The Alchemy Brews series is named after the brand’s innate curiosity and pursuit of brewing the best beer in the world through science. It’s a mantra that has been at the forefront of everything Carlsberg has done since J.C. Jacobsen founded the brewery in 1847, and the series represents over 150 years of brewing science.

The series takes you on a journey through six different beers, including a smooth, balanced, and refreshing wheat lager, a vinous, tannic, and slightly acidic ale, and a unique, elegant, and intriguing beer, which got the name The Rubedo.

Zoran Gojkovic, Brew Master at the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, explains the uniqueness of The Rubedo, which beer type is yet to be defined:

“As part of extensive research in speciality raw materials and new flavours, we started using our red barley, developed at Carlsberg Research Laboratory, several years ago. After testing the wide variety of yeasts and microorganisms, The Rubedo was finally created as a three-stage sequential fermentation process followed by bottle conditioning and méthode traditionalle, a process used in the Champagne region of France.

“The final beer is quite unique, in both clear burgundy colour and fruity taste, resembling wild strawberries and rhubarb. However, for this unhoped, unfiltered, and unpasteurised beer, no fruits were used, and all aromas are derived exclusively from red barley. For us, this extraordinary curiosity brew opens a new quest on what beer is and might be in the future.”

The Alchemy Brews has been developed and crafted at The Carlsberg Research Laboratory by the brand’s Brew Masters, designed to showcase the incredible variety of what beer can be. The Carlsberg Research Laboratory is home to more than 100 scientists and is dedicated to not only brewing better beer but ‘brewing’ a better world. Whether that’s inventing the pH scale in 1909, winning a Nobel prize for developing click chemistry in 2022, to breeding climate-tolerant plant types for future generations.

For Zoran Gojkovic, it has been a dream project to utilise the laboratory’s scientific insights and many years of brewing experience to develop this series of brews. Zoran Gojkovic adds:

“These bottles represent a novel, exciting approach to showcase beers and brewing culture from a Carlsberg and Danish point of view. Our ambition is to show what is possible with beer when you have a dedicated, experienced team combined with curiosity, passion, and scientific thinking. We focus on the best raw materials, storage, and production methods to create the best beer in the world. For us, fun, creativity, and brewing perfection must flourish to achieve this!”

With prices ranging from 200 DKK to 1500 DKK, the series is part of Carlsberg’s super premium beer range. The Signature Alchemy Brews come in 75 cl-champagne bottles and are available in limited quantities at Home of Carlsberg and online on its website.

About the Signature Alchemy Brews:

Wheat Lager

Beer style: A Belgian style witbier. Characteristics: Smooth, balanced, and refreshing. ABV: 6%. Brew Master: Erik Lund.

Brut Beer

Characteristics: Sparkling, dry, and smooth with ingredients like yuzu, rosewater, and grapefruit peel. ABV: 6%. Brew Master: Helena da Silva.

Vinous Beer

Characteristics: A vinous, tannic, and slightly acidic beer with Rondo and Chardonnay grape skins. ABV: 9.5%. Brew Master: Erik Lund.

The Initium

Beer style: Strong lager. Characteristics: a rich, chestnut-coloured lager beer with an inherent potential to develop sherry and port-like flavours over time. ABV: 8.5%. Brew Master: Chris Thurgeson.

The Animus

Beer style: Barrel-aged lager. Characteristics: A high-quality, unfiltered, unpasteurised, malty lager beer made on a pre-used whisky barrel. ABV: 12.5%. Brew Master: Zoran Gojkovic.

The Rubedo

Characteristics: A rich flavour of freshly foraged red fruits and other woodland berries and a lingering smoothness without bitterness. However, no fruits were used. The aromas are exclusively derived from red barley. ABV: 12%. Brew Master: Zoran Gojkovic.