Bryggeriet Herning
"We often have to convince new customers that our beautiful copper kettles are actually in use – that we brew our beer in them."
Among the many A Hereford Beefstouw restaurants and pub breweries, the brewery in Herning stands out as a superb example of how to combine excellent interior design, food, beer and art into a perfect experience. Situated in the town square, the restaurant has given new life to the old structures of an old bank, the “Herning Hede and Diskontobank” – one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
In a remarkable co-operation between Faroe Island artist Trondur Patursson and Master of Glass, Per Hebsgaard, the old bank cellar has been transformed into an open spacy room. The only reminder of the building’s history is a quaint old bank vault dating back to 1912. Before the construction of “the Brewery” began, we created a fruitful relationship between the two artists. Later we gave them plenty of freedom to display their skills in the historical building.
One of the results was a fantastic ceiling light with 17 unique glass mosaics which adorn the walls. The 17 reliefs stand out against neon tubes while 200 ceiling lamps – also stained glass – shower the room with cascades of soft light. When you enter the cellar, you enter a different world.
The Beer:
The brewery in Herning is half the size of its sister breweries in Aarhus and Copenhagen - it produces only 500 liters (125 gallons) of beer every brewing cycle. The advantage of the smaller brewing facility is that it can handle up to four different kinds of beer at the same time. As a result, the assortment ranges from the normal draught beer and the ‘top fermented’ Herning Ale to the special beer of the month.
Snaps made from Beer
The brewery in Herning produces "beer snaps" – spirits made from the surplus of the beer production. A distilling unit has been brought back from Southern Germany specifically to manufacture this unique product.
Although the beer snaps production is the only one of its kind in Denmark, the concept is not all that new. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were no less than 2,500 small local Danish distilleries. In 1923, however, a company called “Danisco Distillers” obtained a monopoly on the production of yeast and spirit, thus closing down the smaller distilleries. The monopoly lasted until 1973, when Denmark entered the European Common Market. Despite the relaxation of the distilling laws, "Danisco Distillers" remained the only company to produce snaps on a legal basis until the brewery in Herning gained permission to start the distillation of beer snaps – a unique spirit on the Danish market.
Beer snaps is distilled twice, reaching an alcohol level of 86 per cent by volume. This strong pure spirit is watered down to 40 per cent by volume. As a final touch, cumin extract is added for taste.Some of the beer snaps production is sold as it is, while the rest is matured in oak casks for six months or longer. The casks make the spirit a bit stronger – 55 per cent by volume - and flavour it with a delicate vanilla aroma.
Depending on the time of year, the brewery in Herning also offers a variety of fruit-snaps.
