Oriental Brewery beers win 7 Superior Taste Awards in Belgium

South Korea’s top brewer, Oriental Brewery, announced Friday that it has proven its global quality standards by winning the "Superior Taste Award" in seven categories organized by the International Taste Institute this year.

OB Beer's seven brands -- Cass Fresh, Hite, Cass Light, Cass 0.0, Cass White, OB Lager, and OMG -- received a total of 13 stars, with each brand being honored with an award. Cass Fresh and Cass Light have won the award for four consecutive years, while Cass 0.0 and Hite have been recognized for three consecutive years, establishing their global reputation for taste and quality, according to OB.

Hanmac achieved an outstanding outcome by scoring over 90 points in the overall evaluation, receiving the highest rating of 3 stars. Cass White and OMG received the honor of winning awards in their first year of participation.

The International Taste Institute is a prestigious food and beverage quality evaluation institution located in Brussels, Belgium. Since 2005, food experts consisting of over 200 chefs and sommeliers worldwide have been evaluating thousands of products from over 100 countries annually.

The experts thoroughly conduct a blind taste test, evaluating products based on five criteria: first impression, visual aspect, aroma, taste and aftertaste, the institute said. Only products that score above 70 percent on average in all categories are awarded the Superior Taste Award.

"We have once again been recognized for the excellent quality of Korean beer by a globally recognized F&B competition," an official from Oriental Brewery said, adding that the company will continue to showcase products of world-class quality to consumers through constant product innovation and a sense of mission.

Oriental Brewery was also awarded a bronze medal at the Korea International Beer Award earlier this year for its traditional brand, Hanmac. Being recognized for its high quality, Hanmac claimed third place in the American-style light lager category, in which 322 entries from breweries in 14 countries competed.