Vert skating has never been an American thing, barring Mr. Edwards’ wickedness circa 1990-1994. European and Australian skaters soon dominated this field in the mid- to late ’90s. Their different styles and tricks were a refreshing change for the skate industry. One of these men was Denmark’s René Hulgreen. René was a lot different from most vert skaters — he learned to skate ramps on quad skates or “roller skates,” as most of you might know them. Also, he had a distinct appearance. With his long red hair, and almost always a beer in hand, he was a straight up Nordic viking! The inventor of the viking flip, an awkward mctwist, sort of a side-flip 540, was different, amazing and refreshing. René started skating back in 1988, and his career took him around the world, but after years of touring and traveling he has settled back in his home country and made his second favorite pastime — drinking beer — his second career. At age 39 he is a proud brewmeister and father. “Qua vos vado illic mos usquequaque exsisto beer.” It’s Latin… look it up! — Mike Opalek
You started off as a roller skater, how old were you when you started doing that? I skated on roller skates as a child, but real skating, ramps, A.S.O. I started in 1988, so I was 18.
What was it like taking roller skates to a vert ramp? At first I was just skating around the streets in Copenhagen, then one day someone took me to the local skate park, Fælledparken, where I saw a vert ramp for the first time. There were some roller skaters skating on it, and I went straight up on the platform and within an hour I had done a sit-in, a roll-in and a drop-in; I was hooked.
What made you switch to inline skates? I was on an Interrail trip through Europe and at a vert contest in Karlsruhe, Germany, Raphael Sandoz and Ivano Gagliardo, at that time also still roller skating, had some inline skates with them. Later on the trip I bought a pair of Roces Moscows.
How was that transition? I remember being scared of doing a back flip and going fakie at first, but it only took a week before I did everything I did on roller skates, and a month later I was at the first Lausanne contest, and the rest is history.
Growing up in Denmark and having lots of vert ramps available to you, how was it traveling to the United States? It was a bit hard; the ramps in Denmark had a lot of vert, my home ramp had three feet of vert, and most of the ramps in the U.S. had only a foot or less. Especially the contest ramps were small.
What was it like back in the day meeting people from all over the world? I was lucky to meet so many great people on my first trip to the U.S. Staying at Daily Bread in Laguna Beach right after the NISS tour was finished I got to meet Angie Walton, Jess Dyrenforth, Tom Fry, Manuel Billiris, Arlo Eisenberg and many more. And later I met Chris Edwards and other skaters from L.A. and from all over the U.S.
What was your favorite comp to go to? Lausanne was one of the really fun comps. I liked to go there, I used to like skating comps, but the more serious it got the more I disliked comps, especially the real big ones in the U.S. Too many rules and less fun skating. The comps in Europe and Australia were a lot more relaxed, and there I could get my six-pack before dropping in, without getting into trouble.
How did you evolve as a person from skating and traveling all over the world? It was great to see other cultures and try different food and beers, but all the traveling and comps stopped me evolving on the vert ramp. I didn’t have time to just skate and try out new things.
What was your favorite place you traveled to and why? South Africa. I went there 15 times skating — cool people, great skate scene, and then Australia. Australia is something else, you don’t get it more relaxed than there, and the skaters were the best in the world. There were skaters I had never heard of who were better than most of the pros.
Do you still skate these days? I try to skate in the summer, but I have a back injury and can only skate for about 30 minutes. Then the pain is too big. I also have problems with one foot, just found out that it has been broken for more than 10 years. So I don’t really skate anymore, I’m too broken and old.
What are you doing these days? I have a little family. I’m married to former skateboarder Sybille and we have a son called Emil. He was born in September 2006. I also play disc golf; it is like golf, you know, for fat old men. I also work as a brewer at a microbrewery south of Copenhagen, called Bryghuset Braunstein. We also make whiskey, schnapps and gin.
It’s funny ‘cause since I’ve known you, you’re the guy drinking beer wherever you go. How did you get into home brewing, and how did you get the job you have now? Well, when I left Denmark I only knew lager beers, traveling opened my eyes to new kinds of beers, and I got interested in beers in a new way besides drinking them. Then I started home brewing and won gold and silver at the Danish championship, and shortly after I was a brewer at a real brewery. It all went really fast, from when I started brewing to when I was working at a brewery took less than a year.
How fortunate are you to have made careers out of two of your passions? You don´t get more lucky than that, I think.
What is your favorite part about being a brewer (besides the drinking)? I love experimenting, making big crazy beers.
What are some of your favorite beers? Westvleteren 12 from Belgium, most beers from Mikkeller, and then there are so many damn good beers from American microbreweries. I like most of the beers I have tried from these American breweries: Alesmith, Green Flash, Stone, Avery, Three Floyds, Dogfish Head, Bells, Surly, Founders, Great Divide, Hoppin Frog, New Glarus, Southampton, Pizza Port, Victory, Kuhnhenn, Oskar Blues, and many more.
Best beer you’ve ever made? I have three home brews that made me really happy. I made a 30 minutes pale ale, which I hopped only with Chinook hop for the last 30 minutes of the boil — great summer beer; then I made a beer called Scull Fucker, a 10.5 percent strong imperial stout oaked with oak chips soaked in red wine; and the last was a beer called English Ale No.1, a 12.3 percent strong barley wine made with English malt, hops and yeast, then oaked with oak chips for three months.
What are your future plans? One more child, hole in one, going to New Zealand, and making more crazy beers.
Skål, René
Interview by Mike Opalek
Portrait by Jacob Christensen
See it in print in ONE Issue 15
