Jacobsen and the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen Fathi Habashi
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Laval University From the SelectedWorks of Fathi Habashi May, 2018 Jacobsen and the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen Fathi Habashi Available at: https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/283/ Jacobsen and the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen1 Fathi Habashi Laval University, Quebec City, Canada [email protected] ABSTRACT Scientific beer making was achieved in Copenhagen when Jacob Christian Jacobsen founded in 1876 the Carlsberg Brewery. He founded a laboratory where chemists and biochemists devised scientific methods for chemical analysis and fermentation chemistry. Through the Carlsberg Foundation, Jacobsen and his son Carl were generous philanthropists and art collectors that contributed greatly to the development of Denmark. INTRODUCTION Innovations in the brewing process came about with the introduction of the thermometer in 1760 and hydrometer in 1770, which allowed brewers to increase efficiency. Louis Pasteur's 1857 discovery of yeast's role in fermentation led to brewers developing methods to prevent the souring of beer by undesirable microorganisms. The advent of automatic bottling, commercial refrigeration, and the rise of the railroads made mass production and distribution possible. In 1876 The Danish industrialist Jacob Christian Jacobsen (1811–1887) (Figure 1) founded the Carlsberg Brewery (Figures 2-4) on the outskirts of Copenhagen and named it after his son Carl. The Carlsberg Group became a global brewer employing around 41,000 people, primarily located in Europe and Asia. The old brewery is currently open for tours. In the courtyard of the Visitors Centre is a smaller replica of the Little Mermaid Figure 1- Jacob Christian Statue (Figure 5) that Jacobsen donated Jacobsen (1811 –1887) to Copenhagen. 1 See also: [1] F. Habashi, Chemistry and Metallurgy in the Great Empires, Métallurgie Extractive Québec, Québec City, Canada 2009. Chapter 4.4: Danish Empire. Distributed by Laval University Bookstore “Zone”. www.zone.ul.ca [2] F. Habashi, Industrial Minerals Through the Ages, Métallurgie Extractive Québec, Québec City, Canada 2016. Chapter 43: Iceland Spar. Distributed by Laval University Bookstore “Zone”. www.zone.ul.ca Figure 2- View of the Brewery Figure 3- Entrance to the brewery Figure 4- Inside the brewery Figure 5- In the courtyard of the Visitors Centre is a replica of the Little Mermaid Statue that Jacobsen donated to Copenhagen THE CARLSBERG LABORATORY The Carlsberg Laboratory (Figure 6) was founded in 1875 to work on scientific problems related to brewing. It featured a Department of Physiology a Department of Chemistry. The Department of Physiology was headed by Emil Christian Hansen (1842-1909) (Figure 7) who developed a method for culturing pure yeast that revolutionised industrial beer production. He also isolated in 1883 the yeast used to make pale lager, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, and bears its name. Figure 6- Carlsberg Laboratory Figure 7- Emil Christian Hansen Figure 8- Johan Kjeldahl working at (1842-1909) Laboratory in the 1880s The Department of Chemistry was headed by Johan Kjeldahl (1849 –1900) (Figures 8- 10) who determined the amount of protein in the grain used in the malt industry because less protein meant more beer. In 1883 he found that ammonium salts can be produced by digesting the organic compound with concentrated sulfuric acid. Ammonium salts produced from this step was distilled and dissolved in a standardized solution of sulfuric acid. Finally, this solution was back titrated with caustic soda to indirectly measure nitrogen. Figure 10- Johan Figure 9- Kjeldahl method Kjeldahl (1849 –1900) In 1901, Søren Peder Lauritz Sørensen (1868-1939) (Figure 11) succeeded Kjeldahl and focused on biochemistry. He studied medicine and chemistry at the University of Copenhagen and from 1892 to 1901 worked as assistant to the inorganic chemist Sophus Mads Jørgensen and received Ph.D. in 1899. Figure 11- Søren Peder Lauritz Sørensen (1868-1939) Together with his wife Margrethe Høyrup Sørensen, he worked on the influence of ion concentrations on proteins. In 1909, this work led him to develop the concept of the logarithmic pH scale, which he called "hydrogen ion exponent", to describe the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution. He also developed methods for measuring the acidity of solutions. The titration of amino acids with potassium hydroxide in the presence of formaldehyde to determine protein content in samples is named after him. CARLSBERG RESEARCH CENTRE In 1972, the Carlsberg Research Centre was established and the Carlsberg Laboratory is now an independent unit of the Centre. CARLSBERG FOUNDATION The Carlsberg Foundation was founded in 1876, run by trustees from the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, which managed the Carlsberg Laboratory as well as supporting scientific research within the fields of natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, the humanities and social sciences in Denmark. MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY Jacob Christian Jacobsen also founded the Museum of National History in 1878 at Frederiksborg castle Hillerød (Figure 12). It is run as a branch of the Carlsberg Foundation. Figure 12- Museum of National History in Frederiksborg castle ART COLLECTION Jacobsen’s son Carl (1842-1914) (Figure 13) was also a brewer and he created one of the largest private art collections of his time. It is now housed in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a museum founded by him in Copenhagen (Figure 14 and 15). Figure 13- Carl Jacobson (1842-1914) Figure 14 - Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Figure 15- Interior of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek MERGER Tuborg is a Danish brewing company founded in 1873 north of Copenhagen. Since 1970 it has been part of the Carlsberg Group. In 2008 Carlsberg Group, together with Heineken, bought Scottish & Newcastle, the largest brewer in the UK. .