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www.groovekorea.com / March 2014 68 Along with two other American expats, Wilson opened up Seoul Homebrew in Itaewon last August. He and the other cofounders, Mitch Nichols and Jon Adie, each dedicate a couple days a week to the store, providing supplies and ingredients to other home brewers and running classes. When asked about how he became interesting in brewing as a hobby, Wilson points to its social aspect: “It’s always fun to brew with people. ... And especially if you have friends involved … that’ll push you to make better beer.” Their weekend informational classes tend to attract small groups of friends who have varying degrees of interest in brewing, but a high level of enthusiasm for good beer. Those who sign up for the classes don’t necessarily want to become home brewers them- selves; they are often just looking for a relaxing, fun and interesting way to spend the day. Wilson compares brewing to ceramics, an art form with which he and Nichols are both very familiar. “In ceramics, there are many steps involved in transforming the raw clay into a finished pot,” he explains. “In the final step, you glaze the pot and put it in the kiln, and it’s kind of out of your hands — you’re never quite sure what will come out on the other end. That makes it a little exciting.” Similarly, it is this element of surprise that attracts some to home brewing. While extensive practice — and trial and error — may help a brewer to commit typical beginners’ mistakes less frequent- ly, the end result is still never entirely predictable, which makes the process both enjoyable and “kind of mysterious.” Although home brewing as a hobby appears to be on the rise, the majority of beer aficionados do not brew for themselves, perhaps due to the perceived cost and effort required. Wilson admits that home brewing in Korea is more expensive than in North America, but while the initial investment in equipment can be pricey, the actual ingredients are not very costly. The standard batch size is 19 liters, so the cost for a 500 ml bottle of home-brewed beer is roughly 1,600 won to 2,100 won, depending on the type of beer. It may be slightly more expensive than buying a Cass at a 7-Eleven, but not as expensive as buying a decent craft beer. And when compared to the cost of buying beer from a bar, it is certainly much lower. While home brewing obviously requires more time and effort than simply walking to the nearest convenience store, it is well worth the effort. Wilson points out that most people are willing to fork over 20,000 won or 30,000 won in drinks at a bar; however, if they spend 55,000 won to 80,000 won on ingredients and take a few hours to brew it themselves, they can enjoy their own beer at home for three months. And the result may be a product that is as good as or better than a high-quality craft beer for which they would gladly pay a hefty price in a brew pub. Enthusiasm for home brewing and craft beers isn’t solely con- fined to the expat community. There is also an interest among Koreans, particularly in Seoul. Many want to brew their own beer or try new, better beer. Wilson calculates that roughly 40 percent of his clients are Korean. This is despite the fact that the store is owned by three expats, most of their advertising is in English and the store is located in the expat hub of Itaewon. As well, Manjeh Kim, manager of the Beer Forum website and owner of the Four Seasons Craft Beer Pub, notes that Koreans are very aware of trends and are constantly looking for the next new thing and the newest “hot place” to try. Setting up shop in Itaewon just a few months ago, Kim expected that at least half of the pub patrons would be expats. However, roughly 90 percent of his customers are Koreans, indicating that they are also eager to participate in the craft beer culture that has already swept much of the West. FOOD & DRINK Edited by Josh Foreman (joshforeman@groovekorea.com)