An Answer to Korea's Bad Beer

Three labels come to mind when most people think of beer in Korea: Hite, OB and Cass. The reason being is that government regulations on starting a brewery are too restrictive with the end result being that there are only two beer companies, Hite and Oriental Brewery. Brewpubs and beer importers are helping beer lovers satisfy their cravings, but that isn’t enough for everyone. Those remaining few are part of a growing community of home brewers that have taken the matter into their own hands.

Up to the end of 2010, a brewery must be able to produce 1.8 million liters of beer in order to pass government regulations.  Those government laws have created a situation which has resulted in there being only two breweries producing all Korean-made beer available for purchase in supermarkets and convenience stores here in Korea. Those outrageous restrictions changed at the beginning of 2011 and were lowered to approximately 120,000 liters, but that is still not enough. The capital required to satisfy even current regulations will unfortunately keep most out of the brewery business.  

The above situation might not be so bad if the beer Korea produced was of better quality. Most of the beer brewed by Hite, OB and Cass use large amounts of adjuncts such as rice or corn in place of malt. This makes for a cheaper beer, but also one with less flavor. The companies also do not seem willing to experiment with new beer styles. Sure, there are Hite Stout and OB Golden Lager, but they are neither good examples of stout or lager, nor experimental enough. Where are the pale ales, the wheats, the IPAs?  Sure, it would require money and effort to educate the public about the new beers, but that shouldn’t be the reason not to try.  Koreans are proud of their culture and the products produced here. There is no reason why a Korean brewery can’t produce a lineup of world-class beers for its people and the world to enjoy.

Since 2002, brewpubs have given some hope for those that crave a tasty pint.  The brewpub scene in Korea is growing with several around Seoul and in many other large cities.  While the brewpubs provide relief from the big three labels and brew nice beer, most unfortunately all brew the same three or four German styles of beer, seemingly unwilling to experiment with their customers’ palates.  There is light at the end of the tunnel though; a few brewpubs such as Craftworks Taphouse and Platinum provide patrons with IPAs, stouts, and ales in addition to the typical German styles found at most brewpubs.

The beer import market has grown several-fold in the past few years. Importers are taking advantage of the government restrictions on breweries and providing beer drinkers with some variety. While the same situation can be found here with the majority of imports found in stores being typical German styles, there are many delicious beers waiting to be had at your local Home Plus or E-Mart.  For those in the Seoul area recent entries now includes a variety of pale ales, IPAs, wheats, porters and stouts.

A thriving community of home brewers fed up with the beer situation in Korea created by the tough government regulations and lack of variety in stores and brewpubs have taken the situation into their own hands. With the only limit being a brewer’s imagination (and the odd ingredient here in Korea), one can brew virtually any style of beer he or she wants. Some ingredients and pieces of equipment can be hard to find, but one shouldn’t be discouraged.

Rob Titley is the founder of Homebrew Korea. For more information on home brewing and the beer scene in Korea visit Homebrew Korea (http://www.homebrewkorea.com). To contact Rob, email rob@homebrewkorea.com or follow him on twitter: @homebrewkorea.