Time Out's picks: 5 beers you want to grab at Korean chain retailers

The American Pale Ale is perhaps the most ‘normal’ beer from the eccentric and experimental Scottish brewery, BrewDog. With beers such as Royal Virility Performance, made with Viagra, and The End of History, an ABV 55% beer brewed at an ice cream factory using freezing techniques, the American pale ale is surprisingly friendly and drinkable. With its less bitter flavor and citrus flavors, Punk IPA is a great entry beer for non-IPA drinkers.  

▶ Emart Seongsu

Brewed by Michigan’s Founders Brewery, the American Porter boasts a 100 rating on RateBeer. Unlike a typical stout brew, the Porter offers a smoother taste, a balance of caramel, chocolate, coffee and burnt sugar. The label that reads, ‘Dark, Rich and Sexy’ may sound corny at first, but one sip of the beer may let you feel otherwise.

▶ Emart Seongsu

The ‘Authentic Trappist Product’ label indicates the beer was produced in one of the eleven Trappist breweries in the world. Currently, there are six Trappist breweries in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one in Australia, Italy and the United States. With a small production base, each brewery is managed by a monk, who carefully and strictly oversees the creation process.

From the monastery in Orval, Belgium, only one kind of pale ale is brewed. Combining a wild yeast called Brettanomyces with mushrooms and citrus flavors, the beer is difficult to judge with a single sip. The flavor changes significantly with time, so you can also store the beer for up to five years for a unique tasting experience.

▶ Lotte Mart Seocho

Brewed at the Boon Brewery located in Lembeek, Belgium, the cherry sour has a high rating of 99 on RateBeer. 1ℓ of a year-old lambic is combined with 400g of cherries and then matured for six months inside an oak barrel. You may find your first sip kind of too weird, but the fragrant oak and cherry flavors make for a unique balance that's got countless beer lovers hooked.

▶ Lotte Mart Seocho

Author Jo Ye-lim is a BJCP-certified beer expert. She currently heads Sour Pongdang as a manager.