in 1875 he created the Carlsberg Laboratory from which the pH scale was established along with the first pure yeast, named Saacharomyces Carlsbergensis. Both were freely offered to the whole of the brewing industry, completely revolutionising it and Saacharomyces Carlsbergensis still forms the basis of all modern lagers today!

The Carlsberg logo first appeared on the Carlsberg label in 1904 and has been in constant use ever since. It was designed by architect Thorvald Bindesboell. Carl Jacobsen, J.C. Jacobsen's son, had a passion for art. This along with J.C. Jacobsen's passion for Science resulted in the Carlsberg Foundation being formed. The Foundation supports scientists, artists and students in their endeavours.

Today, Carlsberg is one of the most recognised beers worldwide.