The rise of craft beer in Seoul

By Jun Kyoung-woo

Article by Jun Kyoung-woo Jun Kyoung-woo is an assistant editor at Sports World, a local sports daily. He co-authored “Dining in Seoul,” which is a compilation of information on food culture, trends, history and how and where to enjoy 1,000 different dishes from 13 countries in Seoul. He is also an avid drinker who goes out for a drink three to four days a week.

Korea’s young opinion leaders, who used to sip wine, have switched over to beer quite some time ago, making the latter the most popular alcoholic beverage in Seoul’s nightlife today.

The beer boom in Seoul was ignited by house beer or craft beer, which is beer brewed in-house by pubs and bars. Unlike dull mass-produced beer, house beer has rich flavors and aromas, which have instantly appealed to the younger generation, ushering in the era of house beer in the city.

Craft beer, in a larger sense, refers not only to beer crafted at pubs, bars and restaurants, but also to bottled beer sold in the market that are created by ordinary brewers using creative ingredients and recipes. Craft beer is similar in concept to boutique wine or garage wine.

The term “craft brewery” or “microbrewery” spread in the late 1970s and 1980s in the United States among members of the Brewers Association of America, when brewers started actively establishing small, independently owned breweries.

Since then, the craft beer craze has become a universal phenomenon. Craft brewing is most established in the United States. Even President Barack Obama bought a home brewing kit to create his own beer, naming it White House Honey Ale.

The popularity of craft beer is evidenced by the growth of craft beer brands. Among the 10 fastest-growing beer brands in the United States, five are craft beer brands.

Here in Seoul, the craft beer craze started in Itaewon and Gyeongnidan-gil, the foreigners’ district, and then moved on to Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong, the university area in northern Seoul, all the way to Gangnam, the wealthy district in southern Seoul.

In front of Knocking on Devil’s Door, the huge American-style pub that recently opened in Banpo-dong, southern Seoul, customers wait in a queue, usually for an hour, in order to get in and drink craft beer, another testament to the growing popularity of craft beer in Seoul.

What is special about Knocking on Devil’s Door’s craft beer is that it is made with malt from Germany and hops from the United States and brewed by a professional brew master using equipment from Germany’s Caspary, which has a 226-year history.

In addition to craft beer, the pub offers 30 burgers, snacks and entrees that match the variety of beer it offers. At the pub’s “Lab,” visitors can create their own unique beers with a brew master.

The craft beer craze has even spilled over to supermarkets. When E-mart, a major local supermarket chain, announced the sales of craft beer at some of its franchise stores on Oct. 16, beer enthusiasts rejoiced. On the first day of sales, dozens of people posted messages on the Korean portal Naver’s private beer community, asking which E-mart stores sell craft beer and whether a store still has any craft beer left, as if they were secret service agents.

E-mart sold 3,000 bottles from 18 well-known American craft beer brands, such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Firestone Union Jack IPA and Dogfish Head 90 IPA, priced between 8,500 won and 10,500 won, at 15 of its stores nationwide in the first two days of the launch.

The share of sales of craft beer at supermarkets also evidences the growing popularity of craft beer. E-mart sells 250 types of imported beer in 15 of its stores. Craft beer takes up five percent of the supermarket chain’s total sales of imported beer.

Recently, Shinsegae L&B, the wine distribution affiliate of Shinsegae Group, put 25,000 bottles from 19 American craft beer brands on sale, creating an air of excitement among beer enthusiasts.

Similarly, Mikkeller, a well-known Scandinavian craft beer company, put 14,000 bottles from its 14 beer products on sale. The Danish beer company established in Copenhagen has a unique system. At its headquarters, it operates a tasting bar where it tests recipes it has developed. However, its beers are actually brewed at its partner breweries in Norway, Belgium, England and the United States depending on the beer type, style and ingredients. For this reason, the company has earned nicknames such as “Ghost Brewery” or “Gypsy.”

Mikkeller beers are noted for their catchy names, such as “Not Just Another Wit,” “Beer Geek Breakfast,” “American Dream” and “Peter Pale and Mary,” as well as for their artistic label designs.

There is an endless variety of craft beer, such as one with 19.3 percent alcohol and ripened in an oak barrel of the highest quality that is used to store French wine and another made with luwak coffee.

According to Kim Seora, an official at Shinsegae L&B, customers are now focusing more on quality than quantity.

“Instead of beer manufactured from huge breweries of global companies, consumers are now purchasing beer made from small breweries or monasteries in Europe or craft beer brewed at pubs. Beers with unique production methods or ingredients are now gaining more popularity among beer enthusiasts,” she said.

Meanwhile, as the beer market expands and competition becomes fierce, local brands have begun introducing ales and various types of beers and started increasing the percentage of malt to break away from uniformity and position the beers as premium beers.

Now, Seoul is transforming into a city where people can grab a high-quality beer anywhere they go, much like Tokyo.