Japan has sake, China has mijiu, but South Korea has makgeolli. It seems like every East Asian culture has its own variation of rice wine, reflecting the humble grain’s ubiquitous role in shaping food and drink in these regions. I will be honest though, when it comes to rice wines, makgeolli has my heart. After all, Makgeolli has this irresistibly tangy-sweet, effervescent yet creamy-milky characteristic that goes down a bit too easily.

There’s two types of makgeolli – the unpasteurized ones and the pasteurized ones. If possible, I’d recommend you getting your hands on an unpasteurized makgeolli for the authentic fizzy-sweet experience of traditionally made makgeolli! Unpasteurized makgeolli basically means that the makgeolli is made fresh and contains live yeast that continues to ferment in the bottle. These live cultures is what gives unpasteurized makgeolli a gentle level of carbonation and tangy tartness that is often lacking in some of the mass produced pasteurized makgeolli variants.

One of my favorite brands of unpasteurized makgeolli is called Boksoondoga, produced by the Boksoondoga Brewery in Ulsan, South Korea.

The Booksoondoga Brewery (Source: Design Anthology)

Boksoondoga is a family-owned craft rice wine brewery that is helmed by family matriarch and makgeolli master Park Bok Soon. Park’s first encounter with makgeolli was when her mother-in-law would brew home-brewed batches of the rice wine and task her with bringing it to the farmers tending to the fields in their village. Makgeolli – chockful of hearty rice sediments – was seen as a nutritious and energy restoring drink for the laboring farmers, and Bok Soon grew curious about how to make the rice wine herself. She eventually developed her own recipe for making hand-brewed makgeolli, and together with her eldest son, set up the Boksoondoga Brewery to share it with the world.

Mixing the nuruk with the steamed rice, pre-fermentation (Image source: Design Anthology)

To make Boksoondoga’s makgeolli, Park sources specially Grade A rice from the nearby regions, which she says is a huge factor behind the final taste. Park and her team meticulously hand washes the rice at least 10 times, before leaving the rice to cool down and dry before being mixed with the brewery’s own handmade nuruk (a fermentation starter) to ferment.

Fermentation can take between 19 to 20 days. The rice and nuruk mixture is stored in traditional Korean onggis (or stoneware pots) that are made of breathable material, during which the yeast works in magic. Once fermented, Park strains out the makgeolli and dilutes it with water before hand-pouring it into Boksoondoga’s bottles.

Master Park checking in on the fermenting rice wine. (Source: Eater)

You can tell Park knows her stuff, because the makgeolli she brews is so good that it was even used as an official toast at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in 2012 and Cheong Wa Dae's Korean Embassy in Korea in 2013.

Today, I’ll reviewing the Boksoondoga Original Makgeolli and the Boksoondoga Red Rice Makgeolli variant.

If you’re planning to drink this too, be warned though! Because of the live cultures in Park’s traditional makgeollis, Boksoondoga’s makgeollis carry a pronounced bubbliness and carbonation that resembles sparkling champagne. The brewery even gently cautions that you turn the bottle around slowly, rather than shake violently, before popping the cap – else you might risk being sprayed by a Makgeolli shower!

Booksoondoga Hand Brewed Makgeolli (6.5%) Original – Tasting Notes

Colour: Milky white.

Nose: Light, fruity aromas of green grapes and fresh green apples. Some fresh-cut grass. Light drops of honey. 

Palate: The palate is very light, floral and effervescent. There’s note of green apples. It’s mildly sweet, and I also get some milkiness and soft cream. There’s a gentle hint of rice mochi and light honeyed syrup.

Finish: Medium. Slightly bitter notes of cooked rice. Light sweetness and chewiness of high-chew candy.

My Rating:

⛅

Like a sun peeking out from behind the clouds. A bright spot to one's day! It's more light-weight and slightly less sweet than the red rice variation. Drink this if you're seeking a bright, effervescent brew with a milkiness of a marshmallow cloud! 

Booksoondoga Hand Brewed Makgeolli (6.5%) Red Rice – Tasting Notes

Colour: Cotton candy pink

Nose: A strong fruity aroma of Chardonnay grapes. Soda effervescence. Mild hints of mochi rice.   

Palate: The texture is bubbly and carbonated while being slightly milky and starchy. There a richer deepness to the flavor of this Red Rice makgeolli compared to the Original, instead of lighter green fruits, I pick up sweeter notes of purple grapes, Yang Mei fruits, strawberries and apple puree. There’s also a lactic note of yoghurt and Calpis.

Finish: Medium. Lingering fruit yoghurt notes are complemented by the light aroma of berries.

My Rating

🎻

Hits all the right notes! The red rice variation has a deeper, sweeter flavour to it than the original, with a slightly starchier texture to it. The sweet-tangy combination of the red rice notes was really delicious to savour. 

@lotusroot518