Beer festival to highlight local, int'l brews

Participants enjoy craft beers at October’s Great Korean Beer Festival. / Courtesy of Paran Media

By John Redmond

Lovers of craft beers will get a chance to sample local and international brews at the 6th Great Korean Beer Festival at COEX Mall in southern Seoul from May 4 to 8.

Locally referred to as “handcrafted beers,” these brews boasting distinct, individual characteristics, have been on the rise in Korea for several years.

“Whereas in previous years one had to go to craft beer pubs in Itaewon or Gyeongridan for craft brews, these days craft beer has become so mainstream that many general supermarkets will have varieties in stock,” said one of the event organizers.

Beginning in 2013 and seen as the first and largest craft beer festival in Korea, the event is welcomed by craft beer enthusiasts, to the extent that last October’s event attracted some 74,000 visitors over the five day event.

“The festival is not simply about drinking beer. Brew masters from small, independent breweries will be on hand to introduce their creations, and there will also be food vendors with diverse eats from all over the world, including nachos, pizza, sausage, paella, chicken and tacos,” the organizers stated.

Other attractions for visitors include a “Meeting the Brewer” event, where brewers will share their beer stories and beer philosophies, and visitors will have a chance to ask questions about craft beer. People from overseas craft beer communities will also be visiting the festival.

The event will also feature live music performances from overseas and local bands, balloon art, and sales of beer-themed items.

The festival will have no admission fee, and visitors will be able to directly purchase the beers or foods they want to try, or opt for a beer sampler package, which will allow them to sample small amounts of multiple beers.

The hosts of the event are Media Paran, the Gangnam-gu Office, and the COEX MICE Cluster Committee. The Korea Tourism Organization and the Visit Korea Committee are the sponsors.

Local microbreweries include Weizen Haus, The Hand and Malt, Jejusien, Ka-Brew, Platinum, Korea Craft Brewery, Magpie Brewing, Playground Brewery, Barbarosa, The Booth Brewing and Gorilla Brewing.

Importers and distributors represented are Global Craft Korea (Founders), ATL (Ballast Point), Inter Beer Korea (Stone Beer), The Booth Coldchain, Unibev (Tennent's), B&W Liquor (Big Rock Brewery), and Czech Beer International.

The festival will run for five days from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day at the outdoor plaza of COEX Mall in Samseong-dong.

A total of 18 craft beer businesses and six global food businesses will be participating in the festival, with about 100,000 visitors expected during the five days.

The COEX Mall outdoor plaza is between exits 5 and 6 of Samseong Station on Line 2.