Magpie Brewing, led by Erik Moynihan and Tiffany Needham, got its start in 2011, with the help of two other friends, was originally conceived as an alleyway speakeasy that would provide the bustling South Korean public a hangout spot for them and their friends to enjoy some solid American-style craft beers and pizza - yet, much to the surprise of Erik and Tiffany, it turned into something so much more, helping to spark the craft beer revolution in South Korea, a country dominated by big conglomerates and their macro lagers.

A Magpie That Brings With It Great Beers

Back in those days, Erik who had first arrived in South Korea in a bid to experience more of the world outside of his home country of Canada, was simply looking to start his own business so that he didn't have to work for someone else. Through his freelance teaching work, he would come to meet Tiffany, who herself is half-Korean and half-American, and had shared the same desire to start a small business where she could work for herself. They thus tried their hand at numerous businesses from building an English teaching website, to making their own cheese, and along the way as Erik concedes, had began to homebrew simply because they had missed the taste of beer from back home. 

Erik and Tiffany, the folks behind South Korea's Magpie.

"I got into beer more for the idea of having something local than having something flavor focused. Even back in Canada, I liked the idea that when I went to Toronto, I was going to drink what was in Toronto. That’s what I found most exciting about craft beer." says Erik.

The early days started with catering for birthday parties and baseball games, and as momentum had begun to build, the friends would begin to toy with the idea of turning it into a viable business.

Nevertheless in conjunction to Magpie's early story was a critical parallel matter that was gripping South Korea by storm - the deregulation of producing and retailing craft beers. South Korea had long been dominated by two big companies, and yet in between the two was a small but fast-growing thirst for craft beers. The landmark 2002 FIFA World Cup held by South Korea saw a real breakthrough when brewpubs were then allowed to produce and supply their own beers as a means to add vibrancy to the country. Yet over the coming years, other restrictions would hinder the craft brewing community's growth such as the inability for craft brewers to sell offsite outside of a F&B venue and also having to meet minimum production volume requirements, alongside facing high taxes. These coupled with the just burgeoning craft beer scene saw numerous little booms and busts that altogether made craft brewing a difficult business.

Magpie's first location in Kyoungridan at the bustling Itaewon district in Seoul. (Image Source: Drink Me Dirty)

A Series Of Fortunate Events Brought About By The Magpie

Fortunately Magpie - so named after the Korean symbol for heralding good news - was picked up upon by other expats who too ran a brewpub, and were willing to help contract brew for Magpie. With 1,000 to 2,000 litres of craft beer on hand - recipe supplied by the Magpie folks - they had to find a way for the beer to be sold and thus decided to start a little alleyway speakeasy in the youth-friendly and buzzy Itaewon. Some credit Magpie with the coining of the term pi-maek which combines the first syllables of pizza and the Korean word for beer, which together refers to the act of indulging in a slice of pizza and craft beer.

With just one pale ale on tap, Magpie would set South Korea on the craft beer craze! Magpie would go on to open several other bar locations around Korea.

The Magpie has landed in Jeju!

By 2016, Magpie would take its biggest flight yet - finding itself a brewery of its own in the scenic Jeju Island. Magpie would repurpose an abandoned tangerine warehouse for its brewery, which not only raised the craft beer brand's national recognition, as Jeju is a domestic tourism hotspot that commands great appeal, but has also allowed the now brewery to brew with the cleanest air and water in South Korea, and be closer to incredible local produce from Jeju-grown cinnamon to peanuts and of course, tangerines! This has allowed the brewery to expand beyond its core beers, to also do more seasonal and one-offs, which they brew to match Korea's famous changing seasons, always giving folks a reason to come back and try something new.

Over the years, Magpie has come to be synonymous with the best of South Korean craft brewing - being the first to do a sour beer in the country even when there was little awareness of the style of beer - and has raised the international profile of craft brewing in the country. "There’s not demand for this in Korea, but it’s popular internationally. If we don’t get on this now, someone else might.” says Erik on Magpie's impetus to make hazy IPAs and fruited sours. Today Magpie continues to remain innovative with the likes of producing beers that blend local tradition and ingredients, such as using sancho pepper and smoked Korean hobak pumpkins. 

Magpie's Bring Spring is a seasonal beer made with Korean ingredients.

Happy 12th Birthday Magpie!

And so today we celebrate the many years of Magpie's great brewing in South Korea with their 12th Birthday Beer, a Triple IPA! You'll notice that the beer can doesn't have a single label but instead sports numerous very cute stickers, each one representing a tribute to the 12 guardians who've helped Magpie on its journey thus far!

Cheers to you Magpie! To many more years ahead!

Let's give this a go!

Beer Review: 12th Birthday Beer Triple IPA, Magpie Brewing (맥파이 브루잉 컴퍼니의), 12% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Honey

Aroma: Really rich honeyed, malty and aromatically grassy. It’s almost as if grass was woven into raw honey. Gentle bits of gasoline, all of which is caked in honey. It’s really rich and candied.

Taste: Lots of honey and maltose candy, with more of those grassiness and a light hit of gasoline. Yet there’s only a very faint bitterness. The hops give more of a vegetal and petrolic quality that is met with that wall of honey and maltose. Both the sweetness and bitterness here are evenly matched and quite understated.

Finish: Rich honey, lots of malt, the bitterness surfaces alittle more here with a good serving of grass. 

My Thoughts

What I really love about a good Triple IPA is when they have a really candied quality about it, like maltose candy, that mellows out the hoppiness, so instead of being really sharp and dank, you get something that almost feels like a herbaceous honey candy. And that’s exactly what we’re getting here! 

It’s really rich, honeyed and candied, and of course there’s still the dankness but it’s alot less razor sharp and more herbaceous and vegetal instead which I really enjoy.

Here it’s also giving lots of maltiness which is a nice touch, you’ve got that biscuit-y flavour woven in, and that stands out when both the sweetness and bitterness is quite understated, with more of the honey and grassy flavours coming through without the sweetness and bitterness.

Very solid TIPA, oh and happy 12th anniversary Magpie!