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…
In my bid to catch up on the recent goings-on in the Korean alcohol world, I bring you another twofer, this time from the Korea Herald. This mash up is a real Beauty and the Beast, a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation, even a Miss & Nice vibe some might say. Starting on a…
Korean celebrity chef made makgeolli-related headlines for the treatment of one of his guests on “Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant”, Baek’s Ramsy-esque reality TV show in which he provides help for struggling restaurateurs. The guest in question was Park Yu-deok, the owner of a struggling joomak in Seoul. Excerpts from Ko Dong-hwan’s Korea Times article: Baek then…
Moving to Korea and discovering Korean alcohol was absolutely mind-blowing. After the fogginess from that first night of makgeolli faded, I knew I needed to learn more. But where? Circa 2013, the sources for English edification on the subject were non-existent. Fortunately for today’s sool faithful, one place has you covered: The Sool Gallery. Takjoo…
April again and there’s something in the air in addition to fine dust particles—the 16th Seoul International Wines & Spirits Expo, of course! Yes, I am talking up an event that was somewhat disappointing last year but, despite the dwindling offerings of traditional Korean alcohol brewers, this is still one of the top events…
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES A third year of the blog (THIRD!) has come and gone, making it time for the obligatory anniversary post. You may have noticed this year’s post is coming a couple weeks late as there has been a big development in my life: I’ve left Korea and returned to my native desert! It’s a sad…
A recent video from the site Great Big Story features none other than Samhae Brewery’s own Kim Taek-Sang and his thoughts on one of Korea’s most precious traditions and a subject near to my heart: sool! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the man himself and can honestly say that he is not only an excellent…
Earlier this year, we heard whispering of changes in Korean liquor laws which could be huge for the craft brewing industry. In effect, the production minimums for breweries has been significantly lowered making it possible for burgeoning brewers with a business plan to potentially make their mark on the industry. The Korea Herald article that…
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: 부자 16 REVIEW: Buja 16 was one of those bottles I heard about when I first moved to Korea as it seemed to be one of the few widely available, non-aspartame brews. Of course, when I went looking for it, it was nowhere to be found. (I will say I occasionally bump into Buja Purple,…
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