My in-laws were visiting from Korea this month, and I decided to make some fresh makgeolli for them to enjoy. I also wanted to test my makgeolli on the taste buds of Koreans who are more familiar with the run-of-the mill makgeolli. Unfortunately, I was away on business most of the week, so I only have a few pictures this time. My lovely helper was at home keeping an eye on the brew while I was gone.
This brew was made with the same ratio as my last post, but with different yeast. The plan was to pick up wine yeast after work, but the brew store is closed on Mondays, a fact that I didn't learn until I walked up to their door. I was in a hurry to brew and pack my things for the business trip, so I had to settle for baker's yeast, which was the only thing available at home.
I also used a different nuruk this time. I used about all of the Choripdongi 초립동이 nuruk, so it was time to open the Haeoreum 해오름 and try it out. The first thing I noticed was the lack of dead rice beetles that were commonplace in the Chorip bag. The coarseness of the pieces seemed more uniform in the Haeoreum bag as well. As for the taste... it will be hard to tell without a legit side-by-side comparison.
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| A close-up of the godu-bap |
The smell of the brew was different, which I attribute to the used of baker's yeast instead of brewer's yeast. While they are the same family of bacteria, the two strands of yeast (brewer's and bakers') serve different purposes. Baker's yeast is better at producing CO2, while brewer's is better at producing alcohol. Both bi-products are results of the fermentation process, but they occur in different ratios according to the yeast strand.
The bottles were sweetened with cane sugar, 1 tablespoon per serving, dissolved in warm water. In retrospect, I prefer rice syrup or honey to cane sugar. The latter is pure sweet, while the former brings out or adds more complex flavors to the bottle.
Despite the yeast difference, the brew turned out well. It wasn't my first time using baker's yeast to make makgeolli, so I knew it was possible before I started to brew. On the other hand, I also know that the taste is better with brewer's yeast, but this couldn't be helped. The best part was my wife's family loved it. We easily finished over 2.5 bottles in one sitting, which is a lot for a family of non-drinkers.
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