BEER (the wonderful world of) + dead friends

[croatoan]

I'm not sure how much the imports are changing but it seems like every week a new microbrewery or craft beer pub is opening up. Most of them are pretty meh but I actually don't mind the Belgian wheat from Hand & Malt.

I have definitely liked what I have tried from Hand & Malt. I work for Magpie (not brewing, just at the bar) and we did a collaboration rye pale ale with them a year or so ago.

The Magpie brewery is currently being built on Jeju. It is absolutely beautiful -- I should get out there to take some pictures sometime soon. The building is complete and now the equipment is being set up. I was actually just the bar to fill up a growler and met a team of wonderful old grizzly beer wizards who are in town to assist in installation.

edit: Here is a recent article about the brewery (and some information on Korean craft beer in general) featuring a big picture of me which I didn't quite expect.

[Jtothewhat]

Oh wow you work for Magpie! Although I don't know him well by any means I have met Erik once or twice in passing (usually eating at Scout) and always been surprised by how friendly he is. So is Magpie actually all brewed in-house now? I think last time I talked to Erik was at Scout maybe 2 years ago and I think he said he was a little bit upset that there were consistency issues due to working with Ka-Brew at the time? I am excited to see more good beer coming to Korea. Do you have any other favourites outside of Magpie ?

[croatoan]

We have been brewing at the Table in Ilsan for a while now; our own staff onsite using our recipes etc. Things should start being made at the new brewery soon, though. Once it really gets up and running there will be a bar there as well as tours. It's a really beautiful place out on some farmland a little outside of Jeju City.

Honestly I haven't kept up much with a lot of the new stuff coming out. Especially now being located on Jeju I don't have many opportunities to try other things. I know a lot of people really like Galmegi. The ones I have tried (which honestly was quite a while ago) were solid but a little ordinary for me; not that that is necessarily a bad thing. I also remember liking everything I tried at Four Seasons but again that was also a long time ago..

[snafu]

I just miss the ability to buy a cold Hite, Cass or OB at every corner in the heat of a Seoul Summer.

Croatoan i really do want to head back to Jeju sometime soon, such a beautiful place, I'm very jealous... how do you find living over there as a foreigner? I take it your fluent?

[croatoan]

Not sure when you were in Korea last but you would be amazed how much has changed beer-wise. Particularly in the last three or so years.

I love it here. There is definitely a strong expat community but I've always been pretty distant from it. I'm not completely fluent in Korean but I am at a pretty good level where I can get by largely on my own and talk pretty freely with people who don't speak any English.

edit: A picture from late last summer. Great pre-swim beer.

[mikemikemike]

abt 12 is still probably my favorite that i always come back to

[bukka]

Vagina flavored beers

[imho_essno]

My new passion is Pale Ale.

God, it's so perfect.