I am currently working on a mammoth of an update covering our visit to the South Korean portion of the DMZ (the border between North and South Korea) so, in the meantime, I thought I would write a little about one of the more unique experiences I think I will ever have in this country- or even during my entire life! I speak, of course, about the forbidden fruit seldom found outside of the isolated North:
North Korean Beer!!!!
Apparently, this beer used to be found in some bars in Seoul, however the North suddenly increased the cost of the beer by 70% without warning sometime around 2007 so it is nearly impossible to find. We were able to procure a bottle of this commie ambrosia during our DMZ tour for the paltry price of 10,000KRW (about 9$). I say this with a bit of irony as that price is a little bit ludicrous, but I now regret not having bought 2-3 more bottles of the stuff. Hannah and I opted to buy a bottle to share, since we were expecting it to be more of the same crappy, mass-produced Korean beer like Hite or Cass... in other words, only good on a hot day. I was surprised to find out just how wrong this assumption was.
The delicate art of alcohol analysis in progress...
A couple of interesting notes before I go onto the taste profile I sketched. First off, unlike the major players of the South Korean beer market, Taedonggang is made using very much European methods. What I mean by this is, whereas Hite and Cass cut their lagers with rice, corn, and others to reduce cost and maximize profit (this is only possible because of their relative monopoly over the market), the North Korean product uses pure barley in its production and use European technology (German monitoring technology and British-made brewing equipment from a now-defunct brewery). The result is something that tastes like something between a decent lager and a pale ale, which stands in stark contrast to the much lighter and waterier South Korean brews. Apparently, this brewery was made by the government to "create a world-class product". Reminds me of what one of my friends told me about the ancient Greeks: to find out if a place was "civilized" they went out to find if the indigenous people made some form of booze. The product is enjoyed by the North Korean elites, whereas the commoners usually make something out of leftover grains and some form of hops.
Hannah looking cautiously optimistic.
Now, if you don't know me well (or at all) and are just perusing this blog for insights on Korea or even just humour, first-off, THANK YOU! Secondly, you might not know that I like to consider myself somewhat of an amateur sommelier Whereas most of my knowledge is of single malt scotch whiskies, I sometimes try to make tasting notes of interesting beers and ales as well. Bear in mind, I am by no means a professional!
Also bear in mind that I might have been a little congested when I tried to analyse it.
Taedonggang Lager, 650ml, 5.5% alc./vol.
Pyeongyang, NK
Date of tasting: January 27, 2013
Colour: Very dark amber, reminiscent of brown-stained, honey-combed glass from the first half of the 20th century.
Nose: Best described as a pale ale. Bread-like with rising dough. Some alkaloid bitterness.
Palate: A definite lager, but with a modest kick of hops. Medium-bodied. No sweetness and no evidence of dilution. Curious notes of caramel and ginger, though very faint.
Finish: Very dry. The hops show through at the end. Some burnt sugar and, oddly, italian parsley!
Comments: Surprisingly good! Though the South is clearly winning the Cold War, the North has produced something that is by far better than the major SK breweries. Hannah notes quite astutely that, "It tastes like Alexander Keith's!".
Now, I've bragged it up a little bit- largely because good beer is hard to find here- but I just want to be clear that it's far from an award-winner. It's just a good lager which, surprisingly, comes from an empoverished nation. Products like Alexander Keiths (Halifax, NS), Pumphouse's Lager (Moncton, NB), and even Moosehead Red (Saint John, NB) all taste fairly similar to the beer in different ways. Again, not revolutionary, but not bad. I'd give it a 2.6/5 (Cass, by contrast, I'd give a 2/5... Hite I'd give a 1.6/5).
I think that we can all agree, however, that they have come up with the best beer commercial I have ever seen! The music is kick-ass!
That's all for now. I should have that update on the DMZ on the page tomorrow some time. Wednesday at the latest. So far, it's 3 pages type-written and I expect it will be another 3 more.
-Garrett
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