North Korea: National Brew

National Brew Recent headlines out of North Korea have revolved around the Hermit Kingdom’s burgeoning nuclear program. But another industry is also a point of pride for the Supreme Leader. North Korea’s Taedonggang brewery recently launched a new beer using a special crafting technique that makes its brew “better than existing beers in terms of its taste and smell,” the BBC reported, citing a state newspaper. The new technique replaces heaps of barley with wheat as the main ingredient and has won rave reviews from North Koreans, according to state media. Kim Jong-un is reportedly a beer aficionado and has complained that imported brands had no taste. The new brew is being hailed as a success story of Kim’s “round-the-clock battle” to make life “more enjoyable for the people.” But North Koreans will be the only people enjoying the new brew anytime soon. The new pint was scheduled to be unveiled at last July’s Pyongyang Beer Festival – a major tourist attraction for the otherwise isolated nation – but the event was canceled at the last minute without explanation.