Cathedral of brewing: tradition remains the byword at Denmark's Carlsberg Brewery

Modern Brewery Age, July 22, 2002 by Gregg Glaser

Additional conflict arose in the 1870s between JC and Carl over matters pertaining to brewing. JC emphasized the quality of the beer above all else. Carl fervently believed that increased production was paramount for success. The two also clashed over Carl's continued time-consuming interest in collecting art

Carl established a new brewery for himself, still on his father's property, in 1881-1882. He called this brewery, with JC's permission, New Carlsberg. JC's original brewery, across the grounds, then became known as Old Carlsberg. Carl first began producing top fermenting ales, but soon switched to the more popular lager style.

Carl built a newer, much grander brewhouse in 1901, which is the present Carlsberg brewhouse. Submitting his drawings to the architect, Carl the art lover was intimately involved in the construction of these multi-styled buildings, which overall are built in the Florentine style. These are imposing, massive brick buildings. On one roof is a large bronze sculpture by C. J. Bonnesen titled "Thor's Fight Against the Giants." A huge minaret adorns the top of the brewhouse tower. The chimney is shaped like an Egyptian lotus flower, and at its base are small dragons modeled after the chimeras at Notre-Dame in Paris. Carl, like JC, believed in slogans that were good for the soul and the worker alike, and these slogans are carved in many places on the brewery's exterior walls. "Laborems Pro Patria," Latin for "Let us Work for our Country," highlighted in gold lettering above the now famous "Elephant Gate" at New Carlsberg. This gate is held up by four enormous elephant sculptures modeled after those at the obelisk i n Minerva Square in Rome. Each of the elephants bears the names of Carl and Otilia Jacobsen's four surviving children: Theodore, Paula, Vagn and Helge. The elephants represent strength, wisdom and fortitude. Nearby, the bells in the tower of Jesus Church in Valby, built by Carl, are named after his four children who died young: Alf, Erland, Torvald and Beatrice. Down the main roadway behind the Elephant Gate is the Dipylon, a double-arched gate over which are painted tiles of Carl, Otilia and Alf (their oldest son), a worker, two leaders of the brewery, the architect and builder of New Carlsberg. An odd, to present-day people at least, emblem found throughout New Carlsberg, one that is carved in stone in some places and painted in others, is the swastika. It must be remembered, however, that these were put in place years before Nazi Germany adopted the swastika as its emblem. The swastika is an ancient mystical design found on the Indian subcontinent and also in the New World, which had the meaning of life, s un, power, strength and good luck. Carl must have used the swastika for one of these meanings.

The centerpiece of the brewhouse buildings is the tower where the kettles are located. This is truly a cathedral dedicated to brewing, a term used by Carlsberg and visitors alike. The ten copper vessels (three mash tuns, two adjunct cookers, three brew kettles and two mash filters) are housed in a room four stories high, completely tiled on the floor and walls and surrounded by huge arched windows that allow bold streams of sunlight in to bounce off the highly polished copper. It's breathtakingly beautiful.