To Øl
• • • Best Session Ale • • •
Robyn Gilmour
Saturday 18 October 2025
This article is from
Beer Awards 2025
issue 123
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There’s no denying that, on a global level, there simply isn’t the appetite there once was for high-ABV beers. People are drinking less beer, and within that, preferring lower alcohol options over the high-ABV brews that craft beer was once known and loved for. Interestingly, this trend hasn’t correlated with people being willing to compromise on flavour; drinkers are favouring quality over quantity, and as such, brewers are increasingly innovating to pack more flavour and aroma into lower ABV options. Denmark’s To Øl has embraced this shift as an opportunity to invite a broader church of people into the craft beer community, and integrate its beer into people’s everyday lives.
“I think over the last year we’ve grown up bit, without growing old,” says Tore Gynther, CEO. “We’ve been sharpening our operations, tightening our portfolio, and challenging the status quo from a more professional platform. We’re still rebels at heart, we’ve just learned to tuck in our shirt when the occasion calls for it. As a part of that, we’re doubling down on freshness, quality, and sustainability. That means brewing beers that challenge what ‘less’ can taste like: low-alc and no-alc beers that actually deliver on flavour. There’s no one-size-fits-all. Sometimes you want clean and crisp, sometimes you crave a fuller malt body. And sometimes you just want a tasty, hop-forward beer you can enjoy all night while you’re having a good time. SIPA is our version of that,”
Tore continues to say that, in Denmark, To Øl has become something more than craft. It’s present in supermarkets and at street parties, bottle shops and fine dining; “we want to be part of people’s everyday lives and their special moments. That’s part of why it meant the world to us to be part of Roskilde Festival this year. Seeing people reach for something other than the usual suspects when the music hit, was a great feeling. We're also building more event formats of our own. BRUS is evolving into a living, buzzing destination — not just a brewpub. Our goal is to make it a place where something's always happening. Maybe not for everyone at once – but a place with something for everyone eventually. We want to be part of people’s lives, whether they’re just starting out or long retired.”
Accessibility and inclusion isn’t the only thing To Øl is hoping to normalise. It’s also working on how to make its brewing more circular, from sourcing to delivery. “Most of our raw materials (grain, malt, yeast, water) are close by. The tricky part? Hops,” Tore continues. “We still have to go far to get the intense, expressive character we want. But we’re experimenting with new European varieties and partnering with innovative hop suppliers to find new answers, and so far it’s looking good.”
When asked about a change or trend that To Øl would like to see in the craft beer industry over the next year, Tore says: “let’s unchain craft beer from itself — the values that made it exciting in the first place (quality, freshness, flavour, innovation) now matter to everyone who cares about what they consume. That’s a good thing. We’ll keep serving the faithful, while opening the door wider to the curious.
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