Beer in North Korea

Beer
Craft beer at the Taedonggang Microbrewery No. 3 in Pyongyang
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	맥주
Hancha	麥酒
Revised Romanization	maekju
McCune–Reischauer	maekchu
IPA	[mɛk̚.t͈ɕu]

North Korea has at least ten major breweries and many microbreweries that supply a wide range of beer products. The top brand is the light lager Taedonggang by the state-owned Taedonggang Brewing Company.

The country's problems with goods distribution and power output have forced North Korean brewers to innovate. To minimize distribution, many restaurants and hotels maintain their own microbreweries. Because unreliable power supply makes it difficult to refrigerate beer, North Koreans have developed their own steam beer, an originally American beer style brewed in higher than normal temperatures, that is widely available.

Although the Korean liquor soju is preferred, beer comes second when it comes to consumption. Since the 1980s, beer has been within reach of ordinary North Koreans, though it is still rationed. Tourists, on the other hand, enjoy inexpensive beer without such limitations.