Countries all over the world love to show off their booze. Brewery and distillery tours abound in Scotland, Japan, the US, and the list goes on. Not so, sadly, for Korea. I remember stumbling upon a brewery while visiting Daegu and, as I stood in their trailer-come-office, there was clear confusion from the staff and embarrassment from my partner as I asked for a tour. While that didn’t materialize, the owner cracked a bottle for me and we did a bit of day drinking, which is really what I wanted at the end of the day. Sinpyeong Brewery, on the other hand, is one of the few breweries in Korea that not only allows visitors on the premises but actively welcomes them. Excerpts from Chihon Kim’s Stars and Stripes Korea article:
One of these brewers is the Sinpyeong Brewery in Dangjin on the south shore of Bay of Asan. Established in 1933, Sinpyeong Brewery is the city’s only dedicated traditional brewery and is run by Kim Dong-gyo and his father, Kim Yong-se, a designated Korean liquor brewing grandmaster.
As a family business spanning three generations, the brewery uses high-quality rice produced on the fertile granary as the key ingredient for the brewing of the rice wine. They have kept their own brewing skills and heritage despite the downturn during the Japanese colonial rule and the industrialization period, which saw a departure in the market away from makgeolli towards imported wines and beer.
Visitors to Sinpyeong Brewery can get a hands-on brewing experience for parties of 15 people or more. This tour includes brewing rice wine, a makgeolli sommelier course, making distilled water, making a pancake with yeast, and more.
You can read the whole Stars and Stripes Korea article here. And, in case you just want Sinpyeong Brewery’s details, I’ve copied them from the article here:
Address: 813, Sinpyeong-ro, Sinpyeong-myeon, Dangjin-si, Chungcheongnam-do
Contact info: 041-363-9063, 041-362-6080
Admission: Free
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.koreansul.co.kr/shop/main/index.php
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