Barley That Drank Jeju's Sea Breeze Is Said to Become Beer
are said to become a glass of beer
If you've traveled around Jeju, you may have come across beer cans with unfamiliar names in a café fridge or convenience store cooler. The labels are said to carry distinctly Jeju names — Hallasan, gamgyul (citrus), oreum — and the beer itself is said to carry a certain Jeju flavor too. These beers are mostly known to be craft beers brewed directly by breweries that have settled on Jeju. Unlike traditional liquors passed down for generations, such as omegi-sul or gosori-sul, this is introduced as a relatively recent brewing culture that has taken root on the island. Rather than focusing on any one brand today, let's take an easy look at the broader flow of how craft beer breweries have come to settle on Jeju, one by one.
Breweries Are Said to Have Settled on Jeju Over Time
Jeju is known as an island surrounded by sea on every side, yet it's also said to hold a diverse landscape centered on Hallasan — oreum, gotjawal forests, and fields of green barley. Thanks to this terrain and climate, fruits like citrus and hallabong are said to have grown on Jeju for a long time, along with grains like barley and wheat. These local ingredients are said to have caught the eye of beer makers at some point. The image of Jeju as an island with clean water and clean air is also said to have been seen as an appealing condition for brewing beer. Against this backdrop, breweries that settled on Jeju are said to have generally drawn on local citrus, barley, and at times ingredients like hondweed or green tea, trying to create a beer that felt distinctly Jeju.
Settling a single brewery on Jeju is said to have been about more than just the taste of the beer. Bringing in ingredients and equipment from the mainland, and building a distribution network under the geographic conditions of being an island, are both said to have been far from easy. Even so, breweries that settled on Jeju are said to have chosen to brew with ingredients grown and raised right there on the island, despite these difficulties. As a result, beers hard to find in other regions — ales with a hint of Jeju citrus aroma, or beers brewed with green barley — are said to have begun appearing one by one.
Ingredients grown under Jeju's wind and sun end up in a glass of beer — it makes me think this is a flavor you can only meet on this island.
— 🍊 GYULISome Names Are Said to Have Been Known Since the Early Days of Korea's Craft Beer Scene
There was said to be a time when the very concept of craft beer was unfamiliar in Korea. Back when the culture of small breweries crafting distinctive beers themselves was just beginning to take hold nationwide, some breweries that started out on Jeju are said to have become known fairly early on. Running a brewery on an island rather than the mainland, at a time when the term 'craft beer' itself was still unfamiliar, is said to have been a fairly bold undertaking in itself. It's reasonable to guess that the existence of these early breweries had some influence on other breweries later following suit and settling on Jeju, one after another.
As time passed, Korea's craft beer market as a whole is said to have grown gradually, and Jeju is said to have been very much part of that flow. Where only a handful of breweries cautiously took root at first, more breweries with their own distinct character are said to have gradually appeared across Jeju afterward. Places that set up taprooms alongside their brewing facilities, letting visitors taste freshly made beer on site, are also said to have emerged. For travelers, this is said to mean more than simply buying and drinking beer — it's become a chance to see and hear firsthand what ingredients and processes go into the beer itself.
What Flavors Are Beers Brewed With Jeju Ingredients Said to Have?
Craft beers made on Jeju are said to vary quite a bit in taste and aroma depending on the ingredients used. Some beers are said to bring out a bright, citrusy aroma using gamgyul or hallabong peel, while others are said to emphasize a nutty, mellow flavor built around green barley or wheat as the main ingredient. There's also said to be talk of seasonal limited-edition beers made with less familiar Jeju ingredients like hondweed, green tea, or baengnyeoncho (prickly pear). That said, which beers are actually available can keep changing by brewery and by season, so checking in person is likely the most accurate way to find out what's currently on offer.
The ways to enjoy craft beer on Jeju are also said to have become more varied than before. Beyond drinking straight from a brewery's taproom, Jeju beers are now said to be available in cans and bottles at pubs, convenience stores, and marts across the island. If you happen to spot a beer label with a Jeju place name or oreum name on it while traveling, there's a good chance it was made by a brewery that has settled on Jeju.
GYULI's Tip · Since the beers on offer, taproom hours, and whether tours are available are said to differ by brewery and can also change by season, it's worth checking ahead before you visit. And after enjoying a beer, please be sure to arrange safe transportation.
If omegi-sul, brewed from millet, is a story passed down over a long stretch of time, then Jeju's craft beer could be called a newer story that has taken root more recently. Even so, the two stories seem to resemble each other in one way — both are about brewing liquor from ingredients grown and raised on Jeju's own land. If you come across a craft beer made on this island while traveling Jeju, it might be fun to take a look at what Jeju ingredients went into it.