Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Author at South of Seoul Localized Guides for Your Life in Korea Tue, 07 Feb 2023 08:59:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://staging.southofseoul.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/South-of-Seoul-logo-for-header.png Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Author at South of Seoul 32 32 PCBS Craft Beer at Elephant and Castle in Suwon https://staging.southofseoul.net/craft-beer-at-elephant-and-castle-in-suwon/ Fri, 25 Mar 2022 04:34:28 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=8480 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

Highly recommend craft beer at Elephant and Castle in Suwon, South Korea. Fun to visit with friends and with family.

The post PCBS Craft Beer at Elephant and Castle in Suwon appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>
Korean Craft Beer Highlight by PCBS: King Kong https://staging.southofseoul.net/beer-highlight-by-pcbs-king-kong/ Sat, 20 Nov 2021 06:32:00 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=6854 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

Are you obsessed with Squid Games? Are you obsessed with tasty brews? Then this Korean craft beer might be what you need in your life. Note: As of December 2022 this beer is no longer in production and might not be available. Check out Gorilla Brewing Company’s other offers to find your next beer purchase. King Kong Beer Stats Gorilla Brewing Co. King Kong Imperial Stout; 12% ABV; 45 IBU; purchased at Cosmic Cat Donuts (two locations in Pyeongtaek that you can find in the South of Seoul app) for a cool W11,000. Worth it considering the ingredients used. Wow, what a delight this stout was. It appears cute and cuddly on the outside, wearing a 12oz bottle, but when you experience it, you realize why it’s called KING KONG. King Kong Beer Look Inspired by Squid Games KING KONG so rich and flavorful. Interestingly, the bottle art was inspired by Squid Games, the extremely popular Netflix series, with the traditional Korean candy, dalgona (달고나) or ppopgi (뽑기), shapes of circle, triangle, star, and the infamous umbrella outlined in dark gray over a black background. I was hoping that the label would be a little more premium, like the price of the beer, but the printing was cheap and the clarity of the images was a little fuzzy’ish. King Kong Beer Packaging Should packaging matter? Yes–it’s the first introduction of the beer to the drinker. I think Gorilla should’ve made an embossed font on a matte background for a more exclusive label look. This beer label appeared nicer in the adds, but less so in real life. What I did like about the packaging was the side of the bottle–it had a description of the beer, ingredients including adjuncts, music pairing, food pairing, IBU level, and interestingly, the Original Gravity (OG) and Final Gravity (FG) readings. Gravity readings are made prior to pitching yeast for fermentation and prior to bottling. A hydrometer is used to measure the amount of sugars and both readings are calculated to provide the final alcohol content. I suppose the brewers wanted folks to know that there were A LOT of sugars prior to fermentation, allowing for the 12% ABV. King Kong Beer Review The beer appears very dark brown with no light penetration. There was almost no head, likely due to the heavy, syrupy nature of it. The aroma really popped. It was VERY interesting and extremely complex. I initially smelled cinnamon and dark chocolate, but after a few moments, there was a more particular flavor I couldn’t quite put my hand on. I then remembered a traditional Korean cinnamon flavored drink, but couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was called. I asked my wife what she thought and she said the same thing, but she didn’t know the name of the Korean drink either. I reached out to some Korean-American friends and one was able to identify it as Sujeonggwa (수정과), a red’ish brown cinnamon drink made of persimmon, ginger, and pine nuts. I also smelled Sujeonggwa, dark chocolate, slight vanilla, and light licorice. I did a double-take at the ingredients due to the complex aroma and one, in particular, stood out so much, that I had to google it. Tonka beans. About Tonka Beans What are Tonka Beans? Apparently, they are a spice loved and used by top chefs and gastronomic enthusiasts across the world. Their flavor is exciting to the senses, giving off a complex mix of vanilla, almond, clove, cinnamon, and amaretto. Even though tonka beans are loved, they are banned for use in food products in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration. Tonka Beans are also illegal or highly regulated around the world as a food additive as a chemical found in the tonka beans, coumarin, is toxic in large amounts. I can’t say whether tonka beans are regulated in Korea, so if anybody knows, please post. I’m guessing Gorilla took the appropriate precautions when determining how much Tonka to put into the beer, otherwise, I may not have finished writing this review! Thoughts About the King Kong Beer Flavor The flavor profile of the beer does fall in line with the addition of tonka beans, as does the additional ingredient of cacao. I could not sense any of the hops added. The consistency was very “think and syrupy,” as the bottle description mentions. Yes, “think” was probably meant to say “thick,” which goes back to my thoughts on skimping on packaging above. The beer is quite creamy, light on carbonation, and very sweet. The flavor, in addition to the Sujeonggwa, also included a dark bitter chocolate taste, with a hint of vanilla. Honestly, I am now a fan of tonka beans and think this ingredient provided the essence of this King Kong Stoute by Gorilla. Being so thick, syrupy, and rich, I decided to save the rest of the bottle for another time. How to Save A Beer For Later Good thing I have a bottle capper used for my home brewing, but I’m sure it would taste just as good with some plastic wrap and rubber bands around the bottle head. Would I Drink King Kong Again? I would definitely recommend this stout. It tastes wonderful, although I cannot account for how the tonka beans or high alcohol content will affect folks. Drink at your own risk! Where Can I Find This Beer? Cosmic Cat while supplies last. Come Join Our Craft Beer Communities Thanks, Pyeongtaek Food & Fun, for letting us share our love of beer with your (our) community! Check out The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society for more locally available beer posts! Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer SocietyFounder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Mike Smith is currently studying for a Master Brewers Certificate while living and working in South Korea. The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society fosters friends and a love for craft beers across South Korea. The group provides a welcome and inclusive space to learn about new beers, share beer stories, and generally geek out about all things brewing. Anyone is welcome to join their Facebook group to learn more about Korean craft Beer. www.facebook.com/groups/847899272568598/

The post Korean Craft Beer Highlight by PCBS: King Kong appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>
Chillhops Brewing Company: PCBS Brewery Profile https://staging.southofseoul.net/pcbs-brewery-profile-chillhops-brewing-company/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 07:04:04 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=6775 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

Chillhops Brewing Company Location UPDATE: As of September 2022 Chillhops Brewing Company closed the doors on their Seosan location and opened a new taproom in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul near Noksapyeong Station. Descriptions of the taproom in this article are based on the previous location and are no longer up to date. We encourage readers to check out their new location for the same great beers. Chillhops Brewing Company sits near the heart of Seosan city, Chungcheongnam-do, about an hour southwest of Pyeongtaek. Having never looked up its exact location, I originally expected Chillhops to be in a more rural setting, considering the last Seosan brewery I visited, Oh Brewery and Cafe, was off the beaten path. Although Chillhops was still off the beaten path too, it’s nestled on a side street in a more urban setting. The Chillhops Vibe The brewery and taproom were on the bottom floor of an old, renovated 80’s style Korean brick house. I later learned from Jina, a co-founder of Chillhops, the second floor was an office and storage area. Honestly, I am a huge fan of renovated, old Korean houses turned into cool cafes, offices, and new breweries. These hip renovations are often seen in posh areas of Seoul, with a few found in other modernizing cities, including Pyeongtaek, and it looks like Chillhops is bringing sexy back to the mean streets of Seosan. Great choice in location! Finding Chillhops After Waze took us to the general vicinity of Chillhops, we had to briefly search down a residential side street. I was worried that perhaps the brewery had relocated because I expected it to be on the main street with large signage. After three minutes of driving, I saw the Chillhops logo, white, against a black painted garage door. There was also a small, subtle, lighted sign. Chillhops First Impressions I saw the head brewer and co-founder, Nick, sitting at one of the outdoor seats of the brewery. Rolling down my car window, I asked if he was with Chillhops, not wanting to presume he was associated with the brewery as the only obvious foreigner around. I quickly corrected myself and told Nick I recognized him from Chillhops Instagram photos. He was “Insta-famous” to me, so I was a little star-struck. Nick mentioned the brewpub would not open until 7pm on Fridays, about 45 minutes from the time I arrived. I asked about parking and he pointed further down the side street. I peered into the taproom and thought it was small, but also thought the whole vibe, being in a renovated old house with modern accouterments, was “Gucci,” as the kids like to say these days–I think . Chillhops Brewing Company Has a Bottle Shop At about 7pm, we returned back to Chillhops and noticed the brewpub area had another sign over it stating, “Bottle Shop.” I did not know, but Chillhops carried other Korean craft beers! How awesome! We entered and were greeted by Jina, the co-founder of Chillhops. I didn’t realize who she was until later when I grabbed her business card. My initial impression was that the taproom was small but very cozy. There was definitely soft mood lighting and the furniture had an industrial, rustic feel. Interesting, often sought-after limited edition beer bottles lined a shelf surrounding the taproom. I could tell whoever put them there was WAY more versed in beer tasting than I was. Chillhops Doesn’t Serve Food BUT You Can Order Delivery In my very semi-fluent Korean, I asked whether Chillhops served food. Jina said their selection was very limited, but we were allowed to order 포장, or food delivery as long as the aroma was not too pungent. Pungency is often a risk with some types of Korean food. We opted for Tteokbokki (떡볶이) and chicken. Jina gave us her phone to look at the menu and even called in the order for us. She was very gracious and welcoming and even allowed me to continue speaking in my sometimes broken Korean, although I later found out she was fluent in English. Thanks, Jina! Chillhops Brewing Company Beer Menu The beer menu consisted of 16x mostly unique types of beers. I ordered two paddles of 4x beers for a grand total of 8x samples, only tasting a few sips of each:1. G’Day Mate, Tropical Pale Ale2. Ginger Crush, Fruit Ale3. Lucinder, Dark Ale4. MPPGCS-324, Triple Fruited Gose5. Oat Xream #3, Oat Cream DDH IPA6. Pineapple Cherry Pants, Fruited Super Sour7. Berry Decadent, Pastry Stout8. Tropicool, DDH Hazy IPA. My goal was simply to taste the beers and take my favorites ‘to-go.’ Four of the beers really ‘talked’ to me. What I tried at Chillhops The Ginger Crush had a noticeable ginger taste but was not as sweet as a typical low-alcohol ginger beer. It had a balanced level of bitterness, which made it a delight to taste. The Gose was unique and fruity–maybe a bit too much, but was tasty nonetheless. It had a sweet, tangy finish. The Oat IPA was exactly what I hoped for. It had a very creamy mouthfeel, achieved by adding oats–not sure if some lactose sugar was involved too? Nick used just the perfect amount of thickening ingredients to give this IPA that silky-smooth mouthfeel while maintaining the ability for the beer to form a good head of foam. Finally, the Pastry Stout achieved it’s purpose well. It was quite sweet, rich, thick, and a wonderful example of what a pastry stout should be–“DECADENT.” It reminded me of the previous pastry stout I had at SugarMan in Sosabeol. What I took home from Chillhops Brewing Company I bought a can of this Berry Decadent, but will likely share it–it is that rich. It was sad to see only a limited selection of their ‘house’ beers available in cans. I really would have liked to take a Xream home to further ponder the flavor and mouthfeel. I ended up getting one of each of Chillhops’ beers available, minus the G’day Mate Tropical Ale. It was good, but a little too watered-down for my palate. The beers ‘to-go’ I purchased were:1. Juicinder, Hazy IPA2. Be The Red, IPA3. Tropicool, Hazy IPA4. Ginger Crush, Fruit Ale5. Pinapple Cherry Pants, Fruited Super Sour6. Berry Decadent, Pastry Stout7. Joy Juice, Hazy IPA8. Fizzy Oranzzy, Jeju Fruited Gose AND Non-Chillhops9. Gorilla Popcicle IPA Heading Home From Chillhops I was glad to finally make it out to Chillhops Brewing Company — one of the few breweries that are semi-close to Pyeongtaek at about one’ish hours away. The atmosphere was cozy and the beer selection was both unique and tasty. One beer I really wish they still had a few of was their recently released (in September), but quickly sold out barrel-aged stout. Maybe next year! Thanks, Nick and Jina, for your warm hospitality and wonderful craft beer selection. I will be seeing you again in the future, perhaps after your next unique release of tastiness. Thanks, Pyeongtaek Travelers and South of Seoul, for giving us a venue to share our love for beer! (Mike Smith is the founder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society. Join the group and learn more about Craft Beer across South Korea. Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer SocietyFounder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Mike Smith is currently studying for a Master Brewers Certificate while living and working in South Korea. The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society fosters friends and a love for craft beers across South Korea. The group provides a welcome and inclusive space to learn about new beers, share beer stories, and generally geek out about all things brewing. Anyone is welcome to join their Facebook group to learn more about Korean craft Beer. www.facebook.com/groups/847899272568598/

The post Chillhops Brewing Company: PCBS Brewery Profile appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>
Beer Highlight by PCBS: Jin Lager https://staging.southofseoul.net/beer-highlight-by-pcbs-jin-lager-2/ Sat, 23 Oct 2021 03:28:00 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=6457 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

About Gorilla Brewing Company The Gorilla Brewing Company, in collaboration with Werk Coffee Roasters, created this highly unique beer. Both companies are based out of Busan and create unique blends of beer and coffee, respectively. Somehow both came together and had a baby. A Baby Sour that is! Tasting Notes for Baby Sour This coffee sour beer has a light amber and hazy appearance and smells strongly of coffee grinds. The first sip catches you by surprise. I expected to taste coffee based on the aroma, but instead, it was so tangy and sour! As the beer smoothly flows down your throat, the coffee aroma catches up giving it a good coffee bean aftertaste with continued, persistent sourness on the tongue. Would I Drink Baby Sour Again? Its tang is strong, but I continued to crave more. I enjoyed the novelty of this sour and would definitely recommend it if you are looking to expand your beer-drinking experiences to include more eccentric flavors. Where I Found this Beer This coffee sour beer was purchased at Wine & More on the first floor of Starfield Mall, Anseong. This shop has a great variety of Korean and international craft beers that are not easily found elsewhere. I am like a kid in a candy store each time I go. I need to set a strict budget next time because the individually priced beers can range in price and start to add up quickly. I am happy my wife hasn’t yet asked how much I have spent at this store. Come Join Our Craft Beer Communities Thanks, Pyeongtaek Food & Fun, for letting us share our love of beer with your (our) community! Check out The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society for more locally available beer posts! Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer SocietyFounder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Mike Smith is currently studying for a Master Brewers Certificate while living and working in South Korea. The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society fosters friends and a love for craft beers across South Korea. The group provides a welcome and inclusive space to learn about new beers, share beer stories, and generally geek out about all things brewing. Anyone is welcome to join their Facebook group to learn more about Korean craft Beer. www.facebook.com/groups/847899272568598/

The post Beer Highlight by PCBS: Jin Lager appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>
Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society: Oh Brewery and Cafe Introduction https://staging.southofseoul.net/oh-brewery-seosan-south-korea/ Fri, 22 Oct 2021 03:30:56 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=6525 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

The perfect spot to enjoy the sea view while drinking a craft beer. Add this brewery and cafe to your next Seosan trip. About Oh Brewery and Cafe in Seosan, South Korea The Oh Brewery and Cafe (간월 오비어카페 수제맥주) nestled on the beach in Ganwol-do, Seosan-si, Chungcheongnam-do was an interesting experience. Not quite a dedicated brewery, it served baked goods, coffee, and had a bread bowl mushroom soup and a “Korean” pizza with hot dog and veggie toppings. The food was underwhelming and we didn’t try the baked goods, but they appeared tasty and were popular with other visitors. The beer, however, was worth the trip. They offered four beers: a pale ale, IPA, Weizen, and stout. Their IPA and Weizen were true to form. The IPA had a great blend and amount of hops and the Weizen a perfect wheat taste, typical of a Belgian witbier or German Weizenbier. The IPA had more hoppiness than most Korean IPA’s I’ve had. I took to-go the stout and ale to try at home and will post about them at a later date. About the Owner and a Tour We bumped into the owner (didn’t catch his name, but perhaps Mr. Oh, as in “Oh” Brewery?) while looking at his distilling equipment and he offered us a swig of homemade soju, which was the best tasting I’ve ever had–seriously. Hereinafter, I will refer to the owner as Mr. Oh. I can’t remember the last time I actually enjoyed the taste of soju, but his was special. It had a slight sweetness to it with a hint of rice. At 46% ABV, it was very strong but definitely tasty. I don’t believe Mr. Oh actually sells his soju, so we were lucky to have made his acquaintance. We began talking about homebrewing and learned Mr. Oh’s brewery was a “passion project” from his years of homebrewing. He started brewing as a hobby in 2015 and decided to professionally brew in 2020 by opening the brewery/cafe, which is a family business. I asked his teenage son, who also accompanied us around if he wanted to also brew and carry on his father’s work, to which he responded ‘yes,’ to the surprise of his father. Mr. Oh didn’t realize his son wanted to learn the craft. I say go for it! After asking for a quick tour, Mr. Oh obliged and apologized for the slight mess in the brewery. I told him that it wasn’t a mess and looked well used and had character. He showed me one of his fermenters full of double IPA and poured some directly into a jug. My goodness, it was absolute perfection at 9% ABV. These fermenters were chilled to help preserve the beer and this double IPA was great chilled. Mr. Oh said he was working on paperwork for the government before offering it for sale. After the quick tour and tasting, we thanked him for his hospitality and wished him and his son well. Would I come back? A great, quality product and a perfect view, I highly recommend a visit to Oh Brewery. It is a 90 mins’ish from Pyeongtaek City or Anjeong-ri. There are also a bunch of seafood restaurants and boardwalk in the area to make a day of it. Dog friendly on the upstairs patio. The soup and pizza–I would skip since it’s not my style, but the beer? YES! Join Me To Talk About All Things Beer Check out The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society group page for beer-centric topics and reviews by fellow beer enthusiasts and friends of the Pyeongtaek beer scene! Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer SocietyFounder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Mike Smith is currently studying for a Master Brewers Certificate while living and working in South Korea. The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society fosters friends and a love for craft beers across South Korea. The group provides a welcome and inclusive space to learn about new beers, share beer stories, and generally geek out about all things brewing. Anyone is welcome to join their Facebook group to learn more about Korean craft Beer. www.facebook.com/groups/847899272568598/

The post Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society: Oh Brewery and Cafe Introduction appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>
Beer Highlight by PCBS: Jin Lager https://staging.southofseoul.net/beer-highlight-by-pcbs-jin-lager/ Fri, 08 Oct 2021 05:59:44 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=6373 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

About the Jin Lager The Jin Lager is a collaboration between Amazing Brewing Company and Ottogi, a classic food brand similar to Campbell’s Soup in North America. Ottogi makes a ramyun call Jin, which was the inspiration for this brew. The food company collaborations are interesting, especially with Ottogi, which I mainly know for ramyun and curry. On the front of the can, it says 순한맛, which means “strong taste.” Jin Lager Tasting Notes I didn’t taste the ramyun inspiration, but there definitely was a strong malty taste! The beer was also an interesting color–a deep amber. It looked borderline red, similar to spicy ramyun. Reading that it was a lager, I immediately thought perhaps Amazing added a deep orange food coloring. Aroma was intense malt as well. I am not accustomed to deep amber and intense maltiness being associated with lagers. The Jin Lager was very thought-provoking because of its unexpected character. Would I Drink Jin Lager Again? I would definitely drink this novelty beer again–but not regularly. Purchased at a local CU corner store in a “4 for 10” or four beers for ₩10,000 promotion. Worth a try! Thanks, Pyeongtaek Food & Fun, for letting us share our love of beer with your (our) community! Check out The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society for more locally available beer posts! Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer SocietyFounder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Mike Smith is currently studying for a Master Brewers Certificate while living and working in South Korea. The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society fosters friends and a love for craft beers across South Korea. The group provides a welcome and inclusive space to learn about new beers, share beer stories, and generally geek out about all things brewing. Anyone is welcome to join their Facebook group to learn more about Korean craft Beer. www.facebook.com/groups/847899272568598/

The post Beer Highlight by PCBS: Jin Lager appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>
Brewery Visit to Fundamental Brewing https://staging.southofseoul.net/brewery-visit-to-fundamental-brewing/ Mon, 13 Sep 2021 09:32:53 +0000 https://blog.southofseoul.net/?p=6102 Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society

A quick write-up of my recent trip to Fundamental Brewing, a brewery and taproom in Suwon. It’s about a 40-50 minute drive from downtown Pyeongtaek and about the same from Anjeong-ri. Thanks, Pyeongtaek Travelers for letting us at The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society share this wonderful treasure of a brewery with your community. About Fundamental Brewing This was my second trip to Fundamental, and boy/girl, was it worth it! As one should do before driving some distance in “the new world” (reference COVID-19), we called to verify Fundamental was open, validate rules for party numbers (per COVID-19 guidelines), and ensure dogs were still allowed. Yes, they were open on Saturday evenings; for parties of more than two, all members had to show their COVID-19 vaccination cards (we brought our physical cards in case photos didn’t make the cut), and YES, well-behaved dogs were allowed! Jack Bauer, my part Catahoula Hound / Border Collie mix, definitely stole the show. Many of the patrons asked to pet him and even snuck some Instagram selfies with him. Jack loved every moment of it. The establishment is family-friendly with a couple of high chairs available for the kiddos and there is a very large parking lot right out front. The atmosphere of Fundamental is very posh and modern–not something that would be typical in the US or Canada. It appeared more of a date spot or a place to impress a potential client. Sure, it was casual enough, but lacked character, unless simplistic and modern is your taste. The ability to see the brewing equipment through a glass wall was impressive AND it was super-cool they were barrel-aging some of their beers. I love the warm and inviting feeling barrels invoke. Fundamental Brewing is Dog Friendly Regardless of the more overall more formal’ish atmosphere, Fundamental allows dogs–indoors! The tables have industrial steel-type legs, making it easy to tie our pup up without fear of ruining their furniture. We asked and they provided a water bowl. GREAT JOB, Fundamental! My Experience at Fundamental Brewing We arrived fashionably late, around 8pm, and most of the taproom was still lively. After showing our vaccination cards, we were seated and handed menus. Some temporary confusion ensued as all the beers on the menu were written in Korean, although the food portion was written in both Korean and English. One of our party “reminded” us the beer menu was written over the bar IN ENGLISH. Silly us. Fundamental used an old-school American billboard-type signage for their English beer menu. After deciding what to eat and drink, we patiently waited for our server to arrive. Silly us AGAIN, as we were supposed to order our food and drinks at the bar! We ordered a couple Hot Chili Lasagnas, Buffalo Wild Wings, Fried Shrimp Dumplings, Honey Glazed Pork Belly, Berlin Curry Sausage, Fried Flat Potato w/ Butter Garlic & Sour Dip, Nachos w/ Homemade Salsa, few orders of French Fries, a couple of sprites, and several different types of beers. The lasagna and glazed pork stood out the most to me. The lasagna had the perfect amount of spice, flavor, and cheese! The glazed pork belly…I should’ve ordered three for myself. It was more of a pork belly steak than what we would typically associate with Korea, which is sliced pork belly, “samgyupsal,” at Korean BBQ establishments. The thick, moist bites almost melted in my mouth. This dish was heavenly. The food is mostly appetizers, meant to be shared. Prices are comparable to mid-priced stateside restaurants, with the highest priced dish being the pork belly at ₩14,500. There is also a lunch menu available at more moderate prices, up to ₩9,000. Enjoy coffee and not beer? There is a decent coffee menu, as well. What I Drank at Fundamental Brewing I started with the G.A.P. Pale Ale and Squall Session IPA, followed by the Hae Tae Pilsner, Jinie Stout, DDH Session IPA, Junky Milk IPA, and Nuty Bery Imperial Porter. All beers had unique flavor profiles with a couple leaving me utterly speechless but in a great way. My favorite was the Disco DDH Session IPA. Why? It reminded me of my current favorite IPA (see my review of the Voodoo 1985 on The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society page). There was one beer we could not quite characterize as the flavor was TOO unique–the Weing Golden Strong. I’m going to drink one next time to try to unravel the mystery flavor. My Opinion of Fundamental Brewing Overall, the beer was wonderful. There are three size options for beers: 1) Small (0.23L); 2) Medium (0.36L); and 3) Large (0.48L). I wanted to sample as much as I could, so I kept with the smalls, which were mostly ₩4,500. Prices were as low as ₩3,500 for a small Joey Lager and went up to ₩9,000 for a large Nuty Bery Imperial Stout (9.6% ABV). My only complaint was they did not offer beers flights, or a small beer sampling typically served on a wooden board. It would’ve been nice to get a small sample of ALL the beers, even in a shot glass. I believe they do offer free samples, but don’t quote me on that. I went in very ambitious, hoping to sample all 14 of their beers, but only made it through seven smalls. I suppose one should pace themselves and perhaps drink several sips from each beer rather than drink large gulps, but I hate to waste beer, so I made sure to drink every single drop. The Families Overall Experience at Fundamental Brewing My friends and family, including my son, Micah, and our pup, Jack, had a great time bonding over food and beer (no beer for Micah, Jack, or our designated driver). I was quite impressed with my son’s phone photography skills, as well. I will definitely return, likely for lunch, with my family and pets. I always have a good time at Fundamental Brewing. Closed on Mondays and open Tuesday-Sunday, 1100-2200.* Photo credits for the first five photos go to Fundamental Brewing. The remaining are thanks to my son, self, cousin, and brother-in-law. Shout-out to our designated driver, my cousin-in-law! We might never have made it home (safely) without you. Thanks for the company, guys (and gal)! Follow Us On Facebook Follow Osan Craft Beer Club or The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society for more news about beer in Pyeongtaek. Who are we? We are craft beer lovers who live and work in South Korea. You can learn more about craft beer in Korea by joining or following us on Facebook or Instagram. Learn more below! Osan Craft Beer Club A social group at and near Osan AB. OCBC tries to meet weekly and loves exploring local and distant beer destinations. Follow the OSBC Instagram Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society A social group in Pyeongtaek and near USAG Humphreys. PCBS loves to sample local and import beers and post descriptive descriptions of these beers. Mike Smith, Pyeongtaek Craft Beer SocietyFounder of the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society, Mike Smith is currently studying for a Master Brewers Certificate while living and working in South Korea. The Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society fosters friends and a love for craft beers across South Korea. The group provides a welcome and inclusive space to learn about new beers, share beer stories, and generally geek out about all things brewing. Anyone is welcome to join their Facebook group to learn more about Korean craft Beer. www.facebook.com/groups/847899272568598/

The post Brewery Visit to Fundamental Brewing appeared first on South of Seoul.

]]>