French Beers Target Korean Customers
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of French wine-makers who have gained popularity in Korea, brewers from France are introducing their beers onto the Korean market.
Seven French microbreweries gathered at Lotte Hotel, Seoul, on Dec. 10 to promote the tradition of their beers.
The nearly 150 guests at the event were mainly wine importers.
Organized by the French Economic Mission (FEM) in Korea, these small-scale, regional breweries showcased the specialized tastes of their products
The Brasserie Pietra, for instance, showcased a beer made using chestnuts grown on the French southern island of Corsica where it is located.
Acknowledging the recognition its wine has gained in Korea, Jean-Caesar Lammert, commercial attache for agricultural affairs at the FEM said it was time for good French beer to be tried.
And he guaranteed the quality, saying France has very good quality of water, which is a decisive element in beer's flavor.
The seven brewery's journey came after their somewhat successful attempt to open the American market in 2008. A few days before coming to Korea, the microbrewers participated in a similar fair in Tokyo.
Rising trends in the market, microbreweries or craft breweries are small operations that produce limited amounts of beer ― generally less than 18,000 hectoliters per year.
The term emerged in the 1970s in the United Kingdom to describe the new breweries producing ``cask ale,'' an unfiltered and unpasteurized beer. The word evolved and now reflects an alternative attitude to brewing by focusing on quality and tradition.
Although France's experience of brewing dates back to the Middle Ages, it has only been since the mid-1980s that the first microbreweries popped up there.
Today, there are around 250 breweries in France.
Each boast a strong taste and identity, embodied in the concept of ``terroir,'' a term commonly used for wine and cheese to convey that a product has strong traditional features, due to both its geographical location, and the know-how acquired by the ``artisans.''
Like wine, the quality of the ingredients incorporated is decisive to the flavor of the beer. Lammert said: ``The use of the best local products, such as berries, chamomile and honey for some of those beers'' give the French beers their distinctive tastes.
Given the variety of their products, the French brewers believe that their products have the potential to attract beer connoisseurs looking for new flavors.
A representative from the Brasserie Pietra, who didn't disclose his name for this article said: ``The spirit of terroir and tradition gives our beers more density, more quality and more aromas.''
He continued: ``The event provided us a great opportunity to showcase France as also a beer-making country, and we had good responses from the Korean part in that regard.''
Nevertheless, the small-scale breweries face tough competition in Korea
While beer consumption is declining in France, beer is by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in Korea. With 1.9 million kiloliters consummated in 2008, it outpaces soju (1.304 million kiloliters) and wine (47,000 kiloliters).
However, the Korean beer market is largely dominated by local brands, mainly Cass, Hite and OB. Only 10 percent of the beers sold in Korea are foreign, mostly Japanese and Dutch. So far, the only French brand in Korea was 1664.
Moreover, unlike the French, Korean consumers largely view beer as a cheap alcoholic beverage rather than as a flavorful drink.
Lammert hopes a great variety of beers could be appealing to some amateurs in the search of a new, high-end drinking experience, and doesn't mind giving the advice: ``Be curious, try, and taste the difference.''