UPDATE APRIL 2017: Please note that Gorilla Brewing is in a new, awesome space much closer to Gwangalli Beach.
Also please note that the guys running the place are amazing! They let me host a Beer School event in early April. You can check it out and ask me to lead one for you on this post.
Korea’s craft beer scene appears to be booming! When I lived here several years ago, the choices were basically Cass, Hite, or Cass. In 2016, the choices have expanded greatly!
Yesterday we visited one of the newest breweries in Busan, Gorilla Brewing. They are so new that I was the fifth person to follow them on Twitter! The brewery is a collaboration between the great CRATE brewing in London, so it’s a blend of a couple of our international homes.
Gorilla is near to, but not on, Gwangalli Beach in Busan. You walk toward the small hill near the far end of the beach (the Gwangan Station end) and past the famous live fish markets. Go past ‘The Motel,’ ‘A Motel,’ and ‘One Motel’ until you are in a newer residential area. Gorilla is in a smaller restaurant/office building on a quiet street.
The experience is like being in an art installation, that happens to be a brewery too! They have clean lines and simple decor, with a few beers on tap. The food looked pretty good, too, although we didn’t try it yesterday.
We had the flight and a couple pints after, since the prices are much more reasonable than some of the other places in the area that sell craft beer. The best part is that this is real craft beer, not some imitation with watermelon artificial flavouring or the abomination that is Hoegaarden Rosé (and yes, that is sold EVERYWHERE in Busan).
The beers are English-style, given the influence of CRATE. The Pale Ale and the IPA are both well-balanced and clean finishing, but somehow would benefit from being slightly warmer (cask!). The blonde is inoffensive, if a little bit boring. Their best by far is the Stout, which is roasty and powerful like a silverback. It’s smooth and tastes of chocolate with forest fruits.
We’ll definitely be back for more this year. Thanks for a great first visit, Gorilla!
Reverse Retrograde 