Mikkeller & Friends — Copenhagen, Denmark

Mikkeller & Friends, a contemporary beer hall located in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district, is the slightly unorthodox collaboration between a former maths and physics teacher and two of his pupils from one of the city’s colleges. Tutor Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and students Tobias Emil Jensen and Tore Gynther started brewing beer in the school’s facilities after classes, going on to establish the wildly popular Danish microbreweries Mikkeller and To Øl. They aim to brew up something new with their latest venture, Mikkeller & Friends, a modern take on the Bierstube that offers 40 beers on tap. Turquoise floors, walls and bar top contrast with the custom-made wooden bar, seats, tables and lights assembled by Kristian Lillelund of carpentry studio Rum4. Designer Karsten K Lülloff’s vision was of an informal, masculine setting, so he left the blond wood untreated and kept the furniture freestanding, enabling customers to congregate in their own intimate groups.