Korean beers haven’t at all times had one of the best fame. In an area ballot from 2018, 57% of South Koreans disapproved of Korean beers, with one respondent even saying they tasted like “an accident in a chemical lab”. Hardly a glowing advice is it?
Luckily, Korean beers have began to enhance within the final 20 years or so. There are some wonderful beer alternatives like Hite, Cass, and OB lager now exported worldwide, together with the brand new child on the block: the highly regarded Kloud Beer.
Kloud Beer is likely one of the hottest beers in Korea and the flagship beer of Lotte Chilsung Beverage. Gross sales of Kloud Beer have been initially so fashionable in Korea that it led to an total improve in beer gross sales and the demand for it far surpassed the availability for some time.
What makes Kloud Beer so distinctive and worthy of an entire article by itself? Let’s have a look…
The place is Kloud Beer Brewed?
Kloud Beer has been produced and brewed in Seoul by the Lotte Chilsung Beverage firm since 2014 when it was launched to Korea’s busy beer market.
Initially, it was obtainable in 330ml or 500 ml bottles and cans of both 355ml or 500 ml. In 2017, a plastic pet bottle (1L or 1.6L) was launched and the general packaging underwent a whole redesign in 2021 to extend the premium branding.
Picture by Wiki Commons
Higher often called one of many main producers of soju, the nationwide spirit of Korea, Kloud Beer is Lotte Chilsung’s first beer product. They’ve even adopted up with a Zero Alcohol Kloud Beer.
How is Kloud Beer Brewed?
That is the place Kloud stands out from the opposite beers obtainable in Korea. Usually, Korean beers are typically pale American-style lagers and many of the main manufacturers are identified to be watery and bland.
As in the remainder of Asia, fermented rice is commonly utilized in these beers, too. That’s to not say they don’t style like beer, they’re very refreshing, the identical manner Budweiser or Coors Gentle may be.
Kloud is a totally completely different proposition, utilizing solely the best high quality substances imported from Europe, together with premium hops from Hallertau in Germany and a specialised yeast from the Czech Republic.
But it surely’s the brewing methodology the place Kloud actually differs from the remainder of the Korean beer market. Utilizing the normal German gravity methodology of brewing, no water is added to the beer after fermentation for dilution.
Kloud lager is produced with none extra water and simply makes use of a 100% wort (produced from fermented concentrates), with hops injected at a number of phases of the brewing course of for a deeper, richer taste.
Kloud Clear Zero is an alcohol-free model of Kloud Beer. Brewed utilizing the identical Gravity methodology, fermentation is stopped earlier than the alcohol is produced. Technically talking, Kloud Clear Zero is a kind of sentimental drink and is even categorised by Lotte Chilsung as a “carbonated drink” relatively than a beer.
Tasting Notes for Kloud Beer
A 100% % malt beer, Kloud Beer is medium-bodied, with a pale straw gold look. When it’s poured right into a glass, Kloud types a fluffy white head and the thick frothy white foam resembles a cloud, therefore using the phrase cloud within the identify (with the Okay to symbolize Korea).
Though it has a richer taste than another Korean beers, like Cass Recent or OB Lager, because of the non-dilution of the gravity brewing methodology, Kloud nonetheless has a style that’s fairly widespread throughout all mass-produced Korean beers.
An aroma of malt and hops, and a touch of breadiness, combines with a cider-like sugar cane style for a delicate beer fashion with malt flavors.
Kloud Beer has a easy mouthfeel, and the general style profile leans a bit extra in direction of European-style beers, with a candy and malty taste and a light-weight bitter end.
Most drinkers would advocate it’s served ice chilly, and if you’re ever in Seoul in the summertime, you’ll undoubtedly agree with them.
Kloud Beer’s ABV Content material and Energy
Identified for being stronger and richer than many different Korean beers, Kloud Beer has an ABV of 5%, putting it firmly within the class of a premium imported lager power, together with such luminaries as European pilsners like Heineken, Stella Artois, and Becks.
Calorie-wise, a regular 500ml bottle of Kloud Authentic Gravity Beer has 240 energy with zero fats and protein, however it does have 4g of carbs.
Kloud Zero Clear is an alcohol-free beer that proudly boasts it has 0.00% ABV on the label, which is as little as you will get. Below Korean buying and selling requirements, something with an ABV of lower than 1% can truly be known as alcohol-free, however Lotte Chilsung Drinks are clearly fairly proud to be a “true” alcohol-free beer.
By comparability, Kloud Zero has solely 30 energy per 330 ml can, once more 0% fats and protein however the carbs go as much as 7%, regardless of the can claiming it’s sugar-free in addition to alcohol-free.
Kloud Beer – Is it Value Making an attempt?
There was a time previously when even Korean eating places wouldn’t inventory Korean beers, as an alternative preferring to hold better-known Japanese manufacturers, equivalent to Sapporo or Asahi Additional Dry.
Most of us understand how good Korean meals may be, however it’s uncommon you will note anyone queuing up for Korean beers. However which will all change now.
Smaller microbreweries are popping up in South Korea, extra of the bigger manufacturers at the moment are being exported, and plenty of Korean eating places will carry no less than three sorts of Korean beer, alongside the compulsory Soju spirit famed in Korea.
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