Struggling to catch up on makgeolli news, you get two articles in one and both from Forbes, no less. The first is an around-the-world type article from Amber Gibson who has the envious bio line of “I write about luxury travel, food and wine.” Among other delicacies, she spotlights makgeolli as delivered by New York brewery Makku. Excerpts from Gibson’s article:
“Most of the makgeolli or “rice beer” available commercially in the United States is full of artificial ingredients, but Korean-American Carol Pak just launched America’s first craft makgeolli – Makku – inspired by the hundreds of makgeolli micro-breweries in South Korea. Makku is smooth and light on the palate, striking the right balance of sweet and tangy, and comes in three flavors – original, mango and blueberry. “
The second article, written by Anna Kang, has the type of title that makes the hair on my neck stand on end: “Korean Makgeolli: The Next Alcohol Trend to Watch.” Is it really true this time? Well, no, this is a fluff piece focused solely on Makku and owner/creator Carol Pak’s journey to monetizing makgeolli. It’s a story as old as at least this blog. Excerpts from Kang’s article:
“I just thought that it was very underrepresented in America,” Pak says. “There could be an interesting space for makgeolli, especially since there was this rise of Korean culture that we’ve been seeing influence America in the realm of beauty, food and K-pop.”
Makku stands out from the other imported makgeollis that are sold in the U.S. because it’s all-natural and made with traditional techniques but updated with a modern twist. Pak has her brews backsweetened with cane sugar and offers them in three flavors: original, mango and blueberry. Also, while other makgeollis are labeled as rice wine and sold in 750 ml PET plastic bottles, Makku is officially categorized as a rice beer by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and sold in 12-ounce cans.
These are distinctions Pak wanted to have because in her opinion, Makku resembles beer more than wine. The beverage is carbonated, refreshing and best when cold, just like beer. It also has a lower alcohol percentage of 6%, and fits in more in the same aisle with beer, hard cider and hard seltzer rather than wine and sake, which suit more formal occasions. And as someone who has worked in the beverage industry, Pak saw that the U.S. craft premium beer category was favoring canning and thought the more convenient and fun packaging would also be the right fit for makgeolli…
You can read the first Forbes article here and the second here.
takjoo journals 
“Pak realized that none of the makgeolli brands commercially available in the U.S. were all-natural or true to the alcohol’s original unfiltered form”
No slight to Carol what so ever! I’ve found her to be extremely sincere and inclusive which not everyone looking to monetize makgeolli has been within the brewing community.
But it’s unfortunate that the first US brand New York Mākoli or NY Saeng Mak @makoli_newyork doesn’t get enough credit for bringing the first all natural Unpasteurized makgeolli to America!
In my opinion this style of makgeolli is the hardest to commercially produce and is the reason why I will continue to brew my own!
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And it’s probably the reason why, despite Kang’s assertion, makgeolli/takju is not “the next alcohol trend to watch.” Without the infrastructure to support a product with a short shelf-life, brewing makgeolli commercially is not very sustainable. And, no one’s going to put in the effort to build that infrastructure without public interest. But, you can’t garner public interest without product. Sadly, I think it’s a real catch-22 for our favorite brew making a worldwide smash.
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I feel that currently there is a lot of potential for makgeolli/sul in the States. It just most likely won’t be as mainstream as say IPA’s or the spiked seltzer phenomenon.
A little while back I went to Momofuku Kāwi and asked if they had any Takju, Cheongju, or Makgeolli. While they had a full bar and sake they didn’t have any sul except maybe soju.
I would have loved to have ordered a flight of Rosalyn Kim’s NY Mak, Makku, Hana Makgeolli, and some really choice homemade cheongju. And I think many people would!
I think that there is or was a market pre-covid to support it. Tokki Soju seems to be doing just fine.
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