Our 10 Favorite Beers From the Copenhagen Beer Celebration

After several years of successful events in Denmark, Mikkeller brought the Copenhagen Beer Celebration (CBC) to the U.S. this past weekend. Brewers from around the globe, both small and large descended upon Boston’s City Plaza for a weekend of live music and, more importantly, beer. With a little help from the weather, CBC delivered a truly unique experience creating a melting pot of beer nerds, music lovers, and people who just wanted to have a good time. With three sessions, each ranging from four to five hours, lines were short (unless you’re Bokkereyder), kegs rarely kicked, and spirits were high. While there was no shortage of beer to try, we managed to pick a few favorites.

Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout
Angry Chair Brewing
Florida

With a festival as long as CBC, big stouts aren’t always the way to go, but we could not resist trying the big brother version of a favorite from Angry Chair. Very few dessert beers are able to actually deliver on their name, but Angry Chair did not disappoint with the beer that launched their dessert series. This decadent treat in a glass gives off a sweet chocolate brownie aroma, and endless amounts of chewy coconut on the mouthfeel. After trying this one, we can’t wait to try more of their offerings.

Yellow Belly Sundae
Buxton Brewing/Omnipollo
England/Sweden

As if a peanut butter biscuit stout wasn’t enough, these two breweries decided to take their creation to the next level, aging it in bourbon barrels and adding cocoa and vanilla. The original Yellow Belly is smooth, with a faint peanut butter taste on the mouthfeel and a little bitterness, however with these additions, we get a very different beer all together. The nose is an in-your-face vanilla and marshmallow swirl, with the peanut butter being much more pronounced. While the barrels do provide a little more sweetness to the beer, the peanut butter still gives a savory quality, rounding out another favorite from the weekend.

The CBC scene in Boston

Framboos Vanille
Bokkereyder
Belgium

If any brewery won the weekend, it was the ever-humble, one-man operation that is Bokkereyder. Three years since opening in 2013, Bokkereyder has a capacity of about 80 oak barrels, making “him” one of the smallest breweries pouring at CBC. Offering over 20 blends, Bokkereyder was one of the tents we had to try…we just didn’t expect everyone else to feel the same way. Having never poured in the U.S., Bokkereyder had quite the coming out party sporting the longest lines through all three sessions. While each beer of his was excellent, two truly stood out. Framboos Vanille is made with two-year old Lambic from pinot noir barrels, with 200 pounds of fresh raspberries and both Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla beans. The vanilla bean combo softens the acidity, and adds additional complexity to both the aroma and texture of this beautiful beer.

Pinot Kriek
Bokkereyder
Belgium

With over 20 blends available during the course of three sessions, Pinot Kriek was the only Bokkereyder beer with a tapping time. At 9 p.m. on Saturday night, the line peaked to see if Pinot Kriek would live up to the expectations, and it certainly did. Made with one and two-year old Lambic from pinot noir barrels and about 40,000 Schaarbeekse cherries, all handpicked by the blender himself, this beer was worth the wait. The pinot barrels, which came from a local winery in Belgium, provide a soft and subtle touch to the beer, while the cherries provide a cherry-pie, almond crust mouth-feel.