Tuesday, 2008 May 20: Bryggeriet Apollo and Brewpub København

Yesterday: Warsaw-Copenhagen

Walked around town for an hour and found all four brewpubs before they opened.

Bryggeriet Apollo is right next to Tivoli

Færgekrone Bryghus is actually inside Tivoli; you have to purchase an amusement park ticket to reach the brewpub

Vesterbro Bryghus is across the street from Tivoli

Brewpub København is on the other side of the Rådhusplads from Tivoli

Apollo opened at 11:30, so I started there. They don't offer samplers, and their smallest glass is a quarter-liter (about 8½ ounces), costing 30 kroner ($6.34) for the Pilsner, and 33 kroner ($6.97) for the other beers.

Apollo Maj Bock, this month's special brew

Apollo Pilsner

Apollo Sommer Øl

Apollo Agger Bajer

Apollo Schwarz Bier, next month's special beer

I had a Hul-Bøf for lunch. It's a hamburger steak with pickled peppers, goat cheese, and a salad, and it was pretty tasty, but...

I didn't feel so good as I was walking to Brewpub København to meet longtime "Beer Me!" contributor Jacob Sjúrður Hansen. Jacob is an incredibly enthusiastic beer geek who attends as many as three beer tastings per week in addition to writing beer articles and teaching beer seminars. His studies as a linguist have taken him all over the world, allowing him to taste a myriad of beers. Actually, I get the impression that his studies as a linguist were simply a clever ruse to allow him to travel all over the world tasting a myriad of beers.

Brewpub København offers seven of their own beers, along with two guest taps including Herslev Maj Bock. Prices vary, but they average about 40 DKK ($8.46) for a 30-cl (10-ounce) glass.

Poor timing: I forgot to take the pictures until after the sampling was complete

Brewpub København Coltrane Stout, from the cask

It could have been the herring I had for breakfast at the hotel, or it could have been the Hul-Bøf, but something had made me sick. I made my way to the restroom and tried to get rid of the offending victual, but without luck; apparently, my rebuilt stomach only includes one-way valves, and nothing once in can get out. This is a remarkably uncomfortable state.

I returned to the table and reassured Jacob and the few others in the bar that I was OK. Drinking a two pitchers of water helped, and I had a couple more beers after Paris joined us around 5:30.

Jacob knows all of the best beer joints in town, and he recommended that we walk over to Ørsted Ølbar.

Ørsted Ølbar, Copenhagen

Jacob Sjúrður Hansen and me at Ørsted Ølbar

They had a lot of good beers, including a few Americans, on tap and in bottles. (And even cans of Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale.) But I could only manage half a glass of Mikkeller It's Alive.

I got sick again walking back to the hotel, much to Paris' embarrassment, and again several times during the night.

Tomorrow: Wasted