Moon & Lion Brewing

I've made previous posts in the past about makgeolli on my personal blog here . However most of the traffic on that blog has been due to my posts about makgeolli alone. Thus, this will be a blog devoted solely to makgeolli brewing and related discussions.  If you have an interest in makgeolli, please enjoy.  Although my knowledge is relatively beginner, I am happy to share what little I do know about makgeolli with those who are curious.  Cheers.

I've made two batches this spring. One triple-feed, and one single-feed makgeolli. For the triple-feed I followed the recipe for Samyangju. Since it was the spring, temperatures were increasing and I didn't need to rely on my electric heating pad to keep the makgeolli at 25 C while it fermented. Hooray! On the flip side, warmer temperatures can mean a higher chance to develop unwanted mold growth on the surface of the makgeolli. Boo! If you are brewing in a warmer climate, make sure to clean your tools well. Also, the warmer temperatures increase metabolic rate of the microorganisms present in the makgeolli. As such, a batch that may originally take 5-7 days in colder temperatures may only take 3-5 days. When I tasted the fresh samyangju, I didn't like it very much. There were some extra pieces of sediment that passes through the filter and left a grainy feeling. I bottled the remainder and placed it in the refrigerator. A month later someone requested to try the...

Makgeolli has several types/classifications. The easiest way to explain it (IMO) is to classify them by the number of feeds. I previously wrote about  Samyangju  삼양주, which has three feeds, but there are also two-feed and single-feed varieties. This is a  basic recipe  taken from the makgeolli book I purchased a while back. Please visit the  previous makgeolli post  for a list of  tools  for making makgeolli. The Recipe: This recipe is for a small batch (1-2 liter yield) single-feed makgeolli. The recipe has 3 ingredients, each requiring some preparation, but it is a much shorter process than samyangju since it is single-feed. I consider this a simple recipe, but it is not the simplest. For example, there are recipes where the process can be further shortened by adding yeast. The addition of yeast decreases brewing time and forgoes the need to specially prepare the nuruk. On the other hand, this recipe is very simple in terms of ingr...

Making Makgeolli, the Korean Edition! 한국에서 막걸리 만들자~ I continued my interests in making makgeolli while working here in Korea. I couldn't possibly have a better opportunity to understand the beverage and learn the many variations and nuances on how it is made. Thankfully there have been several books published on the topic of makgeolli home brew. Fortunately, I have a loving fiance who is patient and willing to translate and help me understand the books, which are written in Korean. Maybe when my Korean skill gets better I'll work at an English translation of the book(s). I started by visiting the book store and picking up a book which seemed to have a clear process and interpretation of each recipe. The book classified the different types of makgeolli and discussed their characteristics quite extensively. I will get into an explanation of types later, and for now I will stick to a  basic recipe . The book also listed the most common and most useful  tools  for mak...

I had my first taste of Makgeolli in Korea when my partner and I visited a Hanok Village in Andong. The village was quaint and rustic, but still charming in a simple, down-to-earth sort of way. It was surrounded by green hills and packed neatly with modest  Hanok , divided by clay colored dirt roads and short walls of packed earth and ceramic tile. A shallow river with sandy banks calmly drifted by as cicadas croaked relentlessly in the trees. After a day of walking around the village, and getting lost in its nooks and crannies, my companion and I secured lodging and walked to the edge of the village before dark to find something to eat. We settled on one of the local restaurants, and she took care of ordering the food. Shortly after, the customary array of side dishes were delivered to our table, followed by a steaming plate of  Pajeon   and a large bowl of milky white alcohol. This was Makgeolli; generously served with a deep spoon that is sometimes made fro...