Korea's brewing traditions on show

Bae Hye-jeong, president of the Korean Makgeolli Association, holds a bottle of makgeolli in front of shelves displaying different types of the traditional Korean alcoholic drink. / Courtesy of the Korean Makgeolli Association

Makgeolli Festival to begin 3-day event at Jaraseom Friday

By Jon Dunbar

The third annual Jarasum Makgeolli Festival will begin its three-day run Friday at Jaraseom, an island in Gapyeong, east of Seoul.

The festival, organized by the Korean Makgeolli Association, offers tasting sessions, lessons, music performances and other attractions. Tents are available for rent for those who want to stay on the island.

Makgeolli is classified as a type of takju, a chalky, opaque alcoholic concoction, and the name makgeolli refers to the filtration process. It originated as a midpoint in the process of making cheongju, or clear alcohol.

During the 1392-1910 Joseon era, aristocratic families made their own cheongju, generating a byproduct high in alcohol and nutrients which they gave to servants and farmers.

One of the small-scale alcoholic artisans planning to offer homebrewed samples this weekend is John Frankl, an American professor at Yonsei University's Underwood International College.

"I like what I brew more than anything I've been able to find in the store," Frankl told The Korea Times. "So it's worth the investment of time and energy for me to brew my own."

And he is not merely boasting. Frankl completed the Korean Homebrewing Research Institute's courses on brewing and making nuruk, the yeast used for makgeolli.

He also won bronze and gold medals at the 2014 and 2015 Royal Court Brewing Contest, as well as the Special Judge's Award at the National Home Brewing Championships, being the only non-Korean contestant at all three events.

"I brewed some beer and wine and cider back home, but I really never committed because there's so many excellent beers and wines available," he said. "Now in Korea it's the opposite: nothing good is readily available, or very little is."

Frankl is part of Korea's small community of traditional homebrewers. Although the country has a rich heritage of brewing and distilling countless alcoholic beverages, much has been lost to history. Under the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, the imperial authority suppressed local brewing traditions. After liberation, things didn't improve, due to war, famine and additional legal restrictions imposed by authoritarian leaders.

Despite Koreans' complaints about Japanese imperialism, many liquor laws the Japanese enacted are still in place, says Frankl. And conditions for homebrewers have not improved.

"It's easier to microbrew beer than it is to microbrew makgeolli in terms of laws," he said, "like how much square feet you need, what kind of facilities you need. It's ridiculous."

Today's market for traditional homebrewed alcohol continues to shrink, say some experts, leading to a tighter core community of enthusiasts driven more by artistic experimentation and historical preservation than commercial concerns.

Jaraseom is about a 15-minute walk from Gapyeong Station on the Gyeongchun Line. Entry to the festival is free but charges may apply to specific offered goods and services. Visit makfe.co.kr for more info.

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