This Time Shoe Polish Beer... CU Releases Malpyo Dark Beer Following GomPyo Beer

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Following the wheat flour beer, CU is now introducing shoe polish beer.

On the 8th, CU partnered with Malpyo Industrial, the maker of Malpyo shoe polish, and beer manufacturer Squeeze Brewery to exclusively launch Malpyo Dark Beer in the industry.

Malpyo shoe polish, first released in 1967, has been used as military shoe polish for nearly 40 years since 1974, becoming a national shoe polish brand embraced by generations from their 20s and 30s to middle-aged consumers.

Squeeze Brewery is a small craft beer manufacturer based in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, known for its technical skills and curating ability, having won the grand prize in the ale category at last year's Korea Liquor Awards.

The Malpyo Dark Beer packaging pays homage to Malpyo shoe polish’s signature design, featuring a black background with the logo and BI (brand image) colors expressed in Malpyo Industrial’s unique font, and adds fun with the symbol character, the Przewalski wild horse, holding barley in its mouth.

While GomPyo Wheat Beer, inspired by wheat flour, emphasizes a savory wheat aroma and a clean taste, Malpyo Beer is planned as a dark beer highlighting a rich taste and aroma.

This product is a dark beer with a dark color achieved by roasting barley malt black, specially blending six types of malt to preserve rich dark chocolate and espresso aromas without a strong bitterness, making it easy for anyone to enjoy lightly.

Especially targeting the autumn and winter seasons, the beer includes chestnut aroma to softly balance the hop’s bitter taste and add a subtle sweetness.

CU Malpyo Dark Beer is a follow-up to GomPyo Wheat Beer, which was released in May and sold out its initial production of 100,000 units within just three days, maintaining its popularity with limited store supply even recently.

The recent surge in domestic craft beer has increased consumers seeking unique beers from small breweries.

Seungtaek Lee, MD at BGF Retail, said, “As consumer interest in craft beer grows and promotions like 4 cans for 10,000 won become possible, domestic craft beers are gaining a larger share in the beer market with unique packaging and flavors. Malpyo Dark Beer is a high-quality product with distinctive taste comparable to GomPyo Wheat Beer, and we expect it to continue receiving positive responses this autumn and winter season.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.