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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 3:55 pm Post subject: Lotte to sell its Kloud beer soon |
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Schlitz and Pabst are probably shaking in their boots. LOL
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2987509
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A heartier taste means it won’t be suitable for mixing with soju
Lotte Liquor is throwing down the gauntlet in the domestic beer market by launching its first beer, Kloud.
Lotte Liquor said Friday that it is launching the new Kloud - which refers to Korea and a rich, cloud-like foam - to take on market leaders Oriental Brewery, which has 60 percent of the market with Cass and OB brands, and Hite Jinro, which has 40 percent.
The company said it will be the first beer made in Korea to use the original gravity method of production, which is used in Germany.
The gravity method does not add water to the fermented solution of raw materials, and beers manufactured that way have rich foam and taste.
At the Lotte Liquor beer factory in Chungju last Friday, an employee of Lotte Liquor poured a 330-milliliter (11-ounce) beer can into a cup on a table.
Instantly, the cup was filled with foam as if it were a bathtub filled with bubbles.
Kloud is a premium beer that uses European hops and yeast from Germany, the company explained.
“We chose the original gravity method to reflect the consumers’ dissatisfaction over the taste of beer currently available,” said a spokesman for Lotte Liquor.
“In order to emphasize that it is Korean beer, we used the letter K for Kloud,” said Woo Chang-kyun, marketing director of Lotte Liquor.
It also reflects its ambitions to seize the Korean beer market with richer foam, which rises like a cumulus cloud.
“While Cass and Hite are manufactured by adding water to the fermented raw materials, such as barley and hops, with an alcohol content of 6 to 7 percent, Kloud uses the fermented liquid of raw materials with an alcohol content of 5 percent.”
Opinions are divided in the liquor industry. Some say the new brand could create a whole new class of consumers. Others say the product is too different and will be shunned by consumers who are used to the taste of existing beers in Korea.
Chang In-su, CEO of Oriental Brewery, said at a recent press conference that Cass has already captured the Korean consumers’ taste.
Due to the unique Korean customs of combining soju with beer, some observers say that Kloud’s entry into the beer market will not be smooth.
But Lotte has chosen to take the bull by the horns.
“People are saying that South Korean beers taste worse than North Korean beers, and it’s because we are used to the light taste of beer that goes well with soju,” said Woo. “Kloud will be a beer for consumers who wish to drink beer only.”
“As Lotte has a wide retail network and experience in sales of soju, the success of Kloud will depend on how it will utilize those advantages,” said a researcher at Hana Daetoo Securities.
Lotte is expected to set the price of Kloud higher than that of Cass and Hite and lower than imported premium beers.
“The original gravity method of manufacturing takes 10 percent more in production costs than the high gravity production method of other Korean beers,” said Kim. “Our goal is to realize the taste and quality of imported premium beers at the price of Korean beers.”
“We expect to bring a change in the history of Korea’s beer industry, often reputed as ‘boring,’ with this kind of real beer,” said the Lotte Liquor spokesman.
The company plans to introduce Kloud at the end of April after holding an opening ceremony of its beer factory in Chungju, North Chungcheong, on April 8.
The company plans to invest 20 billion won for initial marketing costs and expand its production capacity up to 500,000 kiloliters by the end of 2017 from the current 50,000 kiloliters, or 2.5 percent of Korea’s domestic beer consumption.
BY KIM JUNG-YOON AND MOON BYUNG-JOO [[email protected]]
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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Klearly a lot of klever marketing went into this! Throw some kute models onto the ad posters and kall it a wrap. Kloud is coming! "Original Gravity!"
Interesting decision to say outright that it isn't suitable for mixing with soju. Hard to say if that will help them or not. It'll be interesting to see if it does well.
Can't blame them for trying, as it follows the general Korean business model of copying a foreign product to pawn off as their own creation. I wonder if they'll try to enter foreign markets by lowering the price or offering money back guarantees (ala the 10 year warrantee of Hyundae) to get a foot into the market.
With my experience with other Korean beers, I'm skeptical about this one too: Hopefully they left out whatever chemicals the other Korean beers are putting into their products that give wicked headaches and hangovers. They were bragging about the amount of foam: well let's hope they didn't just add some extra bubble bath mix to it. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I actually saw Milwaukee's Best "Premium" in E-mart the other day. I don't remember what it cost but I am sure it was a "small fortune." |
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jazzmaster
Joined: 30 Sep 2013
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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Mix1 is spot on when he mentions the marketing. Essentially they aren't doing anything new. Chances are it will just be another mediocre adjunct lager for the Korean masses. All this talk of foam and gravity don't mean much if the ingredients are crap. Using European hops and yeast from Germany doesn't mean it will be a decent beer. How much hops are they using? What are they mixing it with? How many corners are being cut to make sure it's at a competitive price point?
With beer you get what you pay for. If you want a decent beer you pay the extra, and drink less. I'd rather have a couple of pints of Bill's Pale Ale or Magpie's Porter than all I can drink Cass/Hite/Kloud. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Mix1 wrote: |
Can't blame them for trying, as it follows the general Korean business model of copying a foreign product to pawn off as their own creation. I wonder if they'll try to enter foreign markets by lowering the price or offering money back guarantees (ala the 10 year warrantee of Hyundae) to get a |
Dude, its frickin beer. Lighten up. If some Mexican company come out with a Vodka or some Swedish company decided to whip up some whiskey, possibly using some foreign production methods, I don't think anyone here would link it to culture and the technological sector.
It's frickin beer. If it tastes good, then its all good. Anyways, don't knock it till you've tried it. Korean beers are fine with Korean food and that's about it. Maybe suitable for beer pong. If I'm at a bar, I'd rather have something imported. A Suntory/Bell's Two-Hearted/Wiehenstephaner Heffeweissen/Magic Hat #9/Third Coast/Negra Modelo/Tetley's wouldn't go down well with Samgyupsal or Dalkgalbi. In that case, bring on the Hite. Conversely, going to a nice pub and being subjected to Cass would be like going to a concert and forced to wear ear plugs.
The biggest problem with Korean beer is the buzz. Everyone knows the joy of the wine buzz. It's great (till the next day). Magkeoli can give you a good, happy buzz, heck even soju (sometimes). Korean beer just never gives you the kind of happy buzz that other beers give (I'd rate Suntory, Pacifico, and Guinness as some of the great "buzz" beers.
I tried Queen's Ale, meh. It's no Suntory. Anyways, Kloud sounds like it should be blue colored and served at some bar that blasts Eurotrash music.
And Korea should get into the pepper-infused Soju concept ala Absolut Peppar. I think it would go down well here.
Anyways, someone posted this over at that other site (I just lurk there), and I have to repost it here- What's wrong with the beer we got?!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cj5IFdapS8&noredirect=1 |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Some of the folks over at those 'hater' blogs are just going to love this name? First 'Mother's Finger, 'Ricetards', 'Magic Hole'...and now 'Kloud'.
Krazy stuff.  |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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| an utterly terrible terrible name for a beer. i'd fire those marketing clowns at lotte if i worked there. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| I wish them luck but I expect that they will fudge the price to perceived value ratio. |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Steelrails"]
| Mix1 wrote: |
Korean beer just never gives you the kind of happy buzz that other beers give (I'd rate Suntory, Pacifico, and Guinness as some of the great "buzz" beers.
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I'm not a big drinker but it seems to me if they are all using the same active ingredient (ethanol) at a similar concentration 4-5% then the physiological effect should be the same. How do you account for the difference in, to use your words, "buzz"? |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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Pretty soon they're going to try and copyright the letter K. K-pop, K-food, K-life, now Kloud.
I agree it's a terrible name for a beer. What do clouds (klouds) have to do with beer?
I'm curious about the pricing. I wonder just how much of a premium they are going to charge. |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| atwood wrote: |
Pretty soon they're going to try and copyright the letter K. K-pop, K-food, K-life, now Kloud.
I agree it's a terrible name for a beer. What do clouds (klouds) have to do with beer?
I'm curious about the pricing. I wonder just how much of a premium they are going to charge. |
Ahh...you are misreading it.
It isn't cloud...it is K loud.
We all know how loud people get when they drink.
And this beer promises to do the same...but Korean style.
Kloud.
These assholes were sitting next to me in a pub and the were so loud, K loud even.
The motto
"Kloud!!! The name yells for itself!" |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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K-Loud. Now its gone from Eurotrash to the trailer trash of K-Fed. Whatever hopes for this beer were there within me are rapidly dwindling.
Off-topic- Hite vs. Cass vs. Max vs. OB? I prefer Max out of all of them if I have to drink it straight at a bar. But that's like preferring gonorrhea to AIDS, Herpes, and Pubic Lice (OB isn't quite as bad as the other two) |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:42 am Post subject: |
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The real problem isnt the beer, its the transportation and cooling method.
Beer here is transported in the back of an open topped truck exposed to the sun and heat. Alone this is enough to ruin even the best of beers. Being Skunked is a real thing and any thing that you drink in a bottle in Korea has already been skunked, 100% of the time. Beer in a keg will fare better, but its not not a perfect solution.
Combine that with the distinct lack of any cooling room / chiller being used anywhere and you have some pretty shit beer overall.
While cass/OB/hite are not good beers by any stretch of the imitation, they would at least be half drinkable bad beers if the transportation wasn't as 3rd world as it is. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:01 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
K-Loud. Now its gone from Eurotrash to the trailer trash of K-Fed. Whatever hopes for this beer were there within me are rapidly dwindling.
Off-topic- Hite vs. Cass vs. Max vs. OB? I prefer Max out of all of them if I have to drink it straight at a bar. But that's like preferring gonorrhea to AIDS, Herpes, and Pubic Lice (OB isn't quite as bad as the other two) |
They'll send out a bunch of 20 year olds in miniskirts to "market" it and you'll guzzle it down. By the third one you won't taste it anymore so it'll be just fine. You'll be lapping it up along with all of the other ajoshi. But when you wake up the next morning... 
... you'll taste the 7 herbs and spices. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Mix1 wrote: |
Can't blame them for trying, as it follows the general Korean business model of copying a foreign product to pawn off as their own creation. I wonder if they'll try to enter foreign markets by lowering the price or offering money back guarantees (ala the 10 year warrantee of Hyundae) to get a |
Dude, its frickin beer. Lighten up. If some Mexican company come out with a Vodka or some Swedish company decided to whip up some whiskey, possibly using some foreign production methods, I don't think anyone here would link it to culture and the technological sector.
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Mexico and Sweden are not known for making cheaper copies of everything and then trying to pawn it off as their own innovations; Korea is though. That's the difference and it's a pattern... even with beer.
Therefore it's hard to take a lot of their products seriously because you know it's not some offbeat creative idea for a new product, but rather a copy of something else almost every time. And naming it "Kloud" is just the icing on the cake.
A Mexican vodka? Sounds interesting. A Korean vodka? Who'd they copy? Sorry, but they made their own reputation on this one. Don't blame others for pointing it out.
I do agree with you that the buzz of Korean beer sucks: for me it's a drowsy buzz, coupled with a mild headache, and that's after one glass. |
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