Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robot_Teacher]

I see 3 beers lacking quality; Hite, OB, and Cass for less than $1 US per 500 ml bottle. Does Korea have a premium brand that is more expensive, but high quality? I'm willing to pay 2 or 3 dollars per bottle of premium domestic quality. Where is it in the land of shiny suits, bling, and wanna be CEO's? What's the deal? This rich country only has the cheapest crappiest brew on planet Earth yet it's high tech central? I would think such an intellectual culture so into drinking would have an affluent discriminating taste for good beer.


???? You got me. I thought if a people are achieving economic status and eying high class style, I'd see some quality product, but it seems to be absent. Maybe I'm not shopping in the right stores?

[Hyeon Een]

You could drink (hite) Stout. Or Prime Max. Or Capri.

Capri is like the Korean version of Corona if that floats your boat.

Oh there's Cass Red too, that is about 200won more expensive and 50% more alchol. It is not delicious though.

I suggest you use your beer drinking time in Korea focussing on quantity not quality. Save the quality drinking for Europe or N.American micro-brews or.. anywhere else in the world..

Oh, or Pops Cool bar in Apgujeong. It's a nice little microbrewery.

[pec5002]

Also what is the deal with "Budweiser" here. I heard its not actually Bud but some Korean beer (Cass etc) in their can..

[Joe666]

Out of the 3 domestics mentioned, Hite Max (I am not sure if it's the same as Prime Max, probably is but....) is the tastiest. If you went to a bar, you could probably get a better variety and pay much more per bottle or can!

[Bibbitybop]

You could consider Castle Praha's beer to be local beer, but since they don't bottle it, it's not a regular thing.

I constantly ask Koreans why ONE good beer isn't brewed and bottled here. Their response is always: Koreans won't buy it, they only want the cheapest thing available.

This goes for alcohol, too. Why is there not one decent vodka, whiskey, rum, etc. made here? You can't sell it for 1,500 KRW a bottle.

My response is usually: Why is North Korea able to brew and bottle an excellent beer?

[postfundie]

[the bomb dot com]

I've heard there are some decent brewpubs here (one in Gangnam, maybe?).

Has anyone tried some local micros?

[roadwork]

Someone mentioned on here one time about catching a guy delivering Alley Kat outside of a bar and got the guy to start delivering him a keg of beer at his apartment every so often. I live in the sticks so I'd be lucky to find something as close as Ilsan to get Alley Kat.

[Gaber]

I've heard you can get bottled redrocks ...somewhere. Or maybe I just dreamed it. Anyway, it's a step up on the other domestics if you cn find it.

[jdog2050]

[Pwillig]

I just stick to the import beers if I want flavor - usually the weissbier variety.

[Adventurer]

I am not sure Koreans really care, it's good enough for them, I assume. It's kind of like in the US with how Europeans and, to some extent, say Americans don't value high quality beer as much as them, but that has changed somewhat, and America does have micro-breweries and good beers like Samuel Adams, Shiner Bock. I don't think your average Korean cares about the quality of beer. It's what they're used to just as some people think Coors lite is good. I prefer imported stuff.
I don't mind Stout, which is a Korean beer.

[jdog2050]

[Adventurer]

[anynag]

It's all piss in a bottle or can with some food colouring thrown in to change its appearance.

I hope major improvements in the beer industry come to fruition. They would be welcomed with dusted off steins only reserved for quality brew, which has been lacking in Korea indefinitely (save for some imports).