The son of a brewer with a passion for all things beer-related, Jacob Christian Jacobsen was born in Denmark in 1811. He made his first batches of lager in a copper wash basin which belonged to his mother. Returning by stagecoach to Denmark from a fact-finding mission to Munich in the summer of 1845, he kept yeast cool by dousing it in cold water. The resulting new lager required a bigger brewery with more cool storage space. It was built just outside Copenhagen – and the brand was born in 1847.
The name Carlsberg comes from the Danish term for hill (‘bjerg’) and Jacobsen’s son’s name, Carl. By 1868, the first batch of the brand’s lager was being exported to the UK.
A dispute with his father sparked when Carl cut the brewing process in half. As a result, Carl set up the independent New Carlsberg brewery but the two breweries ultimately merged in 1906, three years before the first Carlsberg pilsner was brewed. The pH scale and important enzyme research have been part of Carlsberg’s wider contribution to science over the years.
The first overseas brewery opened in 1968, generating a brand-new interest in the lager all over the world… expansion continued. Since its birth 170 years ago, Carlsberg has become one of the world’s five biggest brewery groups, Britain’s fourth largest and northern Europe’s biggest brewer. Its famous green logo is recognised around the world.
The company became listed on Copenhagen’s Stock Exchange in 1970 and in 1983 the famous tagline, ‘Probably the best lager in the world,’ was created by KMP for the UK market – the slogan was only dropped in 2011 as part of a major new rebranding push. The original 1983 advert featured the voice of actor Orson Welles.
Other catch lines that have caught on are ‘That calls for a Carlsberg’ and the ‘If Carlsberg did…’. Successful marketing drives have included posters dispensing free beer, a beer-flavoured sorbet and a YouTube ‘friend test’ video – a stunt involving people phoning a friend and pretending they’ve run out of money in a shady poker game to see whether they’ll come and rescue them.
Today, the Group’s portfolio incorporates more than 500 brands with its flagship, a 5% abv pilsner, exported to 140 markets. Other beverages in Carlsberg’s line-up include the strong Special Brew first produced to mark Winston Churchill’s 1950 trip to Denmark, Elephant beer, Tuborg and Somersby ciders.
KF Bartlett Ltd supplies an extensive range of bottle coolers for perfectly chilled beverages, including Carlsberg! Our top of the range coolers from leading brand Prodis come in varying sizes… and they won’t break the bank. What’s more, we can fit and service our cooling machines across the south-west.
For a non-commitment quote, talk to a member of the Bartlett team today or check out our website for further details. Remember, all our online prices include delivery.
Well, you wouldn’t want a warm beer!