Credit: NOTVIPER / GETTY IMAGES

somaek.jpg

NOTVIPER / GETTY IMAGES

From the Portland Mercury‘s Craft Beer Issue!

With the arrival of the Southeast Belmont location of Korean market H Mart, you’ve got all you need to add delicious bulgogi and galbi into your traditional summer barbecue routine. While you’re busy navigating the store and stocking up on kimchee and snacks, pay a visit to the beverage aisle and grab a six-pack of Hite or Cass—two of the most popular light lagers in Korea, and you’ll be halfway to concocting somaek—the perfect beverage to pair with your summertime festivities.

A portmanteau combining the words soju and maekju (beer), somaek is a popular Korean beer cocktail, pairing light lager with soju, the popular low-alcohol distilled liquor commonly made with sweet potatoes or tapioca. More refined than a bomb shot and packing less of a punch than a boilermaker, somaek is crisp, refreshing, and easy to sip in the sun.

Chipp Terwilliger is a Calendar Editor and in-house sports expert at the Portland Mercury. He writes about video games, the Timbers, Thorns, Pickles, and Blazers, and creates listings for the music, comedy,...