Magpie celebrates 10 years of brewing

People enjoying craft beer at Magpie's 10-year anniversary party on April 9. / Courtesy of Joo Shangheun

By Jon Dunbar

It's been a good 10 years for beer drinkers in Korea. Before that, Magpie Brewing Co. didn't exist. The craft brewery has grown with Korea's craft brewing scene. It is also the likely origin of the term "pi-maek," a combination of the first syllables of pizza and the Korean word for beer, according to its owners.

Magpie is celebrating its 10-year anniversary throughout the year, having already gotten the party started on April 9 with the release of a limited-edition sour IPA flavored with mango, passion fruit and guava, branded "Sipnyeongamsu" ("to lose 10 years") with imagery inspired by Korean traditional folk art. The same day, Magpie's original brewshop location hosted an anniversary event that ended up as more of a block party.

"If I had to guess I'd say it was easily three times bigger than we had planned for," Erik Moynihan, co-founder of Magpie, told The Korea Times. "I think it was a confluence of weather, COVID fatigue and everyone having a reason to party. The most common comment I heard was regarding the feeling of nostalgia people had hanging out in the alley. It's been a long time since those streets have seen that many people. I'm really happy to see so many people come out and support."

Magpie got its start a little more than a decade ago as a homebrewing studio and "idea incubator," selling beer-brewing equipment out of a quiet little back alley in Itaewon's Gyeongnidan area. In 2012 its owners applied for a restaurant license. In those days under strict regulations, craft beer producers like Magpie were prohibited from selling their product off-site at restaurants they didn't operate directly.

Looking around the area, and especially that particular alley now, it's clear how much Gyeongnidan has changed in the last 10 years.

"Generally I didn't think it was Magpie that drove it ― more that we were one of the examples of foreign-led businesses that bridged cultural barriers, but we weren't alone in that movement," Moynihan said.

Magpie Brewing Co. co-owner Erik Moynihan, center in white mask, attends the brewery's 10th anniversary party on April 9. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"I think the first wave in the area was led by us in that it brought a bunch of other beer related businesses to the area that later became defined as 'craft beer alley.' It was the attention on the rest of the area that caused its boom/bust a few years later."

Originally Magpie was a small ground-floor spot to share beers with friends, but after a year it expanded to the much larger basement space of a nearby building.

Shortly after that, Magpie's owners struck a lucrative partnership with Arario Gallery, which led to the opening of another bar location in Jeju City's aptly named Tap-dong area in 2014. Then in 2016, Magpie opened a full-fledged brewery on Jeju Island and ceased all OEM brewery relationships. As Magpie has kept its corporate headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan area, Moynihan describes Magpie as "bi-coastal."

Although operating the brewery on Jeju has increased costs due to shipping and logistics, he says the benefits have been greater. Magpie has grown from a tiny alley shop to achieve more national recognition. And while Itaewon took a beating during the pandemic, Jeju Island captured a great deal of domestic tourism.

"Generally," he said, "Jeju has been great for us."

During Magpie's time, craft beer in Korea has gone from a foreign concept to a way of sharing culture. Magpie has ridden the wave of deregulation, as obstacles standing in the way of Korean craft beer have been removed and pushed back little by little.

Magpie's 10th anniversary party on April 9 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Although convenience store coolers have been filling up with locally made craft beers in recent years, Moynihan sees this as a "straw man success story," and said while Magpie is exploring options, he doesn't see much opportunity for Magpie on convenience store shelves.

What he would really like to see is permission for online sales and delivery.

"They always say the further the beer travels from the brewery the worse it gets," he said. "I'd further that by saying it suffers with each set of hands it passes through. The more direct our relationship with the customers, the better the beer they will get."

As for how he sees Magpie expanding in the future, he was a little vague.

"We are always planting seeds and talking about the industry with whoever will listen ― but everything takes time, so nothing to report yet!" he said. "I think like most people we are just really looking to have a good year and get things back as close to 'normal' as we can. Hopefully [the April 9] event is indicative of the year we have ahead of us!"

He made mention of a "Brewery Party" to be held this summer after a few years' hiatus. "It will be more of a celebration of our core values: culture, craftsmanship, and community," he said. "It will be a kind of mini festival down on the island ― but we are looking at venues to hold a mirrored event up in Seoul as well."

Someone walks through the alley wearing a Magpie 10th anniversary shirt on April 9. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

He promised more details on that party soon, as well as further collaborations lined up for the rest of the year, some beer-related, some related to spirits, some new merchandise and some design refreshes. "We are really excited to have made it this far, so we are using it as an excuse to do some interesting things with our friends," he said.

Visit magpiebrewing.com for more information.