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Mr. BlackCat
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE
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 Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
Koreans will drink good beer (or at least, better). That's for when they go to a bar dedicated to beer. What, you think it's only expats keeping the places with imported beer open?
But if you are out at a typical Korean bar or restaurant, sorry but the only imported beers I could imagine tasting good with Korean BBQ or a plate of dalkkalbi would be something like an MGD/Budweiser, at best maybe a Mexican brew like Pacifico or Sol.
It would be like drinking magkeoli with Italian or Tex-Mex. It just wouldn't taste right. |
I don't really agree with you here. It's kind of a chicken and an egg argument as waynehead brings up. Different cultures all over the world have produced good beers and spirits that compliment and go with their diverse foods, I don't see why it has to be different here.
Many of the issues that plague modern Korea, as discussed in the article and here, is the entry and production barriers smaller players have to put up with in the face of the chaebols. I also think it has to do with Korea's quick rise into modernity, which we see in the food here as well. When they were poor Koreans convinced themselves that eating fat, feet and other undesirable parts of the animals (and produce) was good for you. They haven't had enough time to change society's views on these things, that's why we still get confronted with claims that rotten cabbage prevents cancer and borderline antifreeze in green bottles is good for stamina (side note: for a country with so many things that are good for stamina, Koreans do tend to nap a lot).
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. You're not bringing Jessica Alba/Ben Affleck home every night unless you're Ben Affleck/Jessica Alba. I have had the privilege to visit some of the best beer houses and microbrews in the world, from beer halls in Munich to holes in the walls in Brussels with 50 page beer menus. Sure, I like to splurge and drink the good stuff, especially when I can get a good price at Home Plus or if I'm having a nice meal. But if I'm out with the boys on a Saturday night the only thing that's going to remember my good taste is my wallet. |
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darkjedidave
Joined: 19 Aug 2009
Location: Shanghai/Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, local beer made me start brewing my own again. It turns out better than any of the swill here.
On a similar note, any place in the South where you can buy Taedonggang Beer? I would be interested in trying it. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| geldedgoat wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| But if you are out at a typical Korean bar or restaurant, sorry but the only imported beers [...] |
...are the ones you smuggle in?  |
Nice.
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| So Koreans are keeping Craftworks open? And the crappy Korean alcohol isn't crappy because it goes well with the Korean food, huh? |
Yes, because the only place in Korea to get tasty imported beer is Craftworks. 
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? Why ruin your full pint of Bell's Two Hearted with a plate of chicken butt?
As for crappy Korean alcohol...Cheese Whiz is crappy cheese, but there is nothing else that belongs on a proper Philly Cheesesteak. Diet Coke is crap, but for a Long Island Ice Tea, it is the only way to go. Moonshine is awful stuff, but it goes great with BBQ Pork.
The reason the Korean alcohol gets a pass is that the food is the primary part of the menu. The drink compliments the food, not the food complimenting the drink.
You could have the finest glass of Cognac around and some cheap swill of a Mexican beer. Guess which I would choose to drink if I was going out for some Tex-Mex? Would I chose Seamus McDrinkey's Swill O'The Trough to go with me Shepherd's pie or a premium sake? Give me the swill.
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| I agree that crappy Korean beer goes great with galbi or something like that, but it's only because we're conditioned to put the two together. |
Tried it with geldedgoat's method. Thought we were onto something, then retreated to Hite in shame and self-loathing. Like I said, light crisp beers, if they are imported, can certainly work. But a nice dunkel would just ruin both things, and I love good beer to much to do that.
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| Many of the issues that plague modern Korea, as discussed in the article and here, is the entry and production barriers smaller players have to put up with in the face of the chaebols. |
I'd agree with this. You might see a better batch of beer if the monopolies were broken up.
Koreans do seem to be semi-decent at certain alcohol crafts. Some flower/herbal wines I've tried have been real nice, especially ones that are served hot. Craft Magkeoli is starting to grow bigger and bigger. I've been to some Magkeoli bars that serve 40+ kinds of Magkeoli and there is definitely quality there. |
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John Stamos jr.
Joined: 07 Oct 2012
Location: Namsan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| 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. |
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Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:31 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Tried it with geldedgoat's method. Thought we were onto something, then retreated to Hite in shame and self-loathing. Like I said, light crisp beers, if they are imported, can certainly work. But a nice dunkel would just ruin both things, and I love good beer to much to do that. |
I have to agree with the Steel man on this one. Some drinks are better suited to particular food and I think a nice pilsner would be best for a lot of Korean food. This is not to say that Hite or Cass are acceptable beers though. The Koreans need to improve there beer. It's possible to brew a nice pilsner that compliments the food. It's just that the Korean companies don't use decent ingredients. And whose fault is this? Apparently it's the Americans. I can't remember who told me this but after the Korean war the beer made in South Korea was very similar to the North Korean beer. However the residing American forces demanded a beer more like they were accustomed to back home. Basically Bud. Which makes me wonder why for so long American beer was terrible? The reason was prohibition. Prohibition made American brewers use non standard ingredients to make their alcohol. When prohibition was repealed the brewers kept using many of the cheaper ingredients to save money. Plus the American palette had adjusted to things like corn and rice being present in beers.
So in conclusion it was America's fault.
Not quite but you get the idea of how things evolved.
But cheer up folks. Korean beer is getting better and will continue to improve. The best thing you can do is to stop buying the crap beers and start buying better beers. Craftworks, Magpie, 7Brau, and some craft brews are available in a lot of bars now. The question is though, do you want to pay the extra? |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:05 am Post subject: |
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| Seoulman69 wrote: |
So in conclusion it was America's fault.
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Maybe that's what Psy was rapping about. Bad beer is torture and if one had to endure it long enough, I can see that resulting in a spew of comments.
Hmm, perhaps I should sympathize more with the basher community...
| Quote: |
| 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. |
So you'd order a Trappist Ale or a Rogue with some chicken butt or dalkkalbi? That's just a waste of good beer. It would make both the food and the beer taste worse. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that crappy wine would go better with Italian food than expensive Scotch.
If I want to drink good beer, I'm not ordering Korean food. I like my good beer. That's what Round 2 after the meat place is for- For good beer.
On a side note, I miss Barley wine. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:38 am Post subject: |
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| Those comparisons aren't very persuasive, since you're comparing different kinds of alcohols rather than different quality alcohols of the same kind. |
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transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:54 am Post subject: |
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To me, this article is like the Korea Times writing an expose on the shittiness of New Zealand's soju industry.
Koreans (in general, though of course there are exceptions) just have no beer drinking culture and don't give a two hoots about it as a product to be savoured, and it shows in the lack of quality in their domestic product.
Korean beer gives me the worst headaches, so I wonder what else is in it sometimes. The taste is bland, but I've had worse.
NZ kicks Korea's ass at beer, of course, but we should be ashamed if we didn't. |
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Unibrow
Joined: 20 Aug 2012
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:55 am Post subject: |
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