Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Co-founders of Hangang Brewery, Koh Sung-yong, left, and Lee Sang-woo / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
Using locally sourced rice, Seoul-based brewery produces additive-free, homemade-style drinks
By Lee Gyu-lee
Makgeolli, a cloudy white rice-based beverage, is one of the country's oldest alcoholic drinks. And throughout its long history, it has undergone changes, from being traditionally homebrewed during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom to being mass-produced in factory breweries starting in the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of Korea.
This mass-produced modern makgeolli has resulted in stereotypes today that the drink is old-fashioned, cheap, mediocre and gives the worst hangovers.
Two young entrepreneurs at Hangang Brewery, Koh Sung-yong and Lee Sang-woo, are striving to challenge these notions by "rewriting the standards" and offering the real taste of makgeolli.
"These are really quality drinks but were really underrated by many people, and previous commercial breweries could be somewhat to blame in terms of marketing and quality," Koh said in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday, at the brewery in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. "So we thought it would be fun to get our hands on creating quality drinks that people can enjoy and find tasty. That was the starting point of our brewery."
 |
| Hangang Brewery's Naroo Makgeolli, with an 11.5 percent alcohol version on the left and 6 percent version / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
Since its launch in June 2019, Hangang Brewery's first product Naroo Makgeolli has been creating a buzz among younger drinkers with its trendy branding and additive-free makgeolli, breaking new ground for the industry.
The company takes more of a home-brewed approach to making makgeolli, compared to previous commercial brands, which added chemicals for an unnaturally sparkly, sweet taste.
Traditional-style makgeolli is a diluted drink made with the cloudy sediments of wonju, a filtered rice fermentation primarily brewed with rice, water and nuruk, which is a Korean wheat-based fermentation starter. The clear, top layer of wonju can be strained and served separately as yakju or cheongju depending on the percentage of nuruk used, or can be distilled to make soju.
Naroo Makgeolli, characterized as having a smooth, refreshing taste, was selected earlier this month as the best makgeolli of this year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Despite their rapid success, the two co-founders come from completely different backgrounds: marketing and architecture.
Koh used to work in the marketing field for five years before running his own cafe in eastern Seoul's then less-populated area Seongsu-dong. Lee had been running an architectural business for seven years before starting the brewery.
"I've always wanted to have my own brand," Koh said. "When I was young, it was vaguely about starting a fashion brand, but brand doesn't always have to be about fashion. So I thought I should take something that I like and make it into a brand, which started with a cafe."
 |
| The brewery teamed up with Daehan Flour Mills' main flour brand Gompyo to launch its latest product Pyomoon Makgeolli / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
The two business owners, of the same age, met when Lee took an interior design job for Koh's cafe building, and the two soon became friends.
"Even though we were in different fields, we would talk about our business together… we would confide with each other about issues and difficulties in running the business," Lee said, adding that the two would discuss their own future and dreams with each other.
Although Koh ran the cafe for five years and business was booming, he felt the need to take another leap forward in his dream, leading him to make a bold decision to shut down the shop. "I felt the need to expand the business and wanted to put myself into a more meaningful business," he said. "And if I'm tied up with running the cafe, I felt like I wouldn't be able to do anything else, so I decided to close it first, then think about the next step."
Around the same time, Lee also quit his business, hoping to find the next phase of his career. "We never talked about starting a business together, even when we found an office space for us to recharge and think about our next move," Lee said. "We just wanted to discuss and help each other separately come up with business ideas."
 |
| The brewery makes its products with Gyeongbokgung Rice, harvested in Seoul. Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
They came up with the idea to start a makgeolli brewery purely by chance, the co-founders said. The two drinking buddies sought out different variations of drinks other than just beer and green-bottled soju, one of the most commonly consumed drinks in Korea, when they came across different types of Korean traditional drinks.
"The timing was just right," Koh said. "We were both looking for the next business idea. And (as usual) we went out for drinks but wanted to try out different types of alcohol because we grew tired of soju and beer. Then, we started drinking makgeolli, yakju and other traditional-style spirits and really enjoyed the taste of them."
He added that's when the idea of getting their hands on the traditional drink business hit him. Taking their personal encounters with the lesser-known alcoholic beverages, they wanted to offer the same experience to those who are not familiar with makgeolli and other traditional drinks.
The two started by taking a brewing course for about nine months to learn the process of hand-brewing makgeolli, its history and its market.
"Because we didn't have any background in traditional alcoholic beverages, we became familiar with the drinks by learning to brew and filter them. We tried to learn if there's a vision in that area like we first thought through that process," Lee said.
 |
| Makgeolli fermentation batches at the brewery / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
Koh added that the more they learned about the drinks, the more they saw potential in its market and decided to found the brewery in 2018.
"We compared it to beer because it was a time when the beer industry was booming in Korea. Beer isn't our specialty, meaning even though we compete with other beer breweries in Korea, we are always going to be a sidekick in the global beer market. But with traditional alcoholic drinks, we can top the global market by dominating the local market," he said, adding that they felt they can run the business more sincerely and seriously by focusing on something unique from their own country. "So we decided to freely express our belief and philosophy through this industry."
Each part of its brand's storytelling, from the name and logo to the brewery's location, holds the co-founders' philosophy.
"It's such a shame that our splendid, great culture has been labeled with negative images. So we used the name Hangang ― or Han River ― to symbolize its meaning in parallel with our purpose," Koh said. "The Han River has been always been there, since the past to this day, and it is the most important river in Korea, and metaphorically speaking reaches into our future. So it represents our intention to take something of the past and bring it into a modern-style drink and culture that people can enjoy nowadays."
 |
| A collaborative product with local cosmetic brand About Me / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
Another mission of the brewery was to create a Seoul-based makgeolli brand. "Other regions in the country have specialty drinks specifically made with local ingredients… but on the other hand, even though Seoul is the capital and a most populated city, it didn't have any," Koh said.
However, making its product with Seoul-grown rice, the primary ingredient, did not come easy at first, as there was only one brand of rice harvested in Seoul. "After we decided to use Gyeongbokgung Rice, it took a long time to brew it into the taste that we were looking for," Koh said.
Since they did not want to use artificial sweeteners or other additives that are usually used to lower production costs, the balance between the natural sweetness from rice and acidity from fermentation was crucial, he added.
"We thought it was time to change the notion that makgeolli is cheap and gives the worst hangovers," Koh said. "As our society develops and the economy grows, I think people are now more willing to spend their money on something meaningful rather than cost-effective."
After months of trial and error, even delaying their scheduled product launch, they finally came up with the quality that would set their product apart from previous commercial makgeolli brands.
Along with its quality, the co-founders took several approaches to break the long-established notions of makgeolli and win the hearts of drinkers with a product that cost almost double the market price of previous brands.
 |
| The Pyomoon Makgeolli bottling process / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery |
The clear cylinder-shaped, recyclable bottle is one of those approaches. Widely used makgeolli bottles have a round base with a narrower neck.
"The negative image that people have towards makgeolli can be triggered visually through the bottle. If one sees makgeolli in the same shape that they already established certain expectations of, it's going to feel like the same thing no matter how sophisticated it tastes," Koh explained.
The company has also collaborated with various brands, including cosmetic and fashion brands, to expose its brewery brand to a wider range of consumers. "We thought it would be more helpful and effective in changing the negative image and promoting our brand if we collaborate with brands in different industries," Koh said.
The brewery's latest product Pyomoon was launched in collaboration with Daehan Flour Mills' main flour brand Gompyo.
The two co-founders noted that they planned to promote the brand to foreign nationals living here and tourists to accomplish their mission of introducing makgeolli to those unfamiliar with it. But since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, they've halted their marketing and promotional plans.
"Along with makgeolli products, we want to and are going to launch different variations of traditional alcohol like distilled spirits… and hope to export those products abroad, so we can let the world know how Korea also has quality drinks," Koh said.
He also shared that he hopes to expand the brewery into a cultural brand that provides a sense of platform for people to connect with one another.
"Not just the alcoholic beverages, but I also want to establish the Hangang Brewery brand," Koh said, adding that he plans to open a market complex with the brewery and different shops and restaurants for people to enjoy. "I want to create a space where people can come and go freely, and enjoy makgeolli as one culture."
