Size Matters: Carlsberg’s Smallest Bottle Record Shattered by Swedish Students

In the world of brewing, “bigger is better” is the usual mantra—unless you’re trying to prove a point about micro-engineering (or perhaps just extreme moderation).

As reported by PlasticsToday, the Guinness World Record for the smallest beer bottle has been decimated. Back in late 2024, Carlsberg made headlines with a 12mm-tall glass bottle, roughly the size of a grain of rice. It was a masterpiece of miniature craftsmanship, complete with a tiny label and a single drop of non-alcoholic brew.

But records in the beer world are as fragile as… well, tiny glass bottles. A group of five engineering students from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm decided that 12mm was simply too much volume. Using high-precision 3D printing and a photopolymer resin, the team produced a bottle standing just 4 millimeters tall.

To put that in perspective, it is the size of a sesame seed and holds a microscopic 0.00001057 centiliters of fluid. If you were planning on getting a buzz, you’d need to crack open about 5.37 million of these to fill a single pint.

While we applaud the students for their “less is more” philosophy, we can’t help but notice the material choice. While 3D-printed resins and plastic miniatures make for fun science experiments and record-breaking curiosities, aluminum remains the undisputed champion of beer packaging. It’s infinitely recyclable, light-proof, and—unlike a 4mm resin bottle—actually holds enough liquid to satisfy a thirst.

The record-breaking micro-bottles are now on display at the Home of Carlsberg museum in Copenhagen. Just remember to bring your magnifying glass—and maybe a real can for the walk home.