Domestic and foreign breweries and beer lovers came together at COEX in southern Seoul for the Korea International Beer Expo (KIBEX) 2025, Thursday through Saturday.
This year, KIBEX once again serves as a three-day international all-you-can-sample bar for industry leaders, brewers and suppliers to "day drink," and showcase the newest trends and innovations shaping the beer industry, including special national pavilions from the United States and Brazil. Since 2019, the event’s ongoing influence has been promoting and shaping Korea’s evolving taste in alcoholic beverages, as well as celebrating its collaboration within the international beer community.
Adam Dulye is the executive chief of the Brewers Association, a U.S. national association representing small and independent craft brewers. Since 2020, the association has been bringing over brewers from the U.S. who’ve been exporting or are interested in exporting to the Korean market. This year’s KIBEX showcases seven breweries and 40 different styles at the dedicated U.S. pavilion, offering samples to thirsty attendees with craft beer tastes.
“Over the last several years, the South Korean market has become the top five markets for export of small and independent brewers in our association,” Dulye said. “And we have enjoyed coming to KIBEX not only for the fact that we are able to bring brewers here to expose them to what is happening in the South Korean beer market but also give them a chance to see firsthand how people are reacting to their beers, to the flavors, the quality, the styles and the innovation that they are bringing.”
And of course, when it comes to beer flavors and styles, everyone has an opinion. While time-honored American craft breweries such as Stone and Sierra Nevada are represented at booths through the U.S. pavilion and various importers, the Korean brewery scene makes a very strong showing, side by side with the old-school, classic imports spread across the busy exhibition aisles.
The dedicated U.S. craft beer pavilion showcases small and independent American craft brewers at KIBEX 2025 in southern Seoul's COEX, Thursday. Courtesy of Andrew White
Frederic Huyssen founded The Ranch Brewing in Daejeon in 2016 and is also the vice president of the Korean Craft Brewers Association (KCBA). A long-term Korean resident originally from France, he studied physics at KAIST and is one of several foreign brewers at The Ranch. He says KIBEX is a great opportunity to promote and celebrate the Korean craft beer scene.
“It bridges the gap between the general public and the hardworking Korean brewers,” he said, drinking a rice lager collab The Ranch recently brewed with Deme Brewing out of Vietnam. “KCBA is working toward showing our beers locally and internationally by bringing foreign brewers to the event and collaborating on interesting projects.”
Interesting projects. Ahh, yes, the catalysts for innovation in any industry, especially in craft beer trends, which have seen expansion, exploration, innovation and cross-overs over the last 40-plus years of craft brewing. Hop-forward IPAs led the rise of microbreweries in the 1990s, followed by U.S. revivals and reinterpretations of traditional Belgian and British styles such as saisons, ales and stouts. Innovation and perhaps an overly creative 2010s brought hazy, juicy IPAs with lower bitterness, along with sour beers with unconventional and artisanal fermentation methods.
Big, bold flavors also entered the craft scene, in the way of an explosion of fruit and dessert flavors on the one hand and dark and strong ales often aged in whiskey barrels on the other. Expense became more of a concern when a bottle of Raspberry Pastry Ice Cream Bourbon barrel-aged stout at 11.5 percent alcohol by volume cost more than a bottle of wine. Recent years have brought nonalcoholic options, in addition to hybrids such as hard seltzers and highball cocktails, which have seemingly won the battle for shelf space and made craft beer availability at the local convenience stores a dwindling presence.
For Huyssen and other domestic brewers, KIBEX is a chance to elevate local craft beers’ representation in this competitive Korean alcohol market, as well as find new partners for international distribution.
Lee Soo-yong, CEO of Seoul Brewery, founded in 2018, echoes this desire to make Korea a global beer powerhouse, with KIBEX being pivotal.
“There are many different breweries, not only from South Korea but from around the world, getting together and sharing information and beers,” he said. “It's a good festival. I wish we can do more interaction in the future.”
Seoul Brewery runs a booth at KIBEX 2025 in southern Seoul's COEX, Thursday. Courtesy of Andrew White
Lee stated that Seoul Brewery has collaborated with many brewers around the world, with a large and diverse list of beverages. Brewing out of a newly opened seven-story building in eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong, it's one of the most unique craft breweries in the world, including a tap house, cafe, restaurant, and rooftop atmosphere.
In addition to KIBEX, the expo offers an international beer conference, where industry leaders share and discuss trending topics of the craft beer industry, and the 4th annual Korea International Beer Awards, Korea’s only international beer competition. Last year featured 48 global judges from 17 countries, with 76 craft breweries competing in 109 categories. This year’s competition proves to be just as wide-reaching.
References : The Korea Times / Andrew White
This year, KIBEX once again serves as a three-day international all-you-can-sample bar for industry leaders, brewers and suppliers to "day drink," and showcase the newest trends and innovations shaping the beer industry, including special national pavilions from the United States and Brazil. Since 2019, the event’s ongoing influence has been promoting and shaping Korea’s evolving taste in alcoholic beverages, as well as celebrating its collaboration within the international beer community.
Adam Dulye is the executive chief of the Brewers Association, a U.S. national association representing small and independent craft brewers. Since 2020, the association has been bringing over brewers from the U.S. who’ve been exporting or are interested in exporting to the Korean market. This year’s KIBEX showcases seven breweries and 40 different styles at the dedicated U.S. pavilion, offering samples to thirsty attendees with craft beer tastes.
“Over the last several years, the South Korean market has become the top five markets for export of small and independent brewers in our association,” Dulye said. “And we have enjoyed coming to KIBEX not only for the fact that we are able to bring brewers here to expose them to what is happening in the South Korean beer market but also give them a chance to see firsthand how people are reacting to their beers, to the flavors, the quality, the styles and the innovation that they are bringing.”
And of course, when it comes to beer flavors and styles, everyone has an opinion. While time-honored American craft breweries such as Stone and Sierra Nevada are represented at booths through the U.S. pavilion and various importers, the Korean brewery scene makes a very strong showing, side by side with the old-school, classic imports spread across the busy exhibition aisles.
The dedicated U.S. craft beer pavilion showcases small and independent American craft brewers at KIBEX 2025 in southern Seoul's COEX, Thursday. Courtesy of Andrew White
Frederic Huyssen founded The Ranch Brewing in Daejeon in 2016 and is also the vice president of the Korean Craft Brewers Association (KCBA). A long-term Korean resident originally from France, he studied physics at KAIST and is one of several foreign brewers at The Ranch. He says KIBEX is a great opportunity to promote and celebrate the Korean craft beer scene.
“It bridges the gap between the general public and the hardworking Korean brewers,” he said, drinking a rice lager collab The Ranch recently brewed with Deme Brewing out of Vietnam. “KCBA is working toward showing our beers locally and internationally by bringing foreign brewers to the event and collaborating on interesting projects.”
Interesting projects. Ahh, yes, the catalysts for innovation in any industry, especially in craft beer trends, which have seen expansion, exploration, innovation and cross-overs over the last 40-plus years of craft brewing. Hop-forward IPAs led the rise of microbreweries in the 1990s, followed by U.S. revivals and reinterpretations of traditional Belgian and British styles such as saisons, ales and stouts. Innovation and perhaps an overly creative 2010s brought hazy, juicy IPAs with lower bitterness, along with sour beers with unconventional and artisanal fermentation methods.
Big, bold flavors also entered the craft scene, in the way of an explosion of fruit and dessert flavors on the one hand and dark and strong ales often aged in whiskey barrels on the other. Expense became more of a concern when a bottle of Raspberry Pastry Ice Cream Bourbon barrel-aged stout at 11.5 percent alcohol by volume cost more than a bottle of wine. Recent years have brought nonalcoholic options, in addition to hybrids such as hard seltzers and highball cocktails, which have seemingly won the battle for shelf space and made craft beer availability at the local convenience stores a dwindling presence.
For Huyssen and other domestic brewers, KIBEX is a chance to elevate local craft beers’ representation in this competitive Korean alcohol market, as well as find new partners for international distribution.
Lee Soo-yong, CEO of Seoul Brewery, founded in 2018, echoes this desire to make Korea a global beer powerhouse, with KIBEX being pivotal.
“There are many different breweries, not only from South Korea but from around the world, getting together and sharing information and beers,” he said. “It's a good festival. I wish we can do more interaction in the future.”
Seoul Brewery runs a booth at KIBEX 2025 in southern Seoul's COEX, Thursday. Courtesy of Andrew White
Lee stated that Seoul Brewery has collaborated with many brewers around the world, with a large and diverse list of beverages. Brewing out of a newly opened seven-story building in eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong, it's one of the most unique craft breweries in the world, including a tap house, cafe, restaurant, and rooftop atmosphere.
In addition to KIBEX, the expo offers an international beer conference, where industry leaders share and discuss trending topics of the craft beer industry, and the 4th annual Korea International Beer Awards, Korea’s only international beer competition. Last year featured 48 global judges from 17 countries, with 76 craft breweries competing in 109 categories. This year’s competition proves to be just as wide-reaching.
References : The Korea Times / Andrew White