Oriental Brewery or OB (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 오비맥주) is a South Korean

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

currently owned by

AB InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters ...

, and initially founded by

Doosan Group Doosan Group () is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. In 2009, the corporation was placed in the ''Fortune'' Global 500 index. It is the parent company of Bobcat and Škoda Power. Doosan Group is the oldest running company ...

History

Established by the Doosan Group in 1952, it was purchased by

InBev InBev () is a brewing company that resulted from the merger between Belgium-based company Interbrew and Brazilian brewer AmBev which took place in 2004. It existed independently until the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch in 2008, which formed Anheu ...

in 1998. In July 2009, it was sold by

Anheuser-Busch InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters ...

as the parent company sought to reduce its debt. It was sold to an affiliate of

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its strate ...

& Co.. Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB Inbev) has retained the right to purchase OB five years from its sale, at predetermined financial terms. In April 2014, AB Inbev executed its right to repurchase OB. OB became a subsidiary of AB Inbev again. Today OB produces several of Korea's most popular beverages including the OB, Cass and Cafri lager brands. All OB beers are brewed from rice, rather than the malted barley familiar to Western beer drinkers. In March 2001, the company merged Cass Beer (State) with the production capacity of 1,120,000 KLE per year, and produced red rock, OBE, KaprI, Budweiser, etc. In July 2002, it was the first beer industry to obtain the ISO 9001 certification from the Korea Standards Association. It became a foreign company when it was taken over by Dutch beer company Molte Industries in September 2010 and became a subsidiary of Belgian beer company Anheuser-Bush Inversh in April 2014.

Brands

OB Golden Lager

The 4th top selling beer in Korea. OB Lager is a pale, 4.4% A.B.V.

pale lager Pale lager is a very pale-to-golden-colored lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid-19th century, when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing ...

available in cans and bottles, and served on

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

in Korea. Originally brewed in 1948; the name was changed from OB Lager simply to OB in 2003; the recipe was altered to include rice. The name changed to OB Blue in June 2006 with another slight recipe tweak.

OB Light

It is an OB Lager with 4.2% ABV.

OB Premier Dunkel

Dunkel/Tmavý Style.

OB Premier Pilsner

Rich taste with German noble hop. The premier OB Pilsner. Premium all malt beer. Pale lager style.

OB Premier Weizen

German Hefeweizen style.

Cass Fresh Cold Brewed

A pale-golden

with a 4.5% ABV. Originally brewed by the Cass Brewery, the brand had been taken over by

Jinro HiteJinro Co., Ltd. (; ) is a South Korean multinational drink, brewing and distiller company, founded in 1924. It is the world's leading producer of soju, accounting for more than half of that beverage's domestic sales. It also manufactures a ...

- Coors, one of the country's leading brewers. After having around 70% of the Korean lager market in the 1980s, by 1994 Cass had fallen behind

Hite Hite or HITE may refer to: *HiteJinro, a South Korean brewery **Hite Brewery *Hite (surname) *Hite, California, former name of Hite Cove, California *Hite, Utah, a ghost town * HITE, an industrial estate in Pakistan See also *''Hite v. Fairfax ...

as Korea's top selling lager. Oriental Brewery bought the Cass brand from Jinro-Coors in 1999 and built it up again, with OB declaring a 51% market share in 2000. In 2007, the higher alcohol Cass Red was introduced. In 2011 Cass Lager became South Korea's number one selling brand, overtaking

. The beer became notable after an endorsement by British celebrity chef

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...

who described it as "not pretentious", "easy" and "fresh"; citing it as his preferred beverage with Korean dishes since acquiring a taste for the cuisine 15 years ago. His appearance in several of the beer's adverts caused much derision from viewers who found Ramsay's preference for the beer — which was considered to be poor in quality — offending despite his status as a chef very scrutinizing of his food palate. Non-alcoholic look-alikes of Cass can be found with brand names such as "Cars" and "Cdss". Some (song bars) establishments have been known to try to pass off these imitations as the real thing, as Korean law prohibits marked as such from selling alcoholic drinks within its premises (as opposed to establishments which are allowed to sell alcohol).

Cass Light

Cass Light is a low-carb

with 4.0% ABV.

Cass Ice Light

Pale lager style.

Cass 2X

Cass 2X is 2.9% ABV.

Cass Red

with 6.9% ABV, this lager contains higher amount of alcohol.

Cass Beats

New from OB since 2015.

Cass Lemon

Refreshing beer containing natural lemon juice. ABV 6.9%. Containing natural lemon juice, Cass Lemon provides cleaner and more a refreshing taste of beer.

Cass 0.0

Non-alcoholic beer of OB beer.

Cafri

Cafri (ABV 4.2%) is perhaps the lightest of all mainstream Korean beers. It is widely available in clear long-neck bottles but falls behind OB, Cass and Hite in popularity.

Aleston Black Ale

Porter style

Aleston Brown Ale

British style beer. Brewed with noble hops & pale malt.

Bergen bräu

Discount beer brewed by the Oriental Brewery for the Japanese Daiei Supermarket chain. The Korean "Bergen bräu" is not the same as the Belgían "Bergenbräu".

Bergen bräu Neu Welt

Brewed by the Oriental Brewery for the Japanese Daiei Supermarket chain. Korean "Bergen brau" is not to be confused with the Belgium brand "Bergenbräu".

Bergen bräu Zero

A beer with no sugar. Brewed by the Oriental Brewery for the Japanese Daiei Supermarket chain. The Korean Bergen bräu brand is not to be confused with the Bergenbräu from Belgium.

Blue Girl (4.5%)

Alcoholic Contents: 4.5% alc./vol (China). There is also a 5% version which is produced for sale in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan and which is listed separately.

Blue Girl (5.0%)

This is the 5%-Version, sold in HongKong, Macao and Taiwan only. Brewed by/for Jebsen Beer.

Blue Girl Draft

Retired from the market. Jebsen Beer and formerly brewed at Oriental Brewery (AB-InBev)

Dester

Pale Lager.

Dester Gold (100% Malt)

Dester beer brewed with 100% Malt. At the moment only exported to Malaysia and Singapore.

Essential Beer

Pale lager style.

Guam USA Beer Company Island Lager

Guam USA Beer Company Island Lager. Pale lager stye.

Red Rock

Non pasteurized fresh premium red beer. Amber Lager/Vienna Style.

Sonderberg

Pilsner lager beer. Pale lager style.

Suntory The Premium Malt

A deep pilsener beer (ABV 5.5). Original from

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

Holdings Limited

Global Brands

Budweiser

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrelat ...

is an American-style pale lager produced by American brewer Anheuser-Busch, which is a part of multinational corporation Anheuser–Busch InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, it has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States, and is available in over 80 markets worldwide—though, due to a trademark dispute, does not necessarily do so under the Budweiser name. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Produced in various breweries around the world, Budweiser is a filtered beer available in draft and packaged forms.

Bud Ice

Introduced in 1994 as "Ice by Budweiser", it has more alcohol (5.5% ABV) than Budweiser. It is best known for an advertising campaign that involved a malevolent penguin that stalked Bud Ice drinkers and stole their beer, announcing its presence by singing the "doo-be-doo-be-doo" phrase from "Strangers in the Night".

Hoegaarden

Hoegaarden Brewery Hoegaarden Brewery (, ) is a brewery in Hoegaarden, Belgium, and the producer of a witbeir, which is different from a wheat beer. Hoegaarden de-emphasizes hops, and is unfiltered, giving it the hazy, or milky, appearance--which makes it a wit ( ...

is a brewery in Hoegaarden, Belgium, and the producer of a well-known wheat beer.

Beck's

Beck's Brewery Beck's Brewery, also known as Brauerei Beck & Co., is a brewery in the northern German city of Bremen. In 2001, Interbrew bought Brauerei Beck for 1.8 billion euros; at that time it was the fourth largest brewer in Germany. US manufacture of B ...

, also known as Brauerei Beck & Co., is a brewery in the northern German city of Bremen. In 2001 Interbrew agreed to buy Brauerei Beck for 1.8 billion euro; at that time it was the fourth largest brewer in Germany. Since 2008 it has been part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. US manufacture of Beck's Brew has been based in St. Louis, Missouri since early 2012 but some customers have rebelled against the US market version.

Stella Artois

Stella Artois Stella Artois ( ) is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is also sold in other countries like the UK, Ire ...

is a Belgian pilsner lager of between 4.8 and 5.2% ABV which was first brewed by Brouwerij Artois (the Artois Brewery) in Leuven, Belgium, in 1926. Since 2008, a 4% ABV version is sold in Britain, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand. Through a series of mergers, Stella Artois is now ordinarily produced by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer.

Leffe

Leffe Leffe () is a premium beer brand owned by InBev Belgium, the European operating arm of the global Anheuser–Busch InBev brewery giant. There are several beers in the range, and they are marketed as abbey beers. They are brewed in large qua ...

is a premium beer brand owned by InBev Belgium, the European operating arm of the global Anheuser–Busch InBev brewery giant. There are several beers in the range, and they are marketed as Abbey beers. They are brewed in large quantities and are widely distributed.

Löwenbräu

Löwenbräu is a brewery in Munich owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Its name means "lion's brew" in German. Most Löwenbräu beers are marketed as being brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian beer purity regulation of 1516.

Corona

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

Extra is a pale lager produced by Cervecería Modelo in Mexico for domestic distribution and export to all other countries besides the United States, and by Constellation Brands in Mexico for export to the United States. The split ownership is a result of an anti-trust settlement permitting the merger of Grupo Modelo with AB InBev. The Corona brand is one of the top-selling beers worldwide. Outside Mexico, Corona is commonly served with a wedge of lime or lemon in the neck of the bottle to add tartness and flavor. In the United States, Corona Extra is the top selling imported beer.

The Hand Malt Beer

Belgian Wit Belgian Wit is Belgian-Style white ale. 5.0 ABV/ IBU 9 Slow IPA Slow IPA is a low alcohol India pale ale. It has special favors and aromas. The color of beer is like Corona or Pilsner beer. 4.6 ABV/IBU 40 Mocha Stout Mocha Stout has coffee flavor beer. It contains chocolate stout wite a creamy head. 5.0 ABV / IBU 28 Extra Special Ale Extra Special Ale is English style beer. The color of beer is strong orange. 5.7 ABV / IBU 23 Belgian Dubbel Belgian Dubbel is made by Korean Yeot (it can be called Candy). 7.2 ABV / IBU 21

External links

OB websiteRateBeerInBev press release404 Page not found , AB InBev

References

{{Kohlberg Kravis Roberts Beer in South Korea South Korean brands InBev brands Kohlberg Kravis Roberts companies Sega Sammy Holdings South Korean subsidiaries of foreign companies