KOREAN NAME: 삼양춘 약주 REVIEW: Although I still think takju has a lot to offer, these days I’m more interested in a brewery’s cheongju. Part of that is probably because it lasts longer and stores more easily. Anyway, when Samyangchoon Takju didn’t get me riled up, I still had hope for the cheongju. And, curious reader, I…
KOREAN NAME: 삼양춘 탁주 REVIEW: Usually the deeper I get into a bottle, the more I like it. This is especially true of bottles that are coy at first, needing a bit of air to open up. Samyangchoon, on the other hand, was aggressively bland from start to finish. The first sip makes SYC seem watery but…
Ignoring the Los Angeles Times’ clickbaity title, Sonja Swanson’s article is the sort of groundswell piece the sool world needs to make the English-speaking world take notice of the best aspect of Korean culture that no one is talking about. First off, it goes beyond the fluff of makgeolli: we’ve got our golden boy, sure,…
KOREAN NAME: 중원 청명주 REVIEW: With the in-laws visiting the US again, I had another excuse to have them mule over some sool. I didn’t have time to do much research so I jumped at the first cheongju/yakju that I didn’t recognize. The bottle looked fancy and it came as a set! Then I saw the…
KOREAN NAME: 맑은 문희주 REVIEW: Have I been sool-deprived? There’s no question about it. The summer heat arrived before I could get to all my brewing equipment together and, being in the US, there is a conspicuous lack of makgeolli houses to visit or breweries that will deliver hand-crafted bottles of cheongju to my doorstep. But, what…
KOREAN NAME: 이상헌 약주 THOUGHTS: Way back at the 2016 14th Wines & Spirits Expo, I had one of those rare festival finds—a new bottle that made me take notice. Leegasoobul had all the hallmarks of a brewery just taking those fledgling steps toward something bigger. It’s hard to quantify what that is exactly but there was…
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…
KOREAN NAME: 청진주 약주 REVIEW: If you attended the 3rd Jarasum Makgeolli Festival earlier this year, you may have noticed that under the same tent where the makgeolli-making classes were held, tucked behind the tables showcasing all the different bottles present at the festival, was a small corner for Cheongjinju, a yakju from the exquisitely named…
KOREAN NAME: 아황 약주 REVIEW: So far, the site has reviewed two bottles from Miin Brewery. Miin Takju, while not bad, is fairly forgettable apart from being a bit on the dry side. Miinju doesn’t stand out much either, but of the three, it’s probably the most balanced—the bottle to reach for if you’re looking for something for…
KOREAN NAME: 두루 석탄주 REVIEW: As I mentioned in my review for Duru Samseon Takju, the one and only time I have encountered Duru Brewery was at the 15th Seoul International Wines & Spirits Expo earlier this year. It’s a shame because Duru has something special and I’m guessing most people have never heard of them. It…
takjoo journals 