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For years, South Korea has shown a lot of enthusiasm for beer. Interest in specialty beers has grown, beer-drinking is trendy and demand for well-trained beer sommeliers is correspondingly high, especially in the gastronomy sector.

Doemens discovered this trend early on and has been offering a one-week basic beer sommelier course two to three times a year in Seoul since 2015, providing the most important basic knowledge about raw materials, production, beer/food pairings, characterisation of beer styles, sensory analysis and dispensing technology. Implementation is made possible by a Doemens representative on site, South Korean beer sommelier Jihee Lee, along with our partner, Breworx of Seoul.

In 2016, a second tier was introduced, consisting of a one-week update course to achieve certification. The training programme focuses on topics such as off-flavour training, sensory analysis using different drinking glasses, sour beers, barrel-aged and vintage beers, beer history, brewing and even designing a three-course menu properly paired with corresponding beers.

In December 2022, after a three-year break due to Corona, a beer sommelier course was again held in Seoul. Dr. Michael Zepf, head of the Doemens Genussakademie and responsible for international beer sommelier training, was personally on site to accompany the participants of the fully booked course through the final examination.

A recurring highlight of the course was food pairing. Korean cuisine with its diverse ingredients, spices and unusual preparation methods lends itself perfectly. “A perfect beer & food pairing turned out to be a Belgian Tripel with a very ripe Sharon fruit” said Dr. Zepf enthusiastically, who very much appreciated his partners Jihee Lee and Breworx for this successful team effort.