Warpigs, Copenhagen
Date visited: July 2016
Warpigs is something else. A collaboration between Denmark’s Mikkeller and America’s 3 Floyds, it’s a brewpub that also serves authentic American barbecue. There are 22 taps of Warpigs beer which are either brewed by themselves or in collaboration with other breweries. Couple this with heavy metal tunes blaring through the speakers and the super friendly, enthusiastic staff and it all adds up to one of my favourite beer places. Ever. Our directions took us through the middle of a construction yard and I’d feared we were lost until I remembered reading that the brewpub was situated in the meatpacking district. I needn’t have worried as we could soon smell the sweet aroma of hops so followed the scent around the corner. We headed inside and straight to the bar to peruse the beer list.
Built on the site of an old slaughterhouse, Warpigs has kept most of the decor the same, save for some new signage; the main hall contains the giant brewing kettles at one end with the bar and kitchen found at the opposite end. The middle is littered with loads of long wooden benches as is the area outside where we setup shop in the sunshine.
All of the beers we had here were great - if you like mega hoppy American style beers then this place is for you. Highlights being the excellent Shewolf (an IPA brewed in collaboration with a brewery I visited last year, Half Acre) and the wonderful Real Estate Mongol, an exquisite refreshing pale ale. The food situation is very much canteen style - you order from the chefs at the counter and they cook up all your food to order, leaving you time to get another round in at the bar before returning to the counter to collect your tray of freshly cooked treats. We opted for a bit of a lunch time feast; chicken wings (with blue cheese dip), beef brisket, pickles, coleslaw and hush puppies (pure gluttony - deep fried cornmeal served with pimento cheese dip). This was all really good - it’s barbecued meat, what do you expect?
If you’re going to Copenhagen and you like beer, this place will already be on your list. Even if you don’t like beer, go anyway. It’s worth it.
Favourite beer(s): Difficult to narrow it down but the Real Estate Mongol by Warpigs and Shewolf by Warpigs and Half Acre were super refreshing in the Danish sunshine.
