The Absolute Best Beer To Drink With Korean Barbecue

While robust ales are fit for smoky American barbecue, deliciously sweet Korean barbecue is rife with flavors that we wouldn't dream of masking. It takes the right kind of beer to highlight the flavors without distracting from the nuances of them. We caught up with two experts at Walmart's bettergoods launch to get their recommendations for the best beer to sip with the cuisine.

For chef Jae Lee, Korean barbecue is best paired with a light and refreshing beer. "It doesn't have to be a Korean beer, anything light will go," says Lee. For him, the pick keeps the meal from getting too heavy. "At the end of the day, you're eating rich beef or pork or meat; you need something light and bubbly to kind of balance that so you can keep eating," he elaborates. While the chef personally prefers a non-alcoholic brew, he maintains that anything light and crisp works.

When you think of Korean barbecue, however, your mind may go to soju, a Korean liquor distilled from rice. While it does make a good pairing, Danny Kim, the creator behind Danny Grubs, cosigns on Lee's recommendation of a light beer, and suggests mixing it with soju to create a popular cocktail called somaek. "You just go with soju and whatever light beer, and that's usually what Koreans will drink around the Korean barbecue," he notes. To create a balanced cocktail with soju, you'll typically want a ratio of 30% soju and 70% beer.

A light lager will always be a great choice for Korean barbecue. These beers have a slight bitterness to them that tempers the sweetness of the food, preventing it from becoming overwhelming. They also tend to be highly carbonated, making them the very definition of refreshing. Pale ales are a little stronger than light lagers, but they're still relatively crisp. They come with a malted, bitter, and somewhat fruit-forward flavor that's delightful with Korean barbecue.

If you're looking to make a somaek to pair with your spread, a light lager is best. The neutrality of it keeps the cocktail refreshing, especially if you plan on using flavored soju with it. Although a traditional somaek consists of plain soju with beer, some people like to switch it up with a fizzy, fruity flavor. Grape or plum-flavored sojus bring a bright spin to the sticky, sweetness of the barbecue.

For those who prefer their meal paired with a low alcohol option, Kim also suggests drinking kvass with the cuisine. Derived from dark rye bread, this is definitely one fermented drink you should know. It's crisp, refreshing, and a little sour just like a beer. However, the alcohol concentration lingers somewhere between 1.5% and 2.5%, so it's not considered an alcoholic drink — kvass is said to have the sweet, earthiness of beer without the buzz.