Carlsberg Creates ‘Beer Caviar’ for Danish Fans at the World Cup in Russia
Russia is synonymous with caviar, a delicacy traditionally known as roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. With Danish fans traveling to Russia to cheer on their national team, its official sponsor Carlsberg, along with their agency CP+B Copenhagen, devised a way to bring the two cultures together. Through molecular gastronomy techniques, Carlsberg has created and packaged the world’s first Beer Caviar.
The main ingredient in the Beer Caviar is Carlsberg’s classic pilsner – a beer that most Danes view as part of their national cultural heritage, just like caviar has been a traditional delicacy in Russia since the 16th century. Carlsberg is giving fans a chance to try the beer caviar at select events surrounding Danish World Cup matches. See how it went on the day of Denmark’s first World Cup match:
“The last couple of years there has been a trend within molecular gastronomy to develop artificial caviar from natural ingredients with all kinds of flavours. We thought it would be fun to create caviar made from beer to give soccer fans a taste of Russia,” says Danish chef Umut Sakarya, who developed the beer-caviar together with Carlsberg’s own brewers.
Besides from contributing to the good World Cup atmosphere, Carlsberg hopes to use the Beer Caviar to remind the fans that it is a good idea to eat food when drinking during the World Cup.
“Our own numbers, that date back to 1978, show that the Danes will drink an extra pilsner during soccer finals like the World Cup, but we are not the main sponsor, so for us, the World Cup is first and foremost about creating content and engaging the fans. That’s also the reason why we decided to develop Beer Caviar – to show Denmark, the national teams and the fans that we’re there for them,” says Wouter de Groot, who is responsible for brand and category PR at Carlsberg Group. “By combining drinking with eating, you drink less and slower. We hope our beer-caviar will help us spread this important message.”
