Made In PONG DANG

 

 

I try to be as objective as possible when writing any review in general, but Made in PONG DANG has become like a second home to me over the last year I've been estranged out here in Korea. It's a daunting task to find somewhere where you feel welcome in a country as a foreigner especially in one where day-drinking is hypocritically ostracized, (apparently I'm an alcoholic for wanting to drink at 1pm, but it's totally okay to down 12 shots of soju on a weekday, good job Korea.) but it's hard not to feel welcome at MaPONG, which offers refuge to all souls that either need a break from the "20s/30s something" vibe of Kyunglidan, or just life in general.

The staff at MaPONG live for beer. The recipes for their in-house brews are prepped by the owner (who also owns PONG DANG Craft Beer Company in Sinsa and Beer PONG DANG in Yongsan) who divvies up his day either supervising/devising recipes for upcoming brews, entertaining (beer geek) regulars, or sampling new beers to add as reference to his own recipes. Being quite possibly one of the biggest sourheads I've met, he always speaks enthusiastically about one day emulating the success of De Garde and Cascade Brewing Company in bringing quality marketable sours to Korea as well. The manager of MaPONG is also a sourhead and a homebrewer himself; some lucky patrons have had the pleasure of sampling his continuing endeavors side-to-side with PONG DANG's ever-evolving recipes while discussing specifics of the brewing process, latest brewing trends in America/Korea and so on. Due to the fact that most of the staff at MaPONG started out as beer geeks on an online forum prior to the meteoric rise of the Korean craft beer scene, MaPONG is also frequented by Korea's most knowledgeable and sociable beer geeks, who usually make their rounds here before heading further down the bridge towards the two other beer havens in Itaewon; in short, MaPONG is never short of beer enthusiasts that are more than willing to share the knowledge and love of beer, whether it be staff or the patrons that frequent the establishment.

In terms of actual food and beer, PONG DANG has two year-round beers (some variation Belgian Blonde and Espresso Stout) and usually one variation of their ever changing Single Hop Pale Ale series. They sometimes reserve one tap for guest beers (Korean and Domestic) and also have a wide selection of the latest craft beer bottles to hit the Korean shore (the owner not only has good rapport with all the importation companies, but also imports Upright Brewing Company's beers as well.) The food selection here is akin to what we'd call a bar menu back in the states: fries, chicken tenders, reuben sandwich/grilled cheese, et cetera, but they do allow outside food, and most establishments in the Itaewon/Haebangchon area will deliver here. (just say you're right above Chans Bros. Coffee, across the street from Street Churros)

If you're tired of the 20s/30s scene while in Kyunglidan and just need somewhere cozy to rest your feet while enjoying a quick pint, MaPONG is definitely the place to be; try to get there earlier than late as they usually run early bird specials on all house beers up until about two hours of their open time (4pm).