Youngwon Lee is picking up a new skill to promote Dokkaebier, creating social media content showing what life is like as a small business owner. 

He's capturing and posting more videos than he has ever before as an entrepreneur. 

The son of Korean immigrants is building a different kind of craft beer, inspired by his heritage.

"In the early stages, I was asking the same question, Dokkaebier, is that a craft beer brand? Is  that an Asian American brand?  But I came to the realization, it's actually like me," said Lee. 

His brand continues to evolve.

Two years ago, we visited Dokkaebier's first brewery and taproom when it opened in Oakland. 

But nationwide, the small craft beer industry is experiencing a decline.

"I'm creating a product that's just like me, trying to fight through, having this American dream, and showcase it," said Lee. 

Fighting through the challenges of downtown vacancies, shifts in alcohol consumption, and market saturation is not an easy one.

He closed the taproom late last year.  

"It's going to be a difficult time, but when you have a goal where you want to get to, that really gives me more energy and the driving force to get there," said Lee. 

In 2024, craft beer production across the country fell by 4% to 23.1 million barrels according to the Brewers Association.  

It's the steepest drop in the industry's history outside of the pandemic, marking the third consecutive year of negative growth. 

"It's declining. You know, 2% 3% 5% year over year. It's a very slow decline. It's not growing like it used to," said craft beer distributor Tyler Yarbrough. 

He monitors trends and sales for his company San Francisco Naturals. 

Despite the industry's downturn, he believes a small craft beer company that can distinguish itself from the rest, will thrive.

"There's a lot of niche room for small craft beer distributors and small craft beers to do a better job working with their customers, the bars, the restaurants, the stores," said Yarbrough. 

That's one of the reasons why Lee entered a UPS social media competition, showing what life is like for small businesses. 

It's a chance to promote his brand. 

"This is a big opportunity where we get to expose ourselves to a lot of audiences that we've never met with," said Lee. 

He's hoping that could lead to more distribution among stores and restaurants willing to feature something different like Asian and Korean flavored inspired craft beers. 

"You're proud to represent who you are and your identity.  That's a special moment," said Lee.