
Carlsberg has launched Vintage 3 in Copenhagen – the third in an exclusive beer trilogy.
Under the leadership of Jacobsen Brewery’s brewmaster, Morten Ibsen,
six Carlsberg brewers from Norway, France, Great Britain and Denmark
helped develop Vintage 3.
Meanwhile, three artists – Kaspar Bonnén and two artists from the
project ‘Radiant Copenhagen’ – joined forces to create six unique
labels that tell the story of what Carlsberg City may look like in the
future.
The basic recipe for Vintage 3 was developed in Copenhagen; it was
then further developed at Kronenbourg Innovation Centre in France and
according to Carlsberg, it is the only currently available beer to be
aged in French Côte d’Or oak barrels in JC Jacobsen’s original cellar
from 1847.
At the end of February 2010, approximately 1,000 bottles were hand tapped and the labels were applied.
15%abv Vintage 3 is a so-called ‘pale barley wine’ and Morten Ibsen
said: “The beer has a golden, bubbly appearance. It gives a warm
feeling on the palate and has a nearly ‘fat’ fullness that reveals the
beer’s close kinship with sweet dessert wines.
“The beer has a wealth of deep oak, vanilla and nutty aromas from
the barrel aging, combined with sweet fruits from the fermentation; it
is a perfect choice for sweet desserts and cheeses.”
But the Vintage trilogy is not only about creating a fantastic beer. It
is also about delivering the ultimate, complete experience in a bottle. The beer labels, six of them, are works of art centring around Carlsberg City, but with a
time horizon that stretches far into the future – just like Vintage 3.
The drink is priced at DKK 2010 for 37 cl. (approximately £244).