I think I’m not alone that, when I first got into brewing, I was dreaming of running before I could even crawl. Which, in the sool world, means infusing everything under the sun with your latest batch. I was lucky to have a guiding hand through Susubori Academy—a floral maehwaju and an earthy lotus seoktanju turned out spectacular—but it wasn’t long before I was tossing in mangos and strawberries and the like to see what bizarre concoctions I could sip. For experimentation’s sake, that’s a lot of fun. But, when you’re grinding to make a living… you better know what you’re doing. Together Brewing founder Choi Woo-tack not only has the bona fides, he is also making a name for himself in Seoul’s Yeonhui-dong neighborhood. Excerpts from Kwon Mee-yoo’s The Korea Times article:
Liquor largely depends on each customer’s preferences. It is important to keep customers from losing interest. That’s why craft beer breweries produce a diverse range of beer,” Choi said during an interview with The Korea Times on Dec. 21. “That’s why I’m creating six basic flavors of Together Brewing’s first series ― Yeonhui.”
…”Raw rice wine has a low tax, so it was possible to open a brewery in Seoul. Being readily accessible to the younger population was my aim, breaking away from the typical notion of a traditional Korean brewery, a grand hanok (traditional Korean house) in a rural area,” he said…
The first three flavors in the series are Yeonhui Maehwa, Yeonhui Mint and Yeonhui Yuzu. Each type of makgeolli is named after the main flavor ingredient which is hand-drawn on the label and easily recognizable.
The brewing of makgeolli begins with washing and steaming rice. After it has cooled down, Choi mixes the steamed rice with water, nuruk and a flavoring ingredient. The mixture is stored in a clay crock pot and left to ferment.
Currently, Choi offers around 100 bottles of each flavor every month. “Together Brewing is in its early stage, establishing the brand’s value. So I’m trying not to bite off more than I can chew from the beginning,” he said. Half the amount produced is supplied to contracted bars and restaurants, while the remaining goes on sale twice a month on a set date…
The brewery also offers a makgeolli making experience. Participants can experience the basic processes of steaming and mixing rice with nuruk and adding flavoring ingredients of their choice such as cinnamon.
You can read the whole The Korea Times article here.
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