Although Tuborg Christmas Brew is a seasonal beer and is only on the market for ten weeks every year, it is still Denmark’s fourth best selling beer. It’s only beaten by Green Tuborg, Carlsberg Pilsner and Tuborg Classic, which are available all year round.
The annual launch in Denmark, known as “J-day”, takes place the last Friday in October and is a day of celebration across Denmark. Carlsberg employees drive around to bars and cafés singing a traditional Tuborg Christmas Brew song and handing out free beer to really get the festive season started.
Tuborg Christmas Brew is known for its blue and white advertisement. However, most people probably do not know that the famous animated commercial, which features Santa Claus in blue clothing, is actually older than the beer itself. The commercial was originally launched in 1980 as a special holiday commercial for ordinary Tuborg pilsner in Denmark, but it became so popular that for Christmas 1981 we created the special Tuborg Christmas Brew for the Danish market, known as Tuborg Julebryg.
As Tuborg has developed into a large international brand, Christmas Brew has been launched in several markets outside Denmark differing from year to year, in 2009; Denmark, Iceland, Romania, Norway and Turkey. The original blue and white design from Denmark is also used internationally, however with a few modifications.
Product Facts
-
Tuborg Christmas brew was invented in 1981 by mixing the three beers; KB hvidtøl, Tuborg FF and Tuborg Guld by Brewmaster Per Krieger Lassen.
-
Tuborg Julebryg is a bottom-fermented, wiener beer brewed on lager, münchener and caramel malt with English liquorice.
-
The beer is dark-golden with a fresh aroma of caramel, grain, liquorice and blackcurrant.
-
It's excellent with traditional Christmas recipes, smoked fish, grilled/fried herring, smoked ham with curly kale, roast pork and duck.
-
Enjoy at 7-10 C.
Packaging
The motif with a Tuborg Truck and large snowflakes was first published in Denmark as a Christmas greeting on a postcard from Tuborg (created by Peter Wibroe) and in 1980 the motif was placed on the back of Tuborg distribution trucks. It is the same motif which is now on the bottles and cans. In 1984 a commercial with snow flakes on a blue background with trucks and a sleigh was advertised in movie commercials.
The traditional design from Denmark is also used internationally, however with a few minor changes.
Performance
Denmark’s fourth best selling beer.
Availability
In 5 markets, available from start November to the end of the year.
J-day - the annual Tuborg Christmas Brew launch in Denmark
The J-Day event in Denmark was established in 1990 as a tradition. Today the event is so large that the Danish spelling dictionary has included in its next dictionary published in 2011 with the following description: "J-Day is the day, a brewery's Christmas beer comes on the market."
The J-day theme of 2009 is: "Christmas has to be cheerful and safe" which is the motto for Tuborg, "the Night Ravens" and DSB railways. On J-day they will work together to make the Danes take the train and avoid binge drinking. On J-day a large majority of the 7,000 "Night Ravens" volunteers will be on the streets with pixy hats around in the 38 towns where Tuborg delivers the Christmas brew. They will spread the message to young people that they will not have fun if they drink too much, neither will people around them.