RICE BEER

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Beer is always in high demand during the hot season. While most beer products are made of barley, beer made of rice has been recently developed in Korea for the first time. The new product is expected to promote rice consumption in the nation and help rice farmers increase their incomes.

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Soft and refreshing... Though it looks no different from ordinary beer at a glance, it is in fact made with 40 percent rice. While maintaining the essential taste of conventional beer, rice beer tastes less bitter than the ones made of barley.

[Soundbite] MOON HYUN-BIN(GYEONGGI-DO PROV. RESIDENT) : "Rice beer tastes very soft and neat."

The recently developed domestic rice variety and beer brewing technology have been supplied to craft beer manufacturers. It is more difficult to produce than regular beer. So far rice beer has received positive reviews from consumers. One rice beer product developed by a Korean craft beer company has even won a silver medal at the International Beer Cup held recently in Australia.

[Soundbite] KIM JUNG-HA(CEO OF CRAFT BEER COMPANY) : "Rice has a variety of flavors. When rice is boiled down, it turns into syrup. That's why rice beer has a sweet flavor similar to rice syrup."

Some five thousand tons of imported malt is consumed in the Korean craft beer market annually. Once the supply of beer made of domestic rice expands, rice farmers are expected to benefit as well.

[Soundbite] PARK JI-YOUNG(KOREA RURAL ADMINISTRATION) : "Because the production of rice for beer is outsourced to farmers, their profits are expected to stabilize and grow in the future."

Korea's craft beer market has tripled over the past three years, from around 20 billion won in 2016 to 60 billion won last year. Currently the development of domestic yeast and hops, which are also essential in beer production, is also underway.