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www.groovekorea.com / January 2015 58 So what exactly is makgeolli? When water and rice are fermented with nuruk (a whole-wheat yeast and en- zyme culture) and subsequently filtered, the product is a thick, creamy brew that slowly settles into two distinct layers. The clear, strong top layer is known as cheongju (or sometimes yakju) and is what Joseon-era royalty were fond of imbibing. The thick, cloudy, sediment-rich bottom called takju was more commonly drunk by the lower class, giving rise to the reputation of makgeolli as a farmer’s drink. These days, most regular makgeolli found in plastic bottles around Korea is takju watered down to a quaffable 6-8 percent ABV. For hundreds of years, makgeolli was a purely homemade affair, with matriarchs passing recipes and techniques down through generations. Many of these traditional methods were lost during the Japanese oc- cupation and subsequent years of turmoil on the Kore- an Peninsula. Nuruk cultures were banned for a time, and the Japanese rice culture ipguk was consumed in its place. During the rice shortages following the Kore- an War, brewers were forced to use substitutes such as corn and wheat. Brewing almost disappeared from household knowledge, and consumers increasingly pa- tronized commercial breweries that began using pas- teurization and artificial sweeteners to regulate the fla- vor of their brews, thereby lengthening their shelf lives. One of MMPK’s greatest concerns about today’s mak- geolli industry is its reliance on aspartame, an artificial sweetener with a controversial health record. The group actively encourages breweries to go chemical-free, but many consumers’ palates have evolved to prefer those super saccharine brews. Paik Ung-jae, owner of Tricycle bar in Seoul’s Hapjeong neighborhood, notes that mod- ern refrigeration and storage methods make the need for artificial sweetening outdated, but that older brewers are often loath to change their ways. Those famed makgeolli headaches? The result of drinking chemicals, not fermented rice. A growing number of pre- mium makgeolli brewers have started marketing ar- tisanal brews for custom- ers looking to sip and savor rather than glug. Traditional multistage fermentation gives the higher-percent- age makgeolli a depth and breadth of flavor often not present in regular super- market brews. Paik sees the potential for premium makgeolli and cheongju to create a new generation of connoisseurship, because there is “no such thing as an only-makgeolli drinker — just a lover of good drinks in general.” He is excited for consumers’ growing inter- est to challenge brewers to continue developing new high-quality products. A recipe for the generations fOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) Modern refrigeration and storage methods make the need for artificial sweetening outdated, but older brewers are often loath to change their ways. Those famed makgeolli headaches? The result of drinking chemicals, not fermented rice.