Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bronski]

I did this a year or so ago with my friend. First, out of Hite, Cass, and OB, decide what you like best. Next, do a blind taste test to see if you really like what you think you like, or if you're just a victim of that classy Cass font and color scheme. Also, just for fun, try to guess which is which.

My results were exactly as I predicted:

1. Hite
2. Cass
3. OB

OB was a distant last.

This can be expanded to include Prime Maxx and other watery, disgusting Korean beers.

Good luck and report back shortly!

[Steelrails]

Man, I don't even need a blinder...Hite's the best out of all them

But I have to put the C(ass) at number three. I had OB back in the states and it was bad, but then I had Cass and it wasn't so bad.

I'm downing my crap beer sorrows in Hite right now. It's watery, bland, and all around disappointing, but...it beats the Cass and the OB.

I still have a 3/4 month old thing of MAX sitting in the fridge.

Have you ever had Cass 2X? That is the flat out worst.

In my tiny town all we have are Bud, Corona, Heinken and Korean beer.

I used to rag on Heineken and Corona until I came here.

One time I ordered a Cruiser thinking it was a beer...that sent the night south real quick.

Anyways, good thread man.

If I ever run across any good beer I'll pass it along.

Wow, Magic Hat brewery 5 minutes away. I don't think I would have made it to Korea if that was in my town.

[alphakennyone]

I still insist OB tasted better before it became OB Blue.

[GreenlightmeansGO]

I feel bad - I just buy whatever, knowing it will be crap but still get me drunk. Perhaps I should do a blind-test. Perhaps this weekend or next.

[bassexpander]

I like Hite and Cass.

My favorite is still that Japanese beer, Asahi. I like light beers.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Hmm...I think it makes a big difference how cold they are.

Hite-unchilled you get attacked by the yeast smell when you open it, but ice cold it's OK on a hot day.

OB and Cass I doubt I could tell apart in a blind test

Of course it depends very much on how watered down they are.

Prime Max uses malted barley so in theory it ought to taste as such, but a blind test?

Cass 6.9-I'd tell that crap anywhere.

Hite S-maybe a toilet test for that one.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

For that matter,can anyone tell sojus apart?

-Chamisul-
-Cheon Chorum(?)
-San Soju-supposedly has green tea extract
-Jinro (clear bottle, toad trademark, 25%)

The first 3 taste identical to me -any differences come and go which makes me think they're imagined. All very sweet and oily. Jinro is a bit sharper (read: harsher)

Soju=Victory Gin (Orwell's 1984)

[alphakennyone]

I feel I can tell Prime Max apart from the other beers. The first two sips make it appear to be vastly better tasting than the others, but then there's the nasty aftertaste and it ends up being the same. I also think I'd be able to sniff out that syrupy sweet Cafri stuff.

chureum chulum (also sp?) tastes slightly smoother to me. And Jinro came out with a "lighter" soju (also slightly lower alcohol content..maybe 18%) that was MUCH less harsh. I could barely taste it when mixed and it went down pretty easy straight, too. I think it was marketed towards ladies in an attempt to insult my masculinity everytime I purchased it. I can't remember the name though.

Another alcohol that needs to be chilled.

Korea has such cold winters...is there any alcohol meant to be had room temperature or even warm? I'm not really into freezing cold drinks in the middle of December. Then they get all warm and nasty because they're resting on the ondol floor.

I'd rather sip on a neat whiskey to warm myself up. Or even a hot sake.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

When I was first in Korea Chamisul was 23.5% and not quite as sweet. I noticed the alcohol going down and the sweetness going up at yearly intervals. What is it now? 20-21%.

Interestingly, a lot of beers are being re-packaged and come out sweeter eg Kirin and Steinlager in New Zealand.

I can't think of any Korean booze that's good unchilled. If anything, stronger drinks like Moon Bae Sul (40%) are still drinkable, but I like Vodka chilled so it's the same deal.

Rasberry Wine (복분자주 )is much better chilled.

A lot of Korea alcohol spoils through storage or apparent lack of quality control. Sansachun can be good, it can also taste like sour milk.

[alphakennyone]

It's actually America where I see beer actually tasting better, and alcohol %s increasing, as time goes on. There are the microbreweries (one local to me supposedly invented the "double" (hops) india pale ale style) and I guess they are hurting the big boys' business, so Budweiser came out with this stuff called "American ale." Still not as good as the micros, or European imports, but much better than regular Bud. A lot of people like the bitter taste of hops.

Yeah, every Korean alcohol I can think of absolutely has to be chilled - mak gul li, the fruit wines, bek se ju. Maybe cheongsa (sp again?) would be ok to heat up since it's basically a Korean imitation of sake. As for spoilage, I think a lot has to do with the shoddy caps I see placed on the booze. Mak gul li bottles often will leak, even when unopened.

I have never tried Moon Bae Sul. I tried some North Korean booze once (bought from the DMZ) and it was ok. I also bought some Chinese stuff (40%) for only 1000 won at E-mart, but the next day the tissue under my tongue was bright red, inflamed, and irritable to the touch. Never again.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Double hopping was supposedly invented in New Zealand too.

Hops are just a bittering agent. When hops overtake the barley that's nasty. Very popular with microbreweries here. You don't need to re-invent the wheel with beer. Christ on a bike.

Moon bae sul is pretty good. Inthe booze section of the supermarket there are heaps of alcohols in ceramic bottles. They'll be in Hanja, but it's worth doing a "lucky dip".

Chinese liquor-shudder. Cheap but regrettable . The Chinese supermarkets have some astounding anju eg giant silk worms.

[samcheokguy]

No San 산 drinkers here? That is the real man's soju.

[Chambertin]

People are suckers.

Do the same thing with Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.
The best tasting is generally not the most popular.

I drink as local as possible. Support the guy who cares and get some great products out of it.
Almost always good stuff, some local breweries can churn out junk too.

[JBomb]

in terms of Japanese Beers, Kirin is better than Asahi by miles.

[alphakennyone]

My Japanese beer rankings after 8 months of research and not counting microbreweries:

1) Suntory Malts
2) Asahi Super-dry
3) Sapporo
4) Kirin

3 & 4 may have been influenced by image more than anything else.