North Korea makes a small step toward capitalism
Sometime in the 1940s, right here in America, the world’s first beer commercial was televised.
Now, 60-some years later, North Korea has decided to get into the game with a three-minute opus on the wonders of Taedonggang beer. To classic slogans such as “Great taste, less filling” and “Hey Mabel, black label,” you can now add “Reminds of the pure and beautiful flow of the Taedong River.”
The lager is made in a formerly British factory that the North Korean government bought and then shipped — piece by piece — to Pyongyang. (Here is a satellite photo of it.) Apparently the beer still retains part of its British heritage in taste and is much more bitter than normal Asian lagers.
It’s served in South Korea and the DMZ. Of course, Beer Advocate already has reviews of it.
