Bryggeriet Djævlebryg (Danish for 'The Devil's Brew Brewery') is a Danish
microbrewery
Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...
established in June 2006. The brewery is a so-called phantom brewery and brews its beers at Herslev Bryghus near Roskilde. From 2006–2009 the beers were brewed at Brøckhouse in
Hillerød
Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Brøckhouse, and later at the Herslev Brewery. The slogan ''Satans gode øl'' – roughly meaning 'devilishly good beers' – can be found on all bottles.
The name of the brewery plays on two things: First of all, the
devil
A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
in Western mythology represents the passionate (or sinful) things in life including alcoholic beverages, and secondly, there are so many
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...
brewing beers that they need some opposition. Both the name of the brewery and the names they use for the individual beers are
tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...
.
The brewery has received quite a lot of attention from the media and respect from beer geeks worldwide. As of 2012 the brewery exports to Sweden, Finland, and the US.
Awards
* At the Copenhagen Beerfestival 2007, the brewery was awarded the prize for "Best Exhibitor" by guests.
* The stout "Nekron" was voted the third best beer out of more than 550 released in Denmark in 2007.
* In 2008, "Nekron" was awarded a gold medal on the internet portal
RateBeer
Beer rating is the process of assessment and evaluation of beer by use of a points-based system. The process is similar to that used in beer judging competitions, such as those organised by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) in America, th ...
* Rune Lindgreen and Per Olaf Huusfeldt from Djævlebryg received the second prize and honorary mention for their exam project when graduating as diploma brewers.
* "Old Mephisto" (barleywine-style ale) won a gold medal at Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, 2010
* "Gudeløs" (imperial stout) won a silver medal at Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, 2011
Types of beers
As of November 2010, the brewery sells the following beers:
* Eklipse: A pale ale. 4.5% abv.
* Mareridt ('Nightmare'): A smoked beer brewed with
Brettanomyces
''Brettanomyces'' is a non-spore forming genus of yeast in the family Saccharomycetaceae, and is often colloquially referred to as "Brett". The genus name ''Dekkera'' is used interchangeably with ''Brettanomyces'', as it describes the teleomor ...
-yeast. 6% abv.
* Hjul & Stejle ('Breaking Wheel'): A rye beer brewed with
Brettanomyces
''Brettanomyces'' is a non-spore forming genus of yeast in the family Saccharomycetaceae, and is often colloquially referred to as "Brett". The genus name ''Dekkera'' is used interchangeably with ''Brettanomyces'', as it describes the teleomor ...
-yeast. 5% abv.
* OriginAle: A double IPA brewed entirely with English hops. 8.5% abv.
* Mystikale: An ale brewed with different herbs and spices. 6.5% abv.
* Schopenhauers Vilje ('Schopenhauer's Will'): A hoppy, bitter ale named after the German philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...
. 6.5% abv.
* Old Mephisto: A barleywine. 10.5% abv.
* Son of Nekron: A porter brewed with peat smoked malt. 6.5% abv.
* Nekron: A stout. 8.5% abv.
* Pride of Nekron: An imperial stout. 10.5% abv.
* Gudeløs ('Godless'): An imperial stout. 8.9% abv.
Media coverage
The brewery released the imperial stout Gudeløs (meaning 'godless') at the European Beer Festival 2008. The beer is made in collaboration with the Danish Atheist Society, and the brewery donates one Danish krone to the society for each beer sold. This "
atheism
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
beer" created some discussion on the internet, even before its release, and attracted the attention of atheists worldwide. Most notably, P.Z. Myers mentioned it on his blog Pharyngula, and a thread was started on the
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...
message board discussing the beer.
The release of the Godless beer was mentioned by the Danish Beer Academy, and gave rise to a number of articles in Danish newspapers as well as a clip in the news on national Danish television. Even in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...