South Korea's growing craft beer scene

Interesting article, I've yet to try anything from South Korea, let alone any craft offerings.

 

It's really not a burgeoning scene and the big boys have had their claws in it since the beginning. I can't believe the Beeb thought this was worth reporting. There is no craft scene in Korea, just Craftworks (shit, scarce and massively overpriced at $7 a glass) and a handful of small expat-ran operations outside of the Yongsan US military base, which appear to get their business largely from the expat community.

The beer is mostly all contract brewed and it tastes truly horiffic. People who say otherwise have been away from home too long and can't remember what real beer was supposed to taste like. Magpie's amber ale is in fact the worst beer I've ever sampled. Only O'Reilly's make a passable IPA.

Sorry for my ranty, crass response, but as a long suffering beer geek who just endured 3 years of Hite and soju, I can't help but blurt out a knee-jerky response to this hyperbolical article.

 

There's definitely some craft breweries opening up in South Korea now. There's Magpie Brewing, Galmegi Brewing, Hand and Malt, Hitachino is opening a brewery here too. Not to mention the higher availability of craft beers that were impossib

 

Magpie and Galmegi have been around for some time and they both make god-awful beer. They contract brew, which explains things, and I'm loathe to refer to them as craft breweries. I think of Galmegi as more of a pub anyway.

Great news about Hitachino, but I don't think they'll be brewing their regular line-up in Korea. According to an article in Korea Times they're going to make beer suited to 'Korean tastes', which doesn't bode well!!!

 

Hoppsbabo, I don't think you're up to date on the Galmegi situation. They used to contract brew, but last year they opened up their own microbrewery in Busan. The beers have been a hell of a lot better since they can actually control what is happening during the process instead of being beholden to Ka-brew (the usual contract brewery in Korea). I think go give the brewery a visit then comment again. As for Magpie, I can't speak about their beers too much except for the recent DIPA, which was pretty nice.

 

Oh, that's good news for Galmegi. Actually I did have an okay DIPA from somewhere but I thought it was Craftworks. Probably was Magpie though.

 

Moving to Busan in a couple of months. Anyone on the forum visited this place, http://koreabridge.net/listing/6pack?

 

Jesus Christ. Two or three years ago you wouldn't have dreamed of seeing anything like that in Korea. Not even in the foreigner district in Seoul. It's only in the last couple of years that these crafty type bars have been popping up in places. It's always the same faces though, and from those pictures I recognise Red Seal Ale, Widmer Brothers, Ballast Point, Coopers, Delirium, and so on. You're about to get very well acquainted with all of them.

By chance are you going there to be an English teacher?

 

By chance I am! A close friend of mine currently lives there and loves it, and I'm a bit fed-up with London. What about you?

 

Yup, just came back from there after a three year stint. Well, around October time. Great job and great money, and my first couple of months there were the best of my life (although I hated everything about it towards the end :-/). While not a beer lover's paradise it has come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of years, and in Busan you've always got Galmegi (see previous comments). Still, after five months back home I'm enjoying every pint of Real Ale like it's my last.

PS, you'll be a half hour plane flight from Osaka. Much better beer scene and all round phenomenal place to visit.

 

Yeah, I plan on making the most of my proximity to Japan, which was actually my first choice. However, I don't know anyone who lives there and work seems slightly more scarce (with good reason, I guess). In my first couple of weeks I'll be taking the Busan-Fukuoka ferry for my visa, and even that minor adventure has me excited.

Naturally I'm sorry to be leaving the beer haven that is England, but I'm sure I'll be able to make do in Korea, especially now that Hitachino Nest have opened a brewery there.
Sorry to hear you hated the job towards the end; I've a funny feeling I'll share the sentiment come my third year (if I make it that far).

 

It was actually the job that kept me going towards the end. I got sick of everything else. Yeah, by all accounts Korea is better for teaching and it pays better.

Sorry, derailing the thread slightly. Considering what a samey/narrow selection of imports Korea gets, it's a choice one. Look out for:

Duvel - (Emart/Homeplus) one of my top 5 because I got to know it so well
Ballast Point Sculpin (Homeplus)
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout (Homeplus)
Old Rasputin (Homeplus)
Piraat (Homeplus)
Weihenstephanen Hefeweizen (E-mart)
Schneider Weisse Tap 5, Tap 6 & Aventinus Eisbock (Emart - love the arse off the Schneider range)

 

HOLY FUCK. I'll be able to get Tap 5 in Korea? Well, you just made my evening -- beer crisis averted. Many thanks for pointing out some of the available beers, because I really had no idea and expected little more than Delirium Tremens and Erdinger.
And yeah, everything made by Schneider & Sohn is exceptional. Damn near lost my mind when I visited their bierhaus in Munich earlier this year.

 

If you're in Busan you should have no trouble finding any of those. While I wouldn't trade our British supermarket selection for Korea's I don't half miss some of the stuff. I've been able to find Schneider Weisse all over the world but not in England, and whenever I get a hankering for imperial stout it's nuts that Korea has more on offer than Sainsbury's or Tesco.

Man, I really hope to visit Munich / Bamberg this year. I bet it was amazing.

 

It really, really was. Unfortunately I ended up visiting Dachau Concentration Camp with an awful hangover, but maybe that's...Only right?
Anyway, you'll love it.

 

I just made a new thread on anything craft in Incheon city. So I will ask here as well. Sorry for the double posting. The wife (who's Korean) and I will be visiting Incheon city in a couple of days and I was wondering if there are any craft beers available in the city. We will be staying near city center and visiting the fish markets. We are staying for 3 nights and it would be nice to find anything craft. No worries if not. If I can't get my hoppy fix for 3 or 4 days and it's no big deal. Thanks in advance guys.

 

Will be in Seoul on Zwanze Day. Didnt see anything on Cantillon's website for Korea but figured it was worth seeing if anyone in here has any ideas.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/incheon-city-center-south-korea.325427/