Danish Luxury

Drinks Beer Carlsberg

Carlsberg Pilsner

Carlsberg's pale lager, first brewed in Copenhagen in 1904 and sold today as Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, the brewer's flagship beer.

Made by
Carlsberg
First made
1904

Visit carlsberg.com

A bottle of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner
A bottle of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner

Pictures © Carlsberg, from carlsberggroup.com.

Why it is renowned

The pilsner is the flagship among the Carlsberg Group's brands and is distributed to around 140 markets.1 It is also known by its line "Probably the best lager in the world", written in 1973 by Tony Bodinetz of the agency KMP for the British market and used in the brewer's advertising around the world from the 1980s; Orson Welles spoke it in an advertisement of 1983.1 In a 2006 BBC News review of corporate slogans, Graham Hales said the line, first used in the 1970s, had resonated down the years.2

The story

Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder J. C. Jacobsen, created the pilsner, which was first brewed in 1904.1 It brought back the Art Nouveau lettering drawn by the architect Thorvald Bindesbøll, which Carlsberg dates to 1904 and which later became the logo of the whole company.13 Carlsberg brews it as a full-bodied Danish pilsner from pilsner malt of Null Lox barley and a blend of hops.4 It is brewed at 5 percent alcohol; the version sold in Britain has 3.4 percent.45

Sources
  1. Carlsberg Group, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 1 October 2026.
  2. Probably the best corporate slogan..., BBC News, 2006-06-18. news.bbc.co.uk, read 1 October 2026.
  3. Design Guide, Carlsberg Group. carlsberggroup.com, read 1 October 2026.
  4. Danish Pilsner, Carlsberg. carlsberg.com, read 1 October 2026.
  5. Danish Pilsner, Carlsberg UK. carlsberg.com, read 1 October 2026.

Last checked 2 October 2026, against the maker's own pages.