How Dokkaebier Is Diversifying Craft Beer | SevenFifty Daily

At Dokkaebier, an Asian-inspired brewery in Oakland, California, the michelada receives a multicultural remix. Instead of Tajín, taproom bartenders rim a glass with kimchi spices, before adding lime juice, briny Clamato, and the brewery’s tart and spicy Kimchi Sour. The Kimchilada, as it’s called, is just one way Dokkaebier is introducing craft beer to a historically underserved audience. 

“There are around 19 million Asian Americans living in the country, but nobody’s marketing craft beer to us,” says Korean-American CEO Youngwon Lee. “That’s untapped potential.” 

In a beer landscape awash in hazy IPAs, Dokkaebier distinguishes itself with beers featuring traditional Asian ingredients, including the Lemongrass Witbier spiced with Sichuan peppercorns; bright and citrusy Yuza Blonde; and a crisp pilsner infused with bamboo tea. The taproom’s best seller is the beer flight. “People want to come and taste all the flavors that we create,” says Lee. 

For SevenFifty Daily, I profiled CEO Youngwon Lee.