Hans Christian Andersen is probably the most famous Danish author of his time. The Copenhagen resident lived and worked in the 19th century, but his work is still part of the canon today. Monuments to the famous storyteller and satirist can be found all over the world. The writer traveled a lot, but also appreciated the advantages of his hometown of Odense on the island of Funen. One of his favorite places to go was the Albani brewery. This fact is documented in a letter from Andersen in which he raves about the freshness, strong taste and delicate elegance of the beer from Albani and strongly recommends that his pen pal try the brews. rn
Albani was founded in 1859. The founding father was a man with many interests: Ludvig Theodor Schiøtz was a pharmacist by profession, but also served as a volunteer soldier in the Three Years' War, taught chemistry, zoology and soil science at a high school and opened a gardening business. After these forays into non-specialist fields, he returned to work in his real profession for a while before taking a job at the recently founded Carlsberg brewery and developing the idea of starting his own brewery. During his time at Carlsberg, Ludvig Theodor learned everything he needed to set up his own brewery. When he met two businessmen shortly afterwards, he was able to put his plan into practice together with them. The resourceful pharmacist acted as brewery inspector, developed the technical plans, helped with construction and made sure that everything ran smoothly in the brewhouse. Today, a monument in Odense commemorates the innovative man. His company laid the foundations for industry in Odense and is still located in the same place today as it was 165 years ago. rn
Because Hans Christian Anderson was not the only fan of Albani's beer, the business flourished and less than 15 years after opening, they were able to expand generously and invest in the latest technology. The buildings were expanded, a mechanical bottling plant was purchased and over the course of the following century a number of other breweries and a mineral water factory were taken over. Today, Albani is a fixture in Denmark and has made a good name for itself in the international craft beer business with beers such as their Mosaic IPA . The range includes classics that have been brewed since the brewery's inception, seasonal specialties and modern brews that meet the needs of today's beer connoisseurs. rn
