- Beer in Korea
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Beer in Korea Korean name Hangul 맥주 Hanja 麥酒 Revised Romanization maekju McCune–Reischauer maekchu Beer was introduced to Korea by Europeans in early-20th century. Both of current major breweries date from 1920s. The third participant, Jinro Coors Brewery, was founded in 1990's, but was acquired by OB later.
The Korean beer market is dominated by two major companies, Hite-Jinro, and OB, and those two provide several brands in local market. Most restaurants and bars will only have one on tap, as they are largely regarded as similar in taste and price (they are mostly brewed from rice). Foreign beers are available but are generally expensive - generally at least ₩8,000 and as much as ₩15,000 for a pint of Guinness in bars in downtown Seoul, while local brands usually cost around ₩3,000. Recently, microbreweries have begun to appear, and this area of the market is showing increasing signs of sophistication. Of all Korea's mass produced beers, only two marques are brewed from 100% barley malt: Max (Hite) and OB Golden Lager.
A growing trend in S. Korea to overcome the local shortfall of various beer styles is home brewing. While ingredients and supplies are still relatively limited, there are many who brew their own beer. Various brewing clubs exist to help guide newcomers through the baby steps of brewing in Korea, one such club being Homebrew Korea. The online community is a meeting place for all type of brewers to gather, share experiences and information related to beer and brewing in Korea.
Domestic brands
- Hite-Jinro : Hite, Max, Dry Finish d, S, Stout
- Oriental Brewery (OB) : Cass brands (Cass, Cass Light, Cass Red, Cass Lemon, Cass 2X), OB Golden Lager, Cafri
- A few foreign brands are also produced under license: Budweiser and Hoegaarden (OB)
Former products
- OB, OB Lager, OB Blue : Predecessors of OB Golden Lager
- OB Super Dry
- Crown, Crown Super Dry : Hite(formerly Chosun Brewery)'s main product until early 1990's
- Hite Prime : Succeeded by Max
- Hite Exfeel : Succeeded by S
See also
Beers of the world Africa Asia Europe Americas Oceania Beer and breweries by region · List of countries by beer consumption per capita · Alcohol belts of EuropeCategories:- Korean beverages
- Beer and breweries in South Korea
- Beer and breweries in North Korea
- Economy of Korea
- Korean cuisine stubs
- Beer and brewery stubs
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