Student at a craft beer class prepares for a tasting session [Courtesy of mcwyvern]
Ordinary South Korean drinks an average of 148.7 bottles of beer ad 62.5 bottles of soju a year, a research based on the Nation’s 2013 tax statistic results showed.
In the year 2009, a total of 1,962,000 kiloliters of beer were sold. In the year 2013, total amount had risen by 5.1 percent point to 2,062,000 kiloliters. Meanwhile, the amount of soju sold had decreased from 929,000 kiloliters (2009) to 905,000 kiloliters (2013). The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation stated in the research.
Soju, distilled liquor which was the favorite of the Korean drinkers, is not so popular anymore. It’s due to a social atmosphere which people seek for lighter alcoholic drinks and avoiding the hard punchers.
To follow the trend, soju manufacturers had been lowering the strength of alcohol of soju but Koreans’ love for beer is still at high.
“Unlike soju, a cold glass of beer can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime,” said Lee Jae-il, the master of small beer craft shop in Seoul. “As people’s interest in beer rises, they even study to find out what kind of beer suits them best,” said Mr. Lee.
“Just a few years ago, lager was the people’s favorite. But now, pilsner, ale, black beer, and other sorts of specialty beer are wanted by the beer lovers. Also, some even prefer homemade beers which have distinctive taste”
As if to back up the research results, homemade beer brewing kits are sold at a constant rate in online malls and small classes of beer crafting are actively run around the nation.
아주경제 박세진 기자 = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
