A monster of a brewpub. If you’re in Copenhagen and miss it, you’ve fucked it.

 

Warpigs brewpub.

A collaboration from Mikkeller (but of course) and the highly acclaimed US brewery 3 Floyds. Located in the Meat packing district of Copenhagen, as you might expect the brewpub is located in an old meatpacking building. Due to the district being protected by the government, all the buildings are for the most part unchanged. Still all the bars, restaurants and clubs have done incredible jobs of creating unique places while leaving the buildings and layouts intact. Warpigs still has the tiled floors and walls, drains and metal rails in the roof from the original building, it creates a unique feel that really just adds to the place. Less Mikkeller influenced and much more 3 Floyds, instead of the mikkeller cartoony graphics or minimalist feel from his own bars it’s very metal. Black Sabbath, Sleep, Danzig, Thin Lizzy and Entombed were some of the bands pumping out of the place on visits. There’s loads of seating inside and plenty out if the weather’s good.

The place looks impressive. Large mash tuns are on display (and sometimes in use) in the back of the pub with the rest of the fermentation tanks, the kegging room and barrel room available to see on the war pigs tour. The barrel room is ageing some beasts in a variety of whisky, wine and spirt barrels but it’s also the spot for some private gigs, release shows and invite only gatherings. The tour works out as something like 20 Euro and includes 6 beers and a bit of history on the brewpub and the meat packing district. It also lets you take a look at the “secret” room only available to special guests and Warpigs members. For those interested in the brewing process it’s great to see but it also won’t bore the arse of you if you’re just interested in the beers. The tour is Thursdays only as far as I know so make a long weekend out of it, book ahead and get it going with a few serious bangers afterwards.

 

The beers and food here are serious business. 20 taps with 6 house beers and 14 taps rotating. This doesn’t include limited bottled Warpigs beers and the odd rarity floating about (Like westy 12, janey mac). They offer flights of the 6 house beers, including an IPA, a black IPA, a session, a belgian pale, a hoppy larger and a dry Irish stout. The black IPA in particular was a dinger, built like a big IPA with just enough dark roasted malt keeping it toasty. The house beers alone are brilliant, all brewed on site so the hoppy beers couldn’t be fresher and none of the beers have been transported, stored badly, subjected to changes in temperature or sat out in the light like 90% of beers you end up drinking.

Then you’re also talking 16 other taps on rotation. On my visits there’s been a cherry sour, a sweet coffee stout,  a 13% belgian strong, a banging DIPA, a 3 Floyds/Mikkeller barley wine. The tap list is always up on their website and they’re currently serving a 12% imperial stout brewed by the metal band Entombed. Ah it’s madness and too difficult to try and list off. The quality is brilliant and the standard is high.

 

The beer alone is enough of a reason to spend multiple nights in here but the food is just as big a priority to Warpigs. It’s Texas barbecue made using an authentic Texas smoker… from Texas. It’s on all day and night and staff have to be on 24/7 to man it. It looks like a shipping container and they smoke everything. Almonds, beef jerky, pickles. They do half  or full pounds of pork ribs, beef ribs, brisket, hot links, chicken as well as mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, open face sandwiches that sort of craic. They also do wings the size of a fist, dunno if they’re from an ostrich or what but they’re fucking whopper. In the many barbecue spots I’ve been to none do food like this. They also sell their selection of sauces. Even if you couldn’t be fucked with beer, the food is worth the visit.

Unfortunately a phone falling down a jacks means there’s a lack of photo’s of the place but sure look it up, get on to ryanair there, spin over for a weekend.

 

Some Warpigs only guzzlers:

Youfuckedmeup & Imfurious – Coffee stout 6.6%

A really easy to drink coffee stout. Coffee can easily be overdone in a beer or be a bit artificial tasting. The coffee here is just the right amount, it stands out but the beer still tastes like a great sweet stout. Not sure if vanilla or lactose was used but it tastes like it. Velvty sweet little coffee chap.

Big Drunk Baby – DIPA 9%

Supposedly named by the American brewers after they found out Denmark had no laws stopping you from mentioning the word “drunk” and they threw baby in as a bonus. What you’d expect from a really well crafted DIPA, loads of tropical fruits, grapefruit and pineapple, has that peachy sweetness as well plus it’s super fresh. It’s probably less than a week old and it really shows. Huge smell off it, and a bit of an oily body. Great craic and so easy to fly through at 9%

Fuck Donald Trump – Hefeweizen 5.3%

I was really surprised by this one. I like the odd hefeweizen but this was brilliant. All the strange flavours unique to hefeweizens like banana sweetness, cloves, herby spices can be mild or hard to pick up in some hefes. This has them all out the hole. A very flavoursome beer, estery and dry. I could drink this all day.

Sky Burial – Barley Wine 10.2%

This goes that route of a big malty sweet barley wine with the bitterness and hops of an IPA. Hops here are a bit more earthy and floral rather than citrusy. The caramel sweetness and alcohol warmth keeps it in barley wine territory though. I love this kind of beer, big boozey, sweet but bitter. Great craic.