‘Squid Game’ and 3 Korean Beers You Should Know

‘Squid Game’ is the latest South Korean hit putting the nation’s filmmakers on the global map. Why not get to know some Korean beers while you watch?

The Show: Drama-Psycho Thriller / 2021 / Netflix

The Beers: Three Korean staples to honor the show’s origins!

Squid Game is one of those shows that, if you haven’t heard of it by now, I’d like to know what rock you’ve been living under. The season finale episode dropped last month, and I still haven’t stopped hearing about it. For a moment there, I was getting serious flashbacks to the Tiger King frenzy.

You too, right? Even if you haven’t had all your friends urging you to watch like me, the proof is in the pudding. Following the story of an indebted gambler who finds himself among 456 people playing deadly versions of childhood games for cash, Squid Game quickly became the biggest hit on Netflix, both nationally and internationally. Really — it’s the first Korean show to claim the top spot on Netflix in the U.S., and it’s even spiked interest in learning Korean.

In China, where Netflix is unavailable without a VPN, a Beijing bakery has introduced a Squid Game-themed confection-making challenge in its store.

So yeah, the hype eventually caught up to me, and I finally got around to bingeing it last week. To my fellow holdouts, all I’ll say is this: Squid Game is just as nuts as everyone says it is. And while it’s a bit slow to start, the increasing twists and turns make it well worth the ride.

The show does get pretty intense though. So, why not keep yourself refreshed with some Korean beer pairings? If South Korea’s thriving film and TV industry are any indicator, the nation has growing global presence. While the country’s craft beer scene has only taken off in recent years and is pretty tough to get a taste of across borders, they’re still no small player in the international beer world.

So with this in mind, here are three Korean beers worth knowing:

Kloud Premium Pilsner

This is South Korea’s best-selling Pilsner! Also known as Kloud Original Gravity, the beer’s a German-style Pils, brewed with German hops and “a unique brewing method that requires no additional water in the process.” What that means exactly I’m not sure, but if you ask me its taste kind of like a slightly more nuanced Paulaner Pils. While not available all over the U.S., you can typically find Kloud at big alcohol stores with diverse selections like Total Wine & More.

Hite Lager

Kloud may be South Korea’s top Pils, but Hite Lager (usually just known as “Hite”) is the country’s top-selling beer, period. Brewed with barley malt and rice, the beer is lightly sweet and golden. It’s kind of like Korean Budweiser both in terms of marketability and flavor. And if you’re judging that, consider that fact that people in other countries know just how big Budweiser is in the U.S., and they still want to make TV shows with us.

By the way, the Hite company isn’t just limited to light beer styles. They have a Stout that’s actually pretty good, if you’re looking for a more desserty version of Guinness.

OB Golden Lager

Yes, another Lager! Hey, the top beers in the U.S. are all on the light side too. OB Golden Lager hails from the Seoul-based Oriental Brewery, now a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch. Like all Oriental Brewery’s beers, OB is brewed exclusively with rice as opposed to malted barley. While not the top-selling beer, it is super prevalent and has gained a foothold in various other countries. If a retailer near you has a hookup with AB’s international selection, you might be able to find it close by.

In addition to OB, Oriental Brewery makes some of South Korea’s other most popular beers, including Cass and Cafri (also Lagers).

Cheers! Or as they say in Korean, geonbae!