Today, H.C. Andersen's House in Odense, Denmark, opens its doors for the first time. The new museum, designed by Japanese star architect Kengo Kuma, will revitalize and showcase new sides of the world-renowned author and poet. In connection with the opening, Mikkeller and the museum have entered into collaboration on a number of adventurous beers.

“Mikkeller was an obvious choice because they have managed to renew beer as a genre almost on their own. They have done this through a unique narrative of joy expressed through the brewing process and the ingredients. We were simply curious about where a meeting between Andersen's and Mikkeller's universes could take us,” says Henrik Lübker, Creative Director and Curator of Odense City Museums, about the starting point for the collaboration.

The collaboration is based on a series of beers with flowers from Andersen's fairy tales as the defining ingredient. The first step on the road is the release of ‘On the Other Side of the Fence’ - an ale with dandelion, which has been created on the basis of an idea development between Henrik Lübker and Mikkel Bjergsø, Founder and Creative Director of Mikkeller. The title of the beer refers to the uncultivated flowers that stand at the edge of the ditch, and which play a significant role in Andersen's stories, Henrik Lübker explains:

“The simple flowers and weeds from the ditch are completely different from those from the garden. They are overlooked and ignored, yet content and at one with the world. They are often selfless and precisely because of that, Andersen wants to rescue them from oblivion. The Dandelion may itself be nothing but a poor flower, but it is happy and content."

Andersen's view of nature has thus been integrated into the brewing processes, the ingredients, and the aroma, which has resulted in something completely new and special”, the Creative Director explains.

Rooted with an international view

At Mikkeller, there was never a doubt that the collaboration with H.C. Andersen's House made perfect sense.

“Andersen is such a colorful character rooted in Danish cultural heritage, while at the same time world-famous. As a brand with a Danish origin, which we are proud of, but at the same time with a great international outlook, it just aligned really well with what we look for in a partner and innovation,” says Mikkel Bjergsø, who thinks it has been fun and exciting to work with Andersen's stories as a starting point for new recipes for beer.

"As with all inspiration, it forces one to think outside the box, use ingredients, and stories that we otherwise would not have initially come up with."

The beer ‘On the Other Side of the Fence’ is a limited release beer brewed in collaboration with Mikkeller’s brew pub Warpigs for the official opening of H.C. Andersen's House, as well as the opening of the Danish Pavilion during the Olympics in Tokyo, where Kengo Kuma participates. This fall, there will be an additional release of a series of three new Mikkeller x H.C. Andersen beer.

Mikkeller og H.C. Andersens Hus brygger Andersen øl

*I dag slår H.C. Andersens Hus i Odense dørene op. Det nye museum, der er tegnet af den japanske stjernearkitekt Kengo Kuma, skal revitalisere og vise nye sider af den verdenskendte eventyrdigter. Mikkeller og museet har i forbindelse med åbningen indgået samarbejde om en række eventyrlige øl. *

“Mikkeller var et oplagt valg, fordi de har formået næsten egenhændigt at forny øllen som genre. Det har de gjort igennem en særegen fortælleglæde udtrykt igennem bryggeprocessen og ingredienserne. Vi var simpelthen nysgerrige på hvor et møde mellem Andersens og Mikkellers universer kunne få os hen,” fortæller Henrik Lübker, kreativ direktør og kurator for Odense Bys Museer, om udgangspunktet for samarbejdet.

Samarbejdet tager afsæt i en serie øl med blomster fra Andersens eventyr som ingrediens. Første skridt på vejen er udgivelsen af ’On the Other Side of the Fence’ – en ale med løvetand (mælkebøtte), der er blevet til på baggrund af en ideudvikling mellem Henrik Lübker og Mikkel Bjergsø, grundlægger af og kreativ direktør i Mikkeller. Titlen på øllen referer til de ukultiverede blomster, der står i grøftekanten, på den anden side af hegnet, og som spiller en væsentlig rolle i Andersens fortællinger, forklarer Henrik Lübker:

“De simple blomster og ukrudt fra grøften er helt anderledes end dem fra haven. De bliver overset og ignoreret, men er alligevel tilfredse og i ét med verden. De er ofte uselviske, og netop derfor ønsker Andersen at redde dem fra glemslen. Mælkebøtten i sig selv er ikke andet end en fattig blomst, men den er glad og tilfreds.”

Andersens natursyn er på den måde taget med helt ind i bryggeprocesserne, ingredienserne og aromaen, hvilket har tilvejebragt noget helt nyt og særligt, forklarer den kreative direktør.

Rodfæstet med internationalt udsyn

Hos Mikkeller var der heller ikke et øjebliks tvivl om, at samarbejdet med H.C. Andersens Hus gav rigtig god mening.

“Andersen er er jo så rodfæstet og farverig en karakter i den danske kulturarv og samtidig verdenskendt. Som et brand med en dansk oprindelse, som vi er stolte af, men med stort internationalt udsyn, gav det bare rigtig god mening på flere forskellige planer,” fortæller Mikkel Bjergsø, der synes, det har været sjovt og spændende at arbejde med Andersens fortællinger som udgangspunkt for nye opskrifter til øl.

“Som med al inspiration tvinger det en til at tænke ud af boksen og bruge ingredienser og historier, som vi ellers ikke lige umiddelbart var kommet på.”

Øllen ’On the Other Side of the Fence’ er et limited release brygget i samarbejde med Mikkellers brygpub Warpigs til den officielle åbning af H.C. Andersens Hus og til åbningen af the Danish Pavillon under OL i Tokyo, hvor Kengo Kuma deltager. Til efteråret følger udgivelsen af en serie af tre nye Mikkeller x H.C. Andersen øl.