While East Asian beer can often be hit and miss that is not the case in the DPRK where both the craft and bottled beer tends to be pretty good, something we were to confirm when we visited Tumanggang Brewery in the Rason SEZ.
This though was not actually the first time we had tried the beer though with this new brew having also made it out to the borderlands of Yanji, Dandong and indeed beyond.
So, what is the deal with the Tumanggang Brewery and is it really that good? Once again YPT aim to answer the questions you never asked.
What the Rason?
The Rason Special Economic Zone is North Korea’s quirky flirtation with capitalism. Tucked away in the far northeast, where China and Russia meet the DPRK, it’s the one spot where trade happens a little more freely, and foreigners get a rare peek behind the curtain.
No ATMs, no neon lights, and definitely no McDonald’s, but you might just see a shipping container from Russia or meet a Chinese trader up for some soju. It’s weird, fascinating, and very “other North Korea”.
The Tumanggang Brewery
The Tumanggang Brewery, or rather the Rason Brewery was formed in 2020 to fill the beer demand for the locals of the Rason SEZ and the surrounding areas. You see while Pyongyang makes the rather wonderful Taedonggang Beer it is hard to ship it across the DPRK. This meant that for the longest time pretty much only Chinese beers were on offer.
All that has changed though with the output of Rason brewery not only more than satisfying local palates, but them also producing enough to export to China. I have personally already had the beer in both Yanji and Rason with it apparently also available in Beijing. Will you see it exported to your country? Probably not, at least according to the brewmaster. You see North Korean beer is not pasteurized meaning that it “goes off”.
How does Tummangang Beer taste?
After initially trying the beer in China I already liked the stuff, but after having it on draft quite literally in the brewery it is now one of my favorite beers in Asia. The setup here is fabulous, incredibly clean and clearly done very well. This was something confirmed to us by the brewmaster who after all of our questions actually wondered if we were spies. Industrial ones you understand, but alas spies none the less.
It was actually really interesting not just talking to him, with us having the whole beer making process explained to us, such as that it is a rice and wheat mix and how they do the strengths. Alas he was quick to stop before sharing any high grade industrial secrets. We also had it confirmed that it was not linked to the former Czech Brewery in Rason with reports to the contract being erroneous at best.
The actual bar here was also really well setup and it make a rather perfect penultimate night for us before we headed back to our hotel for dinner.
And the rest of the Rason Nightlife?
The nightlife of Rason is actually not all that bad, although you need to qualify this with the caveat that Rason is not Pyongyang and Pyongyang is not exactly Vegas. There are though a few decent bars already in Rajin, as well as ones on the way, one of which is even selling bonds to help it open.
When it comes to a night out in the zone though nothing quite beats street food, karaoke and some legit North Korean Soju. It was already great to be back, but Tummangang Brewery made it that little bit extra special.
Click to check out our Rason Tours.
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