In late 2003, two friends are sitting in front of their computers, creating software for their little programming company. One says to the other: “We’ve been doing this for several years now. How about starting something new – like opening a microbrewery?” “Yeah, why not?” the other answers.

The two friends were Martin and Christian, and that little exchange of words was the beginning of Ølfabrikken.

Their plan was to brew a range of unfiltered and unpasteurized beers, focusing on strong, spicy, and hoppy ales, unlike anything that was being brewed at the time in Denmark. Back then,there were fewer than twenty microbreweries in Denmark, and most of them brewed beer for the untrained palate of the average consumer.

Of course, starting a microbrewery with almost no money is not as simple as that. After many months of searching for used equipment without success, Martin and Christian had nearly given up. But, suddenly, on a sunny day in April 2004, a phone call came at their office. It was from the owner of Glossop Breweries Ltd., a British microbrewery making real ales for the local community. He had heard about the two Danes on the lookout for cheap brewing equipment. During an afternoon of negotiation, a price was agreed upon and plane tickets were ordered. The following week, Martin and Christian went to the UK to try out the equipment, which proved to be exactly what they were looking for.

The brewery, complete with two five-barrel fermenters and several hundred British casks, was shipped to Denmark and deposited on the lawn of Martin’s parents’ farm. As the ‘brewery’ had spent all of its money on the brewing equipment, nothing was left to actually build or rent a facility. Martins’ parents agreed, however, to have the brewery installed in a corner of their barn. After months of working on the barn with friends and family during weekends and evenings, the small brew house was ready for use.

In the meantime, other friends had been helping with the logo, labels, and a web site. A name for the new brewery was found: Ølfabrikken -- which literally means “The Beer Factory.” This was meant ironically, since the new brewery was probably the most primitive in the country.

Ølfabrikken’s first beer was brewed in December 2004. It was a dark, malty winter ale, fermented with two different yeast strains. It was a huge success and sold out in a few days. It seemed that Danish beer consumers craved something a bit different. So, more beers were brewed, and they sold out just as quickly as the first.

If the story ended there it would have been a happy ending. It doesn’t end there, however, and despite the success of the beer in Denmark, Martin and Christian were still working overtime as computer programmers to keep the business afloat. After a year of fighting both brewery infections and creditors, however, times got better. More used fermenters were bought, an extra brewer was hired, and more customers were taken on.

Since its inception in late 2004, Ølfabrikken has won more awards than any other brewery in Denmark, culminating in 2006, when the 12,000 members of the consumer organization “The Danish Beer Enthusiasts,” voted Ølfabrikken both “Brewery of the Year” and brewer of the “Best New Beer.” As of this writing, Ølfabrikken is rated as the 12th best brewery in the world of 7,300 reviewed on Ratebeer.com.

Today the three guys at Ølfabrikken brew approximately 10,000 liters of ale every month. It is sold in specialty beer shops, wine shops, and bars all over Denmark, as well as in Finland and the USA. Though the brewery has grown, its founders’ have remained true to their original principles: to brew unfiltered, unpasteurized, and experimental beers, in small quantities, for the passionate consumer.