Why is Copenhagen so expensive?

Why is Copenhagen so expensive? Because they run on Dong power.

This is a real junction box in Copenhagen. Make your own joke here.

On a related note: We were told the Danish word for “closed” was “slut.” I tried desperately to find a store with a slut sign in the window (to take my picture next to), but couldn’t. Maybe it’s not true.

Copenhagen Beer Celebration

Copenhagen Beer Celebration was the reason to visit CPH. Beer fest? Mikkeller Bar? Chance to visit Denmark? Sold. (You had me at Mikkeller Bar.)

The fest was May 11-12 in what appears to be an airplane but is actually a sports complex. This was this first year. As of now, no word on whether there will be a CBC in 2013. The announced list of breweries was insane. Tickets were limited to 1000 per day; we chose Saturday. The ticket price included dinner, sample glass, program/beerlist and two tokens.

All beers were 1-2 tokens; I might have seen a couple that were 3, but don’t remember exactly. Mikkeller smartly sold extra tokens at the bar in the days leading up to the fest. Together we went thru 45 (or maybe 60) extra tokens. That sounds like way more than it actually was. The glasses were a teensy-tinsy 10 cl. That’s .1 liters, maybe just better than a standard shot glass. We did try a lot of beers and safely made it to the hotel, but I’m still going to say 10 cl is too small.

I didn’t take many pictures. And certainly not any very good ones.

Thoughts:

I think this guy thought they said beard festival. I think this dude is asleep.

I think Russell Brand was there. I think they tried that Cigar City cedar beer and are trying not to spit it out.

Seemed very well organized for a first-year event. Didn’t notice any major gaffes. Some of the beer did run out, but that’s to be expected. Food was surprisingly good given the number served. Ten centiliters is too small. No proper glass washers. Rinse in a vat of dirty water? No thanks. Port-a-potties are disgusting. Some real toilets, please. At least for the ladies. The port-a-potties were right next to Struise (insert your own joke here).

And then there were the Americans.

Note to American breweries: No one pays to see the back-up quarterback. If you’re coming all the way to Europe for a festival, bring your A game. We want the Vanilla Bean Dark Lord, the Hunapus varietals, some festival-only brews. Not a standard line-up and some godawful beer aged on cedar (looking at you Cigar City). Meanwhile Struise brings Dirty Horse and Pannepot Wild and Mikkeller has Sponandounbleblueberry and Beer Geek Vanilla Cognac Breakfast. At least the Europeans keep it interesting.

Go again? Eh. No. Borefts is still the only festival I’d do year after year. Copenhagen is just too damn expensive. (We did find a few free things to do. A post on that later.)

Copenhagen Beer Celebration official web site here.

M O R E   P H O T O S
From Copenhagen Beer Celebration. Shot May 12, 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark

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Copenhagen: 5 days in pictures

These pictures are from five days in Copenhagen in May. It was different than I expected. When you think Copenhagen, you think of the image above (at least I do), but it’s not like that. The brightly colored Nyhaven is only a very small section of the city’s harbor. Copenhagen is a beautiful city; it’s also very much any European city. I don’t mean to imply that Copenhagen not unique—they have wind-generator windmills sticking out of the water afterall—but if you’re thinking, as I was, that the whole thing is boats, canals, cheery-colored buidings, you’re wrong. Matt said it best, “If you want Amsterdam, go to Amsterdam.”

Did we have a good time? Yes. Would I go back? Absolutlely…if someone else was paying for it. For my money, I’d chose to return to Prague or some other less pricey city. Denmark is expensive! To put it in perspective, a normal size bottle of Coke at 7-11 (yes, 7-11) was about $3.60. And Copenhagen is “the Mexico of Scandinavia.” Suppose we can cross Norway, Sweden and Finland off any future vacation plans.