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The Economist Comments on Korean Beer: It Sucks!
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Seoulman69



Joined: 14 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Even if true, they've had plenty of time to modify or improve the product since then. They haven't. Mostly because most are fine with it as it is or don't know what real beer is supposed to taste like in comparison. Look at Japanese beers. World of difference. Korea copied many of their other products, but couldn't copy the beers?


I agree but I don't think improving the beer was top of Korea's list in the past. They are quite happy drinking soju and cass. It's only recently as Korea has reached new levels of affluence that people have began to realize how bad their beer is. It is getting better though. Max, Hite D, OB Golden Lager, and 7Brau have all been steps in the right direction. We just need to be patient.

It's interesting you mention Japanese beer because I know a little tale about that too. The Japanese government requires brewers in Japan to use a minimum amount of hops and barley in their beers. The Korean government requires the same of brewers in Korea but the required percentage in Japan is much higher than in Korea. That's a reason why Japanese beer is overall better than Korean beer.
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Steelrails



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rainman3277 wrote:

Wow. I've read you are a king korean apologist which is cool cause I am no friend of the whining and crying of many of the foreign community but.... you are actually trying to say the beer was made crappy intentionally to suit cuisine? Man, you are reeeeally reaching.


I'm saying that a light, fairly carbonated, low alcohol, less hoppy, crisp beer is well suited for Korean food, as opposed say, to a stout or a creamy ale. As I said, you could drink something like an MGD or Coors Lite or even perhaps a Mexican brew with Korean food and it would be alright. A Pacifico or the vastly underrated Trader Jose's cervezas are not crappy beers.

But I do think one reason they are all fairly similar in taste is that that is the kind of taste that matches much of the food here.
geldedgoat wrote:
Those comparisons aren't very persuasive, since you're comparing different kinds of alcohols rather than different quality alcohols of the same kind.


Fine, take Indian curry or a plate of chili cheese fries- Which would go better- a Wiehenstephaner Heffeweissen or a Budweiser? One's a better beer, one's better with the dish. Some beers are good with certain foods. Some are better drunk alone.

If I was a nation of curry eaters, I wouldn't be offering certain complex tasting beers.

Or take American Chinese food. That really has a tough time matching with any alcohol outside of a pre-meal cocktail. I'm a out and out boozer, but American Chinese food is one of the few cuisines I just won't order alcohol with. Beer or whiskey or wine, doesn't really match. Pepsi does (and I don't like Pepsi- This is actually a serious point amongst American Chinese afficiandos, much like the union of Taco Bell & Dr. Pepper) Middle Eastern food as well, outside of maybe some wine, is generally not good with most kinds of alcohol. Fish & Chips on the other hand, is a wonderful dish with just about any kind of beer, though there are those that take sides.

Notice how mainstream Mexican beers all are of a similar style and character- Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate, Modelo, Pacifico, Sol. Think that might have something to do with the food?[/quote]
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KimchiNinja



Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr. BlackCat wrote:
I'm saying all this as a non-beer snob. Beer is like sex and pizza, even when it's bad it's still pretty good.


Well put!

I enjoy beer in Asia, a lot of places over here prefer the "thin crisp clean" taste. In CH I drink TsingTao, in KR I drink Cass, in MX Corona+lime, in the US something thick and tastey from a local brewery. But to me a heavy beer doesn't seem right with Korean food. Just like how a Corona doesn't taste right without sun and beach.
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KimchiNinja



Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

John Stamos jr. wrote:
Quote:
Oh and John, did it ever occur to you that not drinking good beer with "crappy Korean food" is protecting the integrity of good beer?


lol, I think your argument is whack. I can't believe you can't be honest with yourself about some of your "opinions"... and, especially, why you hold them. You can make all the analogies you want and fluff up threads with all the nonsense you want, but I think your opinion on this is bogus. "The bad beer compliments the food?" Really? Korean beer stinks, don't need to say much more than that.


More world-traveler wisdom from John Stamos Jr.

[facepalm]
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Mr. BlackCat



Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:

Fine, take Indian curry or a plate of chili cheese fries- Which would go better- a Wiehenstephaner Heffeweissen or a Budweiser? One's a better beer, one's better with the dish. Some beers are good with certain foods. Some are better drunk alone.

If I was a nation of curry eaters, I wouldn't be offering certain complex tasting beers.

Or take American Chinese food. That really has a tough time matching with any alcohol outside of a pre-meal cocktail. I'm a out and out boozer, but American Chinese food is one of the few cuisines I just won't order alcohol with. Beer or whiskey or wine, doesn't really match. Pepsi does (and I don't like Pepsi- This is actually a serious point amongst American Chinese afficiandos, much like the union of Taco Bell & Dr. Pepper) Middle Eastern food as well, outside of maybe some wine, is generally not good with most kinds of alcohol. Fish & Chips on the other hand, is a wonderful dish with just about any kind of beer, though there are those that take sides.

Notice how mainstream Mexican beers all are of a similar style and character- Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate, Modelo, Pacifico, Sol. Think that might have something to do with the food?


I do agree with you that a crisp light beer goes better with most Korean food, but that doesn't excuse the quality of that beer here. I'm not saying that Korea needs great beer to be accepted as an industrialized country or whatever, they're not a beer country and that's fine, but it's silly to make excuses for the lack of good beer here.

You're taking examples of certain types of foods from some countries and then pairing it with lower quality beer. What you're ignoring is the fact that these countries also have higher quality beer. Korean has one and not the other. That's the point. Every country will have some crappy beers, even Belgium and Germany, but most also have great beers or at least a microbrew option. Korea just has mass made lower quality half-water. Again, I don't have a problem with it but I'm also not bending over backwards to prove otherwise. Trust me, I will take a 3k won pint of Korea Krap over an $8 pint of Canadian Crap (plus tip!) any day of the week (and often all 7).

What outrages me most about your post and makes me believe you truly are an evil anarchist is that you have now made me deliriously crave American Chinese food. I hate you, SR. HATE!

Very Happy
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rainman3277



Joined: 13 Sep 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="KimchiNinja"]
Mr. BlackCat wrote:
I'm saying all this as a non-beer snob. Beer is like sex and pizza, even when it's bad it's still pretty good.


NO WAY! Pizza I agree, but you don't have to be a beer snob to be unable to stomach awful beer. Have you heard of Brigade beer in USA? That was undrinkable. Hite beer is right up there too.
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John Stamos jr.



Joined: 07 Oct 2012
Location: Namsan

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KimchiNinja wrote:
John Stamos jr. wrote:
Quote:
Oh and John, did it ever occur to you that not drinking good beer with "crappy Korean food" is protecting the integrity of good beer?


lol, I think your argument is whack. I can't believe you can't be honest with yourself about some of your "opinions"... and, especially, why you hold them. You can make all the analogies you want and fluff up threads with all the nonsense you want, but I think your opinion on this is bogus. "The bad beer compliments the food?" Really? Korean beer stinks, don't need to say much more than that.


More world-traveler wisdom from John Stamos Jr.

[facepalm]


What does that even mean? So, you're saying Korean beer is good? Think you got some brain deficiency, son.
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geldedgoat



Joined: 05 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:

geldedgoat wrote:
Those comparisons aren't very persuasive, since you're comparing different kinds of alcohols rather than different quality alcohols of the same kind.


Fine, take Indian curry or a plate of chili cheese fries- Which would go better- a Wiehenstephaner Heffeweissen or a Budweiser?


This is still the same false comparison: one is a quality wheat beer, the other a cheap American lager. I think what you want to say is that pale lagers pair best with Korean food, correct? Well I don't imagine anyone here is arguing that Korean beer is bad because they're all pale lagers (well, plus that Stout stuff). What we're saying is that these pale lagers are low quality, hangover-inducing, chemical-laced horsepiss, and there is no higher quality Korean alternative. A higher quality alternative being something like Pilsner Urquell or Stella Artois.
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Seoulman69



Joined: 14 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I think what you want to say is that pale lagers pair best with Korean food, correct?


That's what I took from SR's posts.
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NQ



Joined: 16 Feb 2012

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

But what about the laxative effect of Korean booze??? Nobody else have issues?
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Zyzyfer



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr. BlackCat wrote:
What outrages me most about your post and makes me believe you truly are an evil anarchist is that you have now made me deliriously crave American Chinese food. I hate you, SR. HATE!

Very Happy


With Coke! (Pepsi is for loosers.)
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jdog2050



Joined: 17 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:
rainman3277 wrote:

Wow. I've read you are a king korean apologist which is cool cause I am no friend of the whining and crying of many of the foreign community but.... you are actually trying to say the beer was made crappy intentionally to suit cuisine? Man, you are reeeeally reaching.


I'm saying that a light, fairly carbonated, low alcohol, less hoppy, crisp beer is well suited for Korean food, as opposed say, to a stout or a creamy ale. As I said, you could drink something like an MGD or Coors Lite or even perhaps a Mexican brew with Korean food and it would be alright. A Pacifico or the vastly underrated Trader Jose's cervezas are not crappy beers.

But I do think one reason they are all fairly similar in taste is that that is the kind of taste that matches much of the food here.
geldedgoat wrote:
Those comparisons aren't very persuasive, since you're comparing different kinds of alcohols rather than different quality alcohols of the same kind.


Fine, take Indian curry or a plate of chili cheese fries- Which would go better- a Wiehenstephaner Heffeweissen or a Budweiser? One's a better beer, one's better with the dish. Some beers are good with certain foods. Some are better drunk alone.

If I was a nation of curry eaters, I wouldn't be offering certain complex tasting beers.

Or take American Chinese food. That really has a tough time matching with any alcohol outside of a pre-meal cocktail. I'm a out and out boozer, but American Chinese food is one of the few cuisines I just won't order alcohol with. Beer or whiskey or wine, doesn't really match. Pepsi does (and I don't like Pepsi- This is actually a serious point amongst American Chinese afficiandos, much like the union of Taco Bell & Dr. Pepper) Middle Eastern food as well, outside of maybe some wine, is generally not good with most kinds of alcohol. Fish & Chips on the other hand, is a wonderful dish with just about any kind of beer, though there are those that take sides.

Notice how mainstream Mexican beers all are of a similar style and character- Corona, Dos Equis, Tecate, Modelo, Pacifico, Sol. Think that might have something to do with the food?
[/quote]

See, I don't agree with this at all--the idea that Cass and Hite just "kind of go with" Korean food. That's like saying water goes with Korean food. Water and Hite are generally flavorless so of course they "go with" almost anything.

Further more, what is "Korean food"? You've got a huge discrepency between spicy, savory, salty, etc. Kimchi Chiggae and Galbi-gook aren't remotely the same flavor profile. Pork bbq and stuffed squid (an east-coast specialty) are also completely different. Cass and Hite just go with all of that? I'd say, on a gastronomic level...no...they don't. Just like water doesn't "go with anything" because technically it "goes with" everything.

I'm gonna make some Korean food pairings, all of which are easily obtained.

Korean Pork BBQ--Budwicky Budvar. Budwicky is the best pilsner you can get in Korea. It's pretty crisp, bready, and nicely bodied with just enough sweetness to match the marinade on the BBQ.

Kimchi-Chiggae--Indica IPA/Downtown Brown (Lost Coast). This depends on whether you want to take the heat up or bring it down. Also depends on the season.

Grilled Mackerel--Weihenstephenar or Paulaner Weizen. A nice sweet weizen goes well with some salty, light fish.
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Peace Train



Joined: 01 Nov 2012

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:
rainman3277 wrote:

Wow. I've read you are a king korean apologist which is cool cause I am no friend of the whining and crying of many of the foreign community but.... you are actually trying to say the beer was made crappy intentionally to suit cuisine? Man, you are reeeeally reaching.


I'm saying that a light, fairly carbonated, low alcohol, less hoppy, crisp beer is well suited for Korean food, as opposed say, to a stout or a creamy ale. As I said, you could drink something like an MGD or Coors Lite or even perhaps a Mexican brew with Korean food and it would be alright.


You base this on what exactly? Instinct? A double blind test? Opinions from other Koreans? Findings released from the highly reputably scientists at Cass Korea?

Whenever a restaurant has had D available, it's made my meal considerably better. Cass/Hite/OB don't enhance anything -- they detract. That overly carbonated, sweet, shame-in-a-glass is damn near impossible to choke down.

I've had take away Korean food I ate with solid imported stouts and they were excellent. This idea that peasant food must be pared with peasant drink is asinine.
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jdog2050



Joined: 17 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Peace Train wrote:
Steelrails wrote:
rainman3277 wrote:

Wow. I've read you are a king korean apologist which is cool cause I am no friend of the whining and crying of many of the foreign community but.... you are actually trying to say the beer was made crappy intentionally to suit cuisine? Man, you are reeeeally reaching.


I'm saying that a light, fairly carbonated, low alcohol, less hoppy, crisp beer is well suited for Korean food, as opposed say, to a stout or a creamy ale. As I said, you could drink something like an MGD or Coors Lite or even perhaps a Mexican brew with Korean food and it would be alright.


You base this on what exactly? Instinct? A double blind test? Opinions from other Koreans? Findings released from the highly reputably scientists at Cass Korea?

Whenever a restaurant has had D available, it's made my meal considerably better. Cass/Hite/OB don't enhance anything -- they detract. That overly carbonated, sweet, shame-in-a-glass is damn near impossible to choke down.

I've had take away Korean food I ate with solid imported stouts and they were excellent. This idea that peasant food must be pared with peasant drink is asinine.


Exactly my point! Have a good Korean meal with a good beer. Night and Day.
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KimchiNinja



Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Common sense intermission...

Arguing on the internet won't change what exists. The various cultures of Earth evolved their own diets/tastes based on what was available to them, and what combinations tasted good.

...we now return you to your regular program.
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