Hello, again! It’s been a fairly long hiatus since the last post but there was not much newsworthy to report. Until, that is, the recent article on Korean sool in… Esquire?! Is this the tipping point? Has sool arrived in the US? Until Korean alcohol brewing parallels the kimchi-making craze that stormed places with such urbane…
Not only is Beobju fun to say but the translation is also pretty stellar: Beobju literally means Law Booze. The most famous example of this by-the-book tipple is Kyodong Beobju, which comes in a ceramic bottle decorated with an iconic blue crane. According to their website, their family recipe goes back to the early 17th century!…
The Sool Gallery Sansawon is bar-none the best bang for your buck if you have any interest in doing a booze tour in South Korea. Earlier in the year, Takjoo Journals shared a Korea Herald article detailing one reporter’s visit, which you can find here. Basically, Sansawon is a museum dedicated to traditional Korean alcohol…
Bae Young-ho has a dream: 300 microbreweries peppered all over Seoul producing freshly fermented makgeolli. After that? The world! It sounds beautiful to us here at Takjoo Journals but will he be able to make it a reality? Well, the fact that Bae Young-ho is the CEO of the famed Baesangmyun Brewery is a good…
KOREAN NAME: 유기농 막걸리 REVIEW: Yuginong was a bottle I had earmarked for trying in the future but it wasn’t till I finally picked it up that I realized it’s made by Baesangmyun Brewery. Obviously a good sign as I have yet to try a bad brew from them. And with the appellation Yuginong—literally organic—this brew promised to…
From Anne Schamberg’s article at the Journal Sentinel: “‘Not a lot of people know about it here,’ said Jane Oh. ‘But with the blossoming of Korean cuisine in the United States, there’s an increased interest in Makgeolli.’ Jane’s father, John Oh, founded Slow City Brewery in Niles, Ill., in 2013. And, so far, it’s the only company…
From Park Han-na’s article at The Korea Herald: “Baesangmyun Brewery, South Korea’s leading traditional liquor maker, is growing its brand with urban brew pubs producing freshly fermented makgeolli, Korean rice wine, every day… ‘We created this urban brew pub as a means to provide customers with fresh makgeolli made directly by us. A pub that they…
KOREAN NAME: 느린마을 이화주 REVIEW: How can the makgeolli industry make a quality product that is true to the origins of this wonderful brew? According to an article in The Hankyoreh, breweries should abide by these three practices: Use domestic rice, not imported rice. Stop using aspartame and other artificial sweeteners. Switch from plastic bottles to glass bottles.
The Hankyoreh recently published an article chock-full of insightful comments about the troubling state of commercial makgeolli brewing. Many heavy-hitting professionals within the industry were sought for their opinions. These professionals include Nam Do-hee, director of the Korean Makgeolli Association; Cho Hyo-jin, head professor at Susubori Academy; Hur Shi-myung, “principal” of the Makgeolli Hakkyo joomak; Shin Mi-hwa,…
From John Redmond’s article at The Korea Times: “The Royal Asiatic Society of Korea (RASK) will give guests a chance to tour the Baesangmyeon Brewery in Pocheon, north of Seoul, on May 3. The tour is designed to help visitors further their knowledge of traditional Korean liquor. Tour leader Julia Mellor will guide the group on…
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