The Beer for the Age of Enchantment

 

Most of us may be familiar with name “Guinness” that is the most common stout found in Korea. Just few days ago, it was a rainy day, I found out a unique looking beer in the freezer of the convenient store. The can had a peculiar figure printed on it and I immediately recognize this guy, Rasputin which is the name of the stout.

I came back home, and I found out some information on this beer by googling. According to explanations, it is a kind of imperial stout. Imperial Stout refers to beer with a higher alcohol content than regular stout (5 to 7%). The alcohol content of this beer is 9%, much higher than even average stouts. I had drunk from the can and didn’t pour it in the glass like drinking Guinness thus I was not sure it is right method to enjoy it to its fullest. The taste is much stronger with long lasting bitterness toward finish. I felt as if I were drinking americano or some strong coffee. It was good match with typical commonplace Korean delivery food such as fried chicken.

As you may know, imperial is an English word meaning 'empire', but it is also a beer term meaning strong beer. The explanations on the origin of this term can be found elsewhere. In the past, the royal family, including Yekaterina and the Russian Empress, especially liked this strong black beer, so it is sometimes called the "Russian Imperial Stout." This beer is product of American company, the North Coast Brewery, and the brewer named its Imperial Stout a real person named "Rasputin."

Gregory Rasputin was a poor peasant in Siberia, Russia, who was kicked out of town while stealing horses and was wandering around the monastery when he fell into a strange cult. It was an emerging religion that used hypnosis as a means. Rasputin gained a reputation as a "brave monk" by spreading the religion throughout Russian villages. Rumors of this Rasputin went all the way into the palace and fascinated the ladies and even the Empress Alexandra. Eventually, Rasputin rose to the position of Tsar Nikolai II's influential figure, and for two years he did all sorts of wrongdoings, contributing to fall of the Romanov dynasty.

Although it was first time for me to drink this beer, it has been in the market for long time in Korea. The nickname of Old Rasputin Beer is "Choi Soon-sil Beer" because the New York Times compared Choi Soon-sil to Rasputin in October 2016 article, when the truth of state affairs manipulation by this woman gradually leaked.

Since the stories on Choi are well known, I don’t want to write about it here, but I would like to mention that the occult thoughts and spiritual practices have become influential lately in the industrialized countries. The paganism, which is pre-Christian religious practice is reviving in Europe and North America. In Korea, there are almost million shamans and Tarot card reading is very popular. What is going on in the age of generative AI? Well…Because of stagnation of technological innovation and lack of disruptive scientific findings, people seem to seek solace in somewhere else. I have grown up with all the rose-colored predictions of the future…flying car, less than few hours flight from Asia to North America, living on the moon or other habitable planets, and no worries about cancers…etc. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, none of these promises come true. Some experts argue that all low hung fruits were already picked. Will there be really some wonderful technological feats? We will see, but my advice is not to be disappointed.