The flagship bar of Mikkeller, the Copenhagen brewery that has arguably done more than any other to define the global craft beer movement since 2006. The Viktoriagade bar pours 20 Mikkeller taps alongside a rotating selection of international craft releases, all chosen with the same exacting standards that made Mikkeller's reputation. The interior is clean and Scandinavian, the staff know every beer on the list, and the brewpub atmosphere is unsentimental and serious. The single most important craft beer bar in Copenhagen, by any measure.
The joint venture between Mikkeller and Three Floyds brewery, operating from a vast former meatpacking space in Kødbyen. 21 taps of American-style craft beer: IPAs, double IPAs, imperial stouts, and session ales that represent the best of both breweries' collaboration output. The Texas barbecue kitchen serves until 10 pm and the brisket is among the finest anywhere in Scandinavia. For groups who want serious beer and serious food in the same visit, Warpigs has no equal in Copenhagen.
61 taps along a single bar make Taphouse CPH the largest craft beer selection in Scandinavia by volume. The taps rotate constantly and cover Danish, Scandinavian, Belgian, and international craft releases across every style. If there is a specific beer you want to try, Taphouse will either have it or have had it recently. The knowledgeable staff are happy to guide first-timers through the full selection. We recommend the tasting flight to establish a baseline before committing to a full pour.
The taproom and restaurant of To Øl, one of Denmark's most acclaimed craft breweries, with a bar that takes the same experimental approach to its beer programme as Mikkeller but with a more food-integrated philosophy. The kitchen at Bar Brus produces some of the best Nordic small plates in the city, and the natural wine list is genuinely exceptional. The outdoor terrace faces south and is one of Nørrebro's finest summer spaces from 5 pm onward.
Copenhagen's dedicated wild and sour ale specialist, Fermentoren at Halmtorvet pours an extraordinary selection of farmhouse ales, lambic, gueuze, and spontaneous fermentation beers from Denmark, Belgium, and emerging producers in the US and UK. The beer knowledge here exceeds any other venue in the city. The guided tasting flight introduces newcomers to sour styles in a logical progression from approachable to challenging. Book a seat at the bar for the best experience.
The original Copenhagen craft brewery pub, opened in 2003 and still among the best in the city for Danish-brewed ales on draught. The brewpub format allows Nørrebro Bryghus to pour beers that are not available anywhere else: seasonal specials, experimental batches, and limited releases from the brewery behind the bar. The food menu is designed to pair with the beers. The outdoor courtyard in summer is a Nørrebro institution.
The historic beer hall on the Carlsberg campus, a 19th-century space that now operates as a showcase for Carlsberg's premium and craft labels alongside guest taps from Danish independents. The architecture is extraordinary: high ceilings, original tilework, and the scale of a company that was once the world's largest brewer. Now part of the Carlsberg Brewery Museum complex, the hall combines history with a rotating craft beer selection that would satisfy any serious beer drinker.
The Indre By sister bar to Bar Brus, To Øl City operates with a tighter focus: 14 taps of To Øl production beers and carefully selected guest taps, a compact but thoughtful food menu, and an atmosphere that is more city-centre professional than Nørrebro creative. The right choice for To Øl fans who are staying in central Copenhagen and do not want to make the Nørrebro trip for a weeknight beer.
A small but serious craft beer bar in Frederiksberg with a focus on Scandinavian and northern European producers. The 12 taps rotate monthly and the selection skews toward session-strength beers that reward slow afternoon drinking rather than the double-IPA endurance tests available elsewhere. The atmosphere is friendly and unpretentious, and the prices are among the most reasonable in the city for quality craft pours.
A courtyard beer bar in Christianshavn that operates primarily as an outdoor venue in summer but maintains a small indoor bar for year-round use. The tap selection is modest at 8 lines but curated with precision: one excellent lager, one pilsner, two IPAs, two sours, one stout, and one seasonal. The Yard's real value is its setting: a Christianshavn inner courtyard that is one of the most peaceful places to drink in Copenhagen when the sun is out.
A Nørrebro bar with a deliberate focus on malt-forward beers: bocks, märzens, ambers, and stouts rather than the hop-heavy IPAs that dominate the rest of the city's craft scene. The result is a place where you can drink more than two pints and still hold a conversation. The cheese and charcuterie board is well-chosen to pair with malty styles. A welcome counterpoint to the hop-obsessive venues around Vesterbro.
The second Mikkeller bar in Copenhagen, positioned near Nørreport station for maximum accessibility from the city centre. The tap selection mirrors the Viktoriagade flagship in quality but runs a slightly different roster of beers, making it worth visiting independently rather than treating it as a repeat. The more central location makes it the better option for visitors staying in Indre By who do not want to travel to Vesterbro.
A Frederiksberg café that transitions to a serious craft beer bar from 4 pm. The daytime coffee programme makes way for 10 rotating craft taps in the afternoon and evening, with a particular emphasis on Danish-produced lagers and ales. The south-facing outdoor terrace catches late sun through the warmer months, and the combination of good coffee in the afternoon and excellent craft beer from early evening makes it one of the most versatile spaces in Frederiksberg.
A neighbourhood brewpub in Vesterbro that focuses exclusively on its own production rather than guest taps. The range covers eight core beers and four to six rotating seasonals, all brewed on-site in the visible brewery behind the bar. The food menu complements rather than overshadows the beer, and the pricing is fair. One of the most authentic expressions of the neighbourhood brewpub model that has emerged in Copenhagen over the last decade.
Craft Beer Bars by Neighbourhood
What Makes a Great Craft Beer Bar in Copenhagen?
Copenhagen is one of the most important cities in the history of the global craft beer movement. Mikkeller, founded by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø as a homebrewing operation in 2006, became the first gypsy brewer to achieve worldwide recognition, and in doing so shifted global attention toward Danish beer for the first time since Carlsberg. The result, 20 years later, is a city where craft beer is taken seriously at every price point, from the historic Carlsberg campus to the newest Nørrebro taproom.
Vesterbro is the centre of Copenhagen's craft beer universe. Mikkeller Bar Viktoriagade, Warpigs, Taphouse CPH, and Fermentoren are all within a fifteen-minute walk of each other on and around Vesterbrogade and Istedgade, making a craft beer crawl through the neighbourhood a practical and highly recommended way to spend an afternoon. The combination of different house philosophies, from Mikkeller's relentless innovation to Fermentoren's sour and wild ale specialism, means the circuit never becomes repetitive. For a deeper exploration of Copenhagen's drinking culture, the craft beer bars provide the most direct access to the city's contemporary identity.
What distinguishes Copenhagen's craft beer scene from Amsterdam's or Berlin's is the level of food integration. Bar Brus and Warpigs both run serious kitchens, and Nørrebro Bryghus has been pairing food and beer deliberately since 2003. This means you can build an entire evening around a single venue rather than treating the beer bar as a stop between dinner and a club. The after-work bar culture and the craft beer scene overlap almost entirely in Vesterbro and Nørrebro, which are the two neighbourhoods where both are strongest. For visitors who want a single afternoon introduction to Copenhagen's craft beer identity, Taphouse CPH's 61-tap wall followed by a short walk to Mikkeller Bar Viktoriagade is the most comprehensive two-bar primer available.
