Makgeolli, Traditional Alcoholic Beverage Native to Korea
“When everything goes right, the makgeolli perfectly blends the sweet, the sour, the bitter and the dry”
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
The color is white like milk and it has a tangy scent but tastes a bit sweet. Drink one glass after another and you might find your world spinning.
``Makgeolli'' is a representative Korean traditional wine. It is white, cloudy and has a rich history. Alcohol content stands around six to seven percent. The drink is also called Nongju, Takju, Jaeju and Huiju. The name ``makgeolli'' is derived from it being made by brewing rice and yeast ``roughly,'' or ``mak'' in Korean.
Makgeolli has been made and consumed in households for many centuries. There is one kind that dates back to the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), the ``Yihwaju,'' and it was named because the yeast for the wine was made during the pear blossom season. ``Yihwa'' literally means pear blossom.
The process of making the traditional drink starts with steaming glutinous rice, non-glutinous rice, barley or even flour. The ingredients are then dried and mixed with yeast and water, and fermented at a fixed temperature before the wine is strained out of the mash. The fermented wine before extraction is called ``Dongdongju,'' a similar drink but with the rice grains floating in it.
At Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, there is Bubal Winery, boasting a 60-year history. Icheon is the place where the Icheon Rice Cultural Festival is held annually. Lee Moo-young is the second generation of his family to make makgeolli, and his winery is one of two that once made Icheon famous with the drink. Interestingly, he still sticks to the traditional way of making makgeolli. One can discern a good makgeolli by how the sweet, sour and bitter tastes blend in nicely. Farmers often drink makgeolli after a long day in the fields.