Draft Beer 'Hanmaek Extra Creamy Saeng' Launched
Long-lasting Freshness with Smooth Foam
Struggling Hanmaek Faces Final Challenge for Survival
OB Beer is launching draft beer under its beer brand ‘Hanmac.’ Since its release in 2021, Hanmac has not achieved visible success, and this lineup expansion is expected to be a last-ditch effort that will determine the brand’s survival.
On the morning of the 27th, OB Beer held a media event in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to introduce the new draft beer product ‘Hanmac Extra Creamy Draft (生).’
Hanmac Draft Beer Launch... “Maximizing Flavor with Dense Foam”
On the 26th, at a restaurant in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Yoon Jeong-hoon, the brewmaster, is holding up freshly poured beer from the 'Special Micro Cream Tap' during OB Beer’s 'Hanmac Extra Creamy 生' tasting event.
Hanmac Extra Creamy 生 features foam that is softened like fresh cream by applying a specially designed ‘Special Micro Cream Tap.’ While draft beer poured into a glass typically loses its foam over time, Hanmac draft beer’s foam instead rises softly and overflows outside the glass. OB Beer has named this the ‘100-Second Fantasy Foam Ritual’ and plans to actively use this experience as a key differentiating point in its promotions.
At the event, OB Beer repeatedly emphasized the foam. They stated that since the renewal in March last year, they have further improved the foam’s lasting power and the resulting smooth texture. Yoon Jung-hoon, the brewmaster responsible for developing the new product, explained, “Hanmac’s dense foam minimizes the beer’s exposure to oxygen, helping to maintain freshness and preserve the beer’s optimal taste for a long time,” adding, “We recommend savoring the smoothly rising foam first, then enjoying the beer’s smooth flavor along with the foam.”
In Its Fourth Year... Hanmac Still Struggling
This draft beer launch shows OB Beer’s desperation regarding Hanmac. Hanmac was launched as part of OB Beer’s ‘Korea’s Representative Lager Project’ to create a lager best suited to Korean tastes, commemorating 100 years of Korean beer history in 2021. In March last year, the product was renewed by implementing a four-stage microfiltration process to remove elements that interfere with smoothness and achieve the best beer quality, maximizing a smooth throat feel.
However, now in its fourth year since launch, Hanmac’s performance has fallen far short of expectations. During the early COVID-19 pandemic period, active promotional activities such as tasting events could not be conducted, resulting in insufficient brand awareness. After the renewal last year and the bold move of appointing singer and actress Suzy as the brand model in August, no significant turnaround has been achieved. In fact, Hanmac did not even rank in the top 10 in the domestic home liquor market last year, contrasting with HiteJinro’s ‘Kelly,’ launched in April last year, which ranked fifth.
While Hanmac struggles to establish itself in the market, the pursuit by second-place company HiteJinro has intensified. OB Beer’s market share in the home market last year was 46.8%, down 1.3 percentage points from 48.1% the previous year, whereas during the same period, HiteJinro increased its share by 1 percentage point to 28.5%. Having openly declared its intention to challenge OB Beer with Kelly last year, HiteJinro’s beer business sales also rose 5% to 823.3 billion KRW from 784.2 billion KRW in 2022, gaining momentum.
OB Beer still maintains a significant lead over the second place with its largest domestic beer brand ‘Cass,’ but the stagnation of the beer market and intensified competition are burdens for OB Beer, which relies heavily on a single brand. Not only is HiteJinro achieving meaningful results with its dual brand strategy of ‘Terra’ and ‘Kelly,’ but Lotte Chilsung Beverage’s ‘Crush’ and Lotte Asahi Liquor’s ‘Asahi Draft Beer Can’ are also applying pressure from all directions.
An industry insider commented, “There is no doubt that Cass remains a competitive brand, but relying on a single brand to sustain the market is a burden even for the leading operator,” adding, “From OB Beer’s perspective, Hanmac should serve as a sub-brand to relieve the burden on Cass, but the reality is that it has not yet done so.”
Premiumization of the Liquor Market... Betting on High-Quality Draft Beer
OB Beer’s decision to revive Hanmac with draft beer appears influenced by the recent trend of premiumization in the liquor market, which focuses more on quality than quantity. While bottled beer in the entertainment market is often consumed as ‘somaek’ (a mix of soju and beer), draft beer consumption generally focuses on the beer’s flavor itself. This aligns with recent liquor consumption trends, and if the differentiated foam sufficiently emphasizes luxury, it can secure competitiveness even within the entertainment market.
Park Hyung-sun, OB Beer’s Hanmac brand manager, said, “The general consumer perception is that the highest quality beer is draft beer, and it is indeed the best way to enjoy beer in its most perfect state,” adding, “Besides consumers who prefer refreshing and carbonated drinks, Hanmac draft beer emphasizes foam to satisfy diverse consumer demands.”
OB Beer has completed stocking the new product in 100 establishments nationwide and plans to expand to over 1,000 establishments within the year. Additionally, they plan to strengthen marketing by operating a consumer participation offline pop-up store at the IFC Mall in Yeouido, Seoul, next month, along with launching a new TV commercial next week.
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