[Interview] A Highball to Beat the Summer Heat

Interview with Kim Manki, Team Leader of Kabru Quality Control Team

The season for beer, summer, is approaching. Although there are many changes in the drinking culture among the MZ generation these days, beer is an indispensable part of summer. The power of beer, loved not only domestically but worldwide, is truly remarkable. For some, it serves as a way to relieve the fatigue of the day, and for others, it evokes a piece of cherished memories.

Today, we met with Kabrew beer, which is expanding overseas beyond just the domestic market. Kabrew is one of Korea’s first-generation craft beer breweries, established in 2000. Recently, they developed and launched their own RTD highball in line with domestic liquor trends. We will be sharing everything from the launch process of the highball, not just the craft beer, to some handy tips, so look forward to it. We met with Kim Manki, the head of the Quality Control Team, who is in charge of overall quality management and R&D for products produced by Kabrew.

Q. Kabrew, known for its strong presence in craft beer, has launched as many as seven types of highballs since early this year. Nowadays, it’s trendy to find alcoholic beverages that suit individual tastes, including whiskey, wine, and soju. Why did you choose to focus on highballs among these types? Also, how long did the launch process take?

The genre that has emerged following craft beer in the home market is RTD liquor, specifically highballs. Since a ‘highball’ is an alcoholic beverage made by adding various flavors and carbonation to a base spirit, we judged that it would be possible to develop it using our existing equipment and brewing know-how. From preparing to acquire the relevant license (other liquors) to development and launch, it took about six months.

Q. What was the most important consideration during the launch of the highball?

Kabrew is a first-generation craft beer brewery representing South Korea. We believe we met the public with sincerity and challenge, so while making the highball, we wanted to maintain our identity and show a new side. Therefore, we focused on the ‘fermentation’ stage, which is a core process in making good beer. The taste and quality of the liquor are determined by how fermentation proceeds.

Recently, craft beer companies entering the RTD market mainly choose to make highballs using easily obtainable neutral spirits. However, if we had made the liquor with such a simple combination, we thought we wouldn’t be able to deliver Kabrew’s unique value to our loyal customers. Especially, the highball style enjoyed in Korea is represented by the ‘Eolgurei Highball,’ which is sweet and flavorful, different from the Japanese style that emphasizes the taste of whiskey. Therefore, instead of using neutral spirits that may bring bitterness or off-flavors, we chose to brew a clean base spirit ourselves without any off-flavors. While actively embracing trends and trying new challenges, we kept in mind two things with our unique technology: “slow but right” and “the best method a craft beer company can do.”

Q. You mentioned earlier that you introduced seven types of highballs. It would be great to look at them one by one. Could you explain the first two, ‘Easy Blue Hawaii Highball’ and ‘Easy Pina Colada Highball’?

Kabrew’s first highball brand, ‘Easy Highball,’ carries the meaning of convenience to enjoy anytime and anywhere, a relaxed atmosphere evoking rest, and a moment of leisure with the Easy Highball, just as the name ‘Easy’ suggests. A soft font was developed to express the product concept and applied to the front of the package, which is a distinctive feature. The product names were also inspired by familiar cocktail names to make them more approachable.

‘Easy Blue Hawaii Highball’ features a blue color reminiscent of the Blue Hawaiian cocktail, with a refreshing and sweet lemon aroma and a crisp carbonation sensation. The ‘Easy Pina Colada Highball’ is inspired by the Pina Colada cocktail, a pineapple coconut highball that offers the rich taste of pineapple concentrate and a smooth coconut scent.

Q. What are the characteristics of the ‘Ready Classic Highball’ and ‘Ready Pink Highball’? How do they differ from the previously explained highballs?

‘Ready Highball’ differs conceptually from Easy Highball. It was planned with a more active and vibrant concept while conveying the convenience of RTD highballs that are ready to enjoy anytime, anywhere. Accordingly, a unique package design was applied, featuring a cute font with the alphabet shaped like a highball glass in the title logo and a color combination.

‘Ready Classic Highball’ is a ginger ale-flavored highball, one of the representative flavors of highballs. It is not too sweet, with a refreshing balance of ginger aroma and carbonation, offering a classic taste distinct from fruit-flavored highballs. ‘Ready Pink Highball’ is a grapefruit-flavored highball with a sweet and slightly bitter grapefruit aroma combined with refreshing carbonation, making it a light and enjoyable choice.

Q. Next, you introduced ‘Keg Kabrew Highball’ in black tea and grapefruit flavors. The term ‘keg’ might be unfamiliar to many. Could you explain what a keg is and how it differs from a can?

A keg is a large stainless steel container used to store beer. When you order draft beer at a bar, the tap you pour from is connected to a keg.

We are the first to launch finished highballs in kegs. Since you just need to pour the highball into an ice-filled glass, you can enjoy fresh highballs with consistent taste anytime without the hassle of making them during busy times. Also, if a store sells draft beer, they can simply connect the highball keg to their existing tap, allowing them to use their usual high dispenser or keg refrigerator without complicated installation or additional costs. Consumers can enjoy the drink without worrying about taste differences depending on the maker or store. Currently, we offer two representative flavors: black tea and grapefruit, with plans to expand further.

Q. The bourbon whiskey highball was launched through a collaboration with GS25 convenience stores, so customers can access it more easily. How does the bourbon whiskey highball differ from other RTD highballs, and what makes it special?

Currently, you can find three types of Kabrew highballs at GS25. The bourbon whiskey highball was created through collaboration with GS Retail. Having worked together on landmark series like Gyeongbokgung and Namsan beers, this is a great example of synergy between Kabrew’s product development capabilities and GS25’s distribution power.

The ‘Bourbon Whiskey Highball’ is the first in Korea to use American bourbon whiskey. As the term ‘highball’ became familiar and more popular among consumers, there were increasing requests for highballs made with ‘real whiskey.’ With the popularization of highballs, the demand from whiskey lovers grew. Although RTD canned whiskey highballs appeared in the 2010s, they did not receive much response. So, Kabrew started this project with the spirit of challenge to create a proper whiskey highball and the first bourbon whiskey highball in Korea. Since it was inspired by the ‘Bourbon Coke,’ the taste of the bourbon whiskey base was crucial, so unlike existing highballs, the product development began with adding real whiskey. We then added cola flavor with an optimal recipe to realize Bourbon Coke in RTD form.

Q. Each of these many highballs has its own unique characteristics. I assume the target audience and suitable side dishes differ as well?

The target audience for highballs is generally said to be trend-sensitive people in their 20s and 30s, but we also offer various flavors so people can choose according to their preferences. For example, those who like refreshing flavors might prefer the Easy Blue Hawaii Highball, while those who prefer a milder taste rather than fruity flavors might find the Ready Classic Highball more suitable.

Recommended pairings vary as well: ▲Easy Blue Hawaii Highball - barbecue, lobster, and other smoked dishes ▲Easy Pina Colada Highball - spicy dishes like mala xiang guo ▲Ready Classic Highball - cheese plates, fruits, and other mild side dishes ▲Ready Grapefruit Highball & Kabrew Grapefruit Highball - greasy foods like hamburgers and pizza ▲Kabrew Highball Black Tea Flavor - meat dishes like pork belly and dakgalbi ▲Bourbon Whiskey Highball - light snacks like nachos and chips. Since the bourbon whiskey highball has a relatively low alcohol content of 4%, it is also recommended to enjoy it on its own. The important thing is that highballs taste best when served in an ice-filled glass and enjoyed chilled.

Q. Among the seven highballs, which one do you personally prefer?

Personally, I don’t like sweet flavors, so I prefer the Ready Classic Highball, which has a balanced ginger ale aroma and sweetness. However, during internal tastings, the Pina Colada received an explosive response! Because you can fully enjoy the sweetness of pineapple, it seems especially popular in summer.

Q. What do you think is the unique charm of highballs compared to other types of alcoholic beverages?

Even those who are sensitive to the smell of alcohol can enjoy highballs sweetly and deliciously. Although the alcohol content is higher than beer, since you drink it slowly in an ice-filled glass, you get intoxicated more slowly and can adjust your drinking pace while keeping the mood. In a culture where ‘drink up and down it’ is disappearing, the biggest charm of highballs is that you can choose delicious drinks that suit your taste and enjoy them slowly.

Q. Nowadays, highballs are easily accessible everywhere. Many people enjoy them at restaurants, as RTD highballs, or even make them at home. Do you have any personal tips for making highballs?

At home, it’s canned highballs! Nowadays, I really buy a can of highball on my way home depending on my mood and drink it. There’s no need to wash jiggers (whiskey measuring cups) or muddlers, and if you just have ice ready, you can drink immediately, so it’s the most convenient. Sometimes, when I want to enjoy a stronger whiskey aroma, I add about half a shot of the whiskey I have at home to the Ready Classic Highball or Easy Blue Hawaii Highball using a soju glass?that might be a tip (laughs).

Q. Lastly, please leave a message for DrinKit subscribers.

When we first developed the product, we imagined consumers easily and lightly enjoying highballs at places like the Han River park, beaches, or resorts. Now the weather has really gotten hot. Why not enjoy a cool glass of highball this coming weekend?

Photo courtesy of Kabrew

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