Turmbräu (Photo courtesy of haps Magazine Korea)
I’ve been to Germany once. Long enough to drink good beer in a proper setting and understand what everyone means when they talk about the atmosphere.
Turmbräu, tucked into a yellow building near Songjeong Beach, got closer to that feeling than I expected anything in Busan ever would.
The beer is brewed on site following the Reinheitsgebot, the German purity law, with German malt and German hops.
You can see the brewhouse from the taproom, which gives the whole place a different feeling from your usual Korean craft beer bar.
The lineup covers the classics. Helles, Weisse, Roggen, plus seasonal collaborations that rotate.
If you’re not sure where to start, the sampler of three 200ml pours is the right call.
We ended up with sausages, the bratwurst made in-house from family recipes as well as the curry sausages, which is exactly what you want with a cold Helles on a warm evening.
The space has two floors. The ground floor feels like a proper pub. The second floor is more like someone’s living room, which sounds odd but works.
It’s not a late-night spot. It closes at 10 p.m., opens Thursday through Friday at 4 p.m. and weekends from 2 p.m., so plan accordingly.
It’s a bit of a drive from central Busan but that’s also part of the appeal. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be anything other than what it is.
Restaurant Information
Turmbräu (툼브로이)
Address: Haeundae-daero 1244, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Hours: Thu-Fri 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sat-Sun 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
