Alcohol is a part of Korean culture as almost all Koreans love alcohol, whether it is Korean beer, Soju or other Korean alcoholic beverages.
Whether it is for socializing with friends, or as a great pair for delicious Korean spicy chicken, you can easily find a table full of beers in Korea.
In this article, I will share the most popular Korean Beer brands you might never know and even want to try as you visit South Korea in the future. Let’s dig in!
Popular Korean Beer Brands
While most of beer brands on the list might not be the best in terms of taste, these are the most popular brands which you can easily find all over South Korea.
1. Cass
Cass grab one third of the market share which makes them the most famous beer brands in South Korea.
In addition, it taste better and lighter than other common beers on the list.
2. Hite
Hite is a South Korean brewery company that produces beer, rice wine, and mineral water.
It was established as Chosun Breweries in 1933 and is headquartered in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
Hite is a light sweet taste beer which is good to pair with Korean spicy food.
3. Kloud
Kloud is Lotte German-style pilsner that begin enter the market in 2014.
It relatively a new comer compare to Cass, yet you can easily find this beer in any convenience store in Korea.
This beer brands is a light beer that is good to pair with a salty or bitter Korean dishes.
4. Max
Max is another Hite Jinro beer brand, launched in 2006 as the first all-malt beer in the nation.
This korean beer has a richer taste and more creamy than others, which makes it a better pair of Korean Chicken.
However, this beer is not as famous as another, which makes it harder to find other than in Korean chicken restaurant or big supermarket in Korea.
5. Hanmac
Hanmac is a beer brand introduced by Oriental Brewery (OB) in 2021 as part of their “Korea’s representative lager project”.
This beer is brewed with 100% homegrown high-quality rice, directly supplied by local farmers, you can smells the wheat as you open it.
The beer has gained global recognition, winning a bronze medal at the Korea International Beer Award for its quality.
6. Terra
Terra is a beer brand produced by Hite Jinro.
It is a clean and crisp pale lager made using barley produced in a region of Australia called the Golden Triangle.
According to Untappd, Terra has a rating of 3 out of 5, with 9439 ratings.
This Korean beer brand has a deeper taste than Cass, but Cass has a more iconic upfront hops taste.
7. FiLite – Best Budget Korean Beer
FiLite is a budget beer brand produced by Hite. This Korean beer is a cheaper option if you are looking for beer that doesn’t blow your bank account.
It’s malt content is so low, below 67% – the minimum threshold to consider a drink as a beer, that’s why it is cheaper than other Korean beer.
Most korean student that are tight in budget love this Korean beer.
If you like an easy-to-drink beer, then you can try this one. It taste sharp at the first sip, yet quickly disappeared and has a weaker taste than others.
8. FilGood
Filgood is another budget beer brand produced by Oriental Brewery (OB), the competitor of FiLite.
This beer is also brewed with a lower percentage of malt than regular beer which makes it cheaper than regular beer.
The word Happoshu here is a Japanese term for low-malt beer, refers to a beer-like beverage with less than 67% malt content.
The taste is similar yet weaker compare to FiLite which is easier to drink for beginners who want to try.
Sum Up
While these list might not be the best taste beer you can try, all the beer on the list are the most popular Korean Beer Brands you can easily find in Korea.
Next time you visit Korea, try pairing these beer with the delicious and spicy Korean chicken to immerse yourself with Korean culture and feels how it’s like to live like a locals.
Have you ever try one of these beer before? Let me know in the comment sections below!