Microbrews will hit store shelves this April

Get ready to ditch the Cass and Hite, because Korean microbrews will finally go on sale at discount chains, supermarkets and convenience stores starting this April.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced Monday that their revisions to restrictions on small breweries and alcohol manufacturers passed a Blue House cabinet meeting.

Craft beers are already on sale at many Korean shops, but they are made by larger producers that fall out of the scope of the new rules on microbreweries and distilleries.

Microbrews, craft makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and other types of alcohol made by small manufacturers or individuals were only allowed to be sold at the factory or at restaurants and bars with food business licences.

The changes relaxed sales restrictions on craft alcohol with the aim of boosting sales of existing small Korean producers and encouraging more people to start selling their own booze.

Microbreweries will be also allowed to have larger storage tanks for their freshly made beer, a change that will eventually lead to more beer hitting the market. The change expanded the storage limit for microbreweries to 120 kiloliters from 75 kiloliters.

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]