Places to go for craft beer in Seoul

I just got back from a trip to Seoul where I checked out several craft beer places as the beer scene there is starting to pick up. I'd just like to share my top three with you which are easy to visit as they are all located quite close to each other. 













You can start off at Itaewon station and go to Reilly's Taphouse. 

Reilly's is a  nice near place located right near Itaewon station on the 3rd floor. They bill themselves as a gastropub & I have heard good things about their food. I just had some of their onion rings which were great. 

 

Prices are a bit higher than average for Seoul but they have the best selection I saw in town with 20 taps of American, European (mostly German as is the case in Seoul) & local craft beer too. And it being Seoul the beer is still just 6000-8500 won for draft beers but bottles can get pricey (especially 22oz bombers).




The service was friendly but not so knowledgeable, most staff speak English & know beer but some don’t I had one waitress who had no idea what I was talking about when I tried to build my own sampler for 12000 won (choose any 4 beers on tap).  

The atmosphere was like a nice big open plan pub, a nice new addition to the Seoul bar scene open since December 2012.

 After you leave Reilly's go back towards Itaewon station and continue walking down the main drag until you hit the end and are near Noksapyeong. Head down the street a ways and you'll hit Craftworks.

This place is pretty nice. It has a west coast beach side vibe, like a cool bistro with a nice back & side patio. They have 8 regular beers plus 1 seasonal and their prices are pretty reasonable. I had the sampler set of their 8 regulars for about 9000 won. 

The service was good but not so knowledgeable about beer. A few things I really liked were they use proper glassware & have lots of beer gear making for great souvenirs. Buy a mug for 11000 won & you get a beer to fill it! They also have tshirts & their beer labels are great. These guys know that looking cool helps sell beer, something more Japanese breweries need to learn. Also, the names of their beers are great as they all reference Korean places. Making them a real Korean Brewery.

They have a really friendly owner too. It's  nice place for beer & a chat. 

I have heard that Craftworks sometimes gets a bit crowded. If that's the case, don't worry! just head down the road a bit and turn right on a small road nearby you'll find Magpie's.

This was probably my favorite places during my trip to Seoul. It is located near Noksapyeong station and has 3 beers on tap. All are nice and the prices are really reasonable (5000 won for the Copper Ale & Pale Ale, 6000 won for the Porter). 




Here from left to right are their Pale Ale, Porter and the Copper Ale which is a new addition to their line up.

Their posters & labels are quite cool- simple typography but striking, again Korea is beating most Japanese beer brands. They have growlers & the staff seemed to know their beer too. 










The atmosphere was bare concrete & wood which I like, very clean & simple. The main bar is open to the street which is cool and across the alleyway you have a basement bar which was surprisingly large. A great addition to the Seoul scene!

All in all the Seoul beer scene is starting to heat up. I look forward to going back and checking it out again soon!

Their delicious porter, my favorite Magpie beer.

They also opened a new basement bar across the alley from the main shop to provide more space for customers.

Reilly's Taphouse: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/reillys-taphouse-restaurant/414996188563056

Craftworks:

http://www.craftworkstaphouse.com/

Magpie Brewing:

http://magpiebrewing.com/

http://www.facebook.com/magpiebrewing

Kyoto Craft Beer Festival 2013

Yesterday, Saturday May 11th, was the Kyoto Craft Beer Festival 2013.  This was I think the 4th year the festival was held. It started in 2009 with a small event in Shinpuhkan in the heart of downtown Kyoto which was alot of fun. The following year they moved it to the shopping arcade on Sanjo street and it has been there ever since. A change that took place this year was instead of being on a Sunday from 12-6pm it was moved to Saturday and started and ended later from 2-8pm which is a MUCH better idea.



I think this is why this year's festival seemed much busier than last year's. People are much more likely to go out and drink late on a Saturday afternoon/evening rather than in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. There also seemed to be many more shops stalls selling snacks which was nice!








Overall, it was a great event with a good crowd even on a rainy day. This did lead to line-ups sometimes at some breweries and a few beers I wanted to try were sold out by the time I got there(Three Rascals Golden Ale from Outsider & Kyoto Machiya's Event Beer). I did hear from a few people that the original glasses for the event sold out incredibly quickly, by 2:30pm they were gone even though the event only started at 2pm! I guess they should make more glasses next year and possibly set up more restrooms as the one in the park often had a long line snaking out the door.

My stand out beers were Daisen G's Imperial Stout & Grand Saison as well as Baird's really nice Coffee Stout which I heard was also a big hit at the Copenhagen Beer Celebration. Nothing I tried was really that bad, at worst they were average so I think that means the Japanese craft beer industry is on the right track. Now all they need to do is learn to be a bit more consistent. 

I did have a great time running into old friends, drinking with my homebrewing club members & meeting tons of new people. I am looking forward to next year's event!