Beer in South Korea

Beer in South Korea
Korean name
Hangul	맥주
Hanja	麥酒
Revised Romanization	maekju
McCune–Reischauer	maekchu

Beer or called maekju in Korean was introduced to Korea by Europeans. The South Korean beer market is dominated by the three major brands: Cass, Hite, and OB. 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 downtown Seoul. Microbreweries are starting to appear, and this area of the market is showing increasing signs of sophistication. However, of all Korea's mass produced beers, only Hite's Max Prime brand contains 100% barley malt. It has been said to taste similar to cornflakes.

• Hite, Hite Prime, Hite Prime Max
• OB lager beer which adds rice to the grain base, and is also available as a dry beer.

See also

• Taedonggang
• Korean cuisine