Dokkaebier

Our beginnings are humble but profound

In 2019, Youngwon Lee thought: "Why is it that we experiment with Asian flavors when it comes to our food but not when it comes to our drinks?"

He then founded Dokkaebier, drawing on his deep knowledge and years of experience in operations, finance, sales, and brand management in the food and beverage industry.

The result is an almost scientific approach to experimentation, driven by sheer determination and a little mischief.

Settling in one of the craft beer capitals of America, Oakland, California, Youngwon embraced the local scene. He was inspired by everyone’s sense of adventure, where people sought out unique, interesting, and authentic flavors. He knew then that he had found the perfect place to start.

We want to lead the push to bring more diversity and inclusion to the industry.

We know craft beer isn’t for snobs, critics, or insiders. Our goal is to fill glasses, bellies, and spirits—all while bringing the rich culture and heritage of Korea and Asia into our brews.

Just like the mythical dokkaebis that gave us our name, Dokkaebier aims to refresh the soul, foster togetherness, and delight people in playful and unexpected ways.

We’re growing the craft beer market

Let’s face it: The American craft beer market is oversaturated. Everyone is making slightly different versions of the same thing. We believe Dokkaebier is the “next step.” Our craft beer is an affordable luxury, an easy upgrade when you want high quality at a great value.

Don’t just take our word for it. Craft beer experts tell us that our beer fills the gap left behind by other brands. Our innovation in flavors and brew styles has even non-beer drinkers doing a double-take. We’re also proud to be the first premium product in many retailers’ Asian beer aisles. Our tasteful twists on classics bring novelty and give us an edge in any market we enter.

Landing and expanding into a $26.8B industry

Dokkaebier is a part of the $26.8 billion craft beer market in the U.S., and we’ve already made an impact. A Western palate dominates the craft beer industry, which gives us a green field to take the market by storm.

Dokkaebier has also benefited from tailwinds, including the growing popularity of Korean food and Asian culture. Before us, the substantial Asian market had been untapped, and we feel we are positioned to expand and take advantage of this enormous opportunity.

Nonstop innovation with Asian-inspired flavors

Innovation isn’t just a buzzword. It’s in our DNA and makes up everything that we do. We’ve never been called boring.

We know savvy consumers are on the hunt for the next big thing. They are drawn to experimentation with authentic flavors, and we push them to new frontiers. We look to our Korean heritage to bring unique and exhilarating flavors to craft beer. Think bamboo tea, bay leaf, galangal, Korean red pepper flakes, lemongrass, oyster sauce, Szechuan pepper, yuza,  and even kimchi lactobacillus cultures.

From limited-edition drops to the mainstream

We got our start with limited-edition releases. Our small-batch experiments would sell out in weeks. We would then take our most popular craft beers to scale,  selling them directly to distributors and some of the most popular restaurants and retailers. Our direct accounts make the majority of our sales, comprising 77% of our revenue so far in 2023—proof of our ability to create and meet demand. We’ve recently opened a flagship taproom in the Jack London District, which has seen 28% WOW growth on average since April.

Dokkaebier taps into the convergence of multiple markets, which have rewarded us for bringing more diversity and innovation. In just a short time, we’ve celebrated our culture, bridged East and West, and profited as we expose people to flavors yet to be discovered.

Brands like Sierra Nevada, Samuel Adams and Yuengling are nationally recognized, but most of their popularity comes from consumers in their regions of origin. Similar to how you might root for your home sports teams. This support wanes as you leave their home region. 

Big Asian brands like Sapporo, Cass, or Tsingtao are widely available, and originated overseas so they don’t depend on regional loyalty. They also have a demographic advantage: the presence of Asian American communities and businesses. We can benefit from this advantage and have a larger distribution as we become the premium upgrade from other Asian beer options.

From one tap to thriving throughout the West Coast

We launched Dokkaebier in a San Francisco taproom in February 2020. The taproom was an immediate success and drew considerable media attention, especially with a food menu created by the former chef de cuisine of the two-Michelin-star restaurant Saison. 

Dokkaebier then evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were one of the first brands to deliver door-to-door throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Next came our launches in Sacramento, the North Coast, and Los Angeles. 

Despite the uncertainty, we kept our focus and unyielding spirit. We supported frontline healthcare workers, local nonprofits, and every community we belonged to and thrived.

*$1.5MM in revenue includes revenue from a separate entity. 

In the last year alone, grew our distribution, and doubled our revenue year-over-year! Dokkaebier now has over 550 accounts, representing many grocers, restaurants and retailers. We made our debut at Whole Foods Market in July 2022 and have expanded to all but six locations in Northern California in less than five months. Dokkaebier got into another 26 Whole Foods’ Southern California stores in the first quarter of 2023, an unthinkable pace for a three-year-old brand!

Unmatched response from the community

Backed by repeat founders and industry leaders

Youngwon Lee founded Dokkaebier, his fifth alcohol startup, after more than 15 years as an executive in the food and beverage industry. He’s launched and distributed craft beer, spirits, and wine, including Agwa de Bolivia, Bernini, Champagne Armand de Brignac, Patron, Stolichnaya, and more.

We’re raising funds to bring Dokkaebier nationwide

Last year, our community propelled us to the next step in our journey.  Now, we want to build upon that momentum with a $2M raise from our friends, family, and biggest supporters, as we work to fund our first brewery and bring Dokkaebier all over the United States. As we expand, we can produce more core beers in larger-scale batches, allowing us to become profitable in 2024. 

We’ve delivered in the past and we expect to deliver on our promises again.