Top 10 Breweries in South Korea
South Korea's macro beer market is one of the most competitive in Asia, dominated by OB Beer (AB InBev), Hite Jinro, and Lotte Chilsung producing OB Lager, Hite, and Kloud respectively — light, crisp lagers consumed primarily as social drinking companions to Korean food. The craft beer movement that began around 2012 has challenged this dominance in Seoul and Busan, producing breweries that engage directly with American and British craft conventions while developing distinctly Korean character.
1. The Booth Brewing, Seoul
The Booth is widely regarded as the founding institution of Korean craft beer, established in 2013 by a team including American and Korean founders who wanted to bring California-influenced craft beer to Seoul's Itaewon district. The Itaewon taproom, serving American-style IPAs and pale ales in a neighborhood that bridges Korean and international cultures, was an immediate success. The Booth's distribution expansion across Seoul and to chain convenience stores normalized craft beer for a much broader Korean audience than the taproom alone could reach. The core range of IPA and Pale Ale maintain consistent quality; the seasonal and experimental releases demonstrate continued ambition.
2. Magpie Brewing, Seoul
Magpie, founded in 2011 and named for the Korea's national bird (the magpie is a symbol of good fortune in Korean culture), is Seoul's other founding craft institution. The Magpie Porter and various IPAs have been widely distributed and the Itaewon and Haebangchon taprooms are among Seoul's most reliably excellent craft beer venues. Magpie has maintained an identity as a genuinely Korean craft brewery rather than an expat-market operation — a distinction that has become increasingly important as the Korean craft beer community has matured.
3. Galmegi Brewing, Busan
Galmegi (meaning "seagull") is Busan's most celebrated craft brewery and the strongest evidence that Korean craft extends meaningfully beyond Seoul. Founded in 2015 by American Christopher Perkins and Korean wife in the Gwangalli beach neighborhood, Galmegi's Witbier, American Pale Ale, and various seasonal releases have built a national reputation. The Gwangalli beach view from the taproom and the brewery's second location in Busan's creative districts have made it a destination brewery for Korean craft beer tourism.
4. Craftworks Taphouse, Seoul
Craftworks was founded in 2010 in Itaewon — before the current craft boom — by American expats who missed American craft beer and began producing it locally. The range covers American standards with consistent quality; the Itaewon taproom has been one of Seoul's most consistently recommended craft beer venues for over a decade. Craftworks' longevity in a rapidly changing Seoul craft landscape reflects both product quality and operational discipline.
5. Hand and Malt Brewing, Seoul
Hand and Malt is one of Seoul's more technically ambitious Korean-founded craft producers, building a range of IPAs and pale ales that engage directly with American West Coast and New England craft conventions. The brewery has built national distribution and has been recognized at Korean beer competitions. Hand and Malt represents the generation of Korean brewers who learned brewing through education and travel rather than importing American expat expertise.
6. Amazing Brewing Company, Seoul
Amazing Brewing, founded in 2017, has developed rapidly into one of Seoul's most visible craft producers through a combination of consistent quality, accessible pricing, and wide distribution across Seoul's craft bar network. The Amazing IPA and Wheat Ale have been the most commercially successful products. The Seongdong district taproom serves both the local creative community and dedicated craft beer seekers.
7. Akitu Craft Beer, Seoul
Akitu has built a reputation for creative seasonal and experimental beers that go beyond the IPA-and-pale-ale mainstream of Korean craft. The use of Korean ingredients — rice, dried fruit, Korean tea varieties — in selected beers gives Akitu a local flavor dimension that distinguishes it from the American-convention majority of Korean craft producers.
8. Goose Island Seoul
Goose Island's Seoul taproom, operated under the AB InBev umbrella that owns the Chicago original, brings American craft brewery culture to a Korean audience primarily interested in the brand's international reputation. The 312 Urban Wheat Ale and IPA are widely available; the limited transfers of American Goose Island releases through the taproom provide access to benchmark beers for Korean craft enthusiasts.
9. Platinum Craft Beer, Multiple Locations
Platinum operates a chain of craft beer bars that produce house-brewed beers alongside curating Korean and international craft options. The model — part brewery, part multi-tap bar — reflects the pragmatic approach to commercial survival in the Korean craft market where distribution infrastructure is still developing.
10. Jeju Beer, Jeju Island
Jeju Beer, founded in 2017 on Jeju Island, has become the most commercially successful Korean craft operation by building on the island's strong tourism identity. The Jeju Wit (brewed with Jeju tangerine peel) and Jeju Pale Ale are available nationally in convenience stores and restaurants, making them probably the most widely encountered Korean craft beers in terms of per-unit sales. The tangerine wit in particular is a genuine expression of Jeju's agricultural identity in beer form.
Explore on the map
Korean craft breweries cluster in Seoul's Itaewon, Haebangchon, and Hongdae neighborhoods, with Galmegi providing the anchor for Busan and Jeju Beer for the island. Open the map to find the full Korean craft brewery picture before planning your Seoul or broader Korea itinerary.