It was an abnormally cold November day when I found myself in an industrial section of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in the shadows of the Pulaski Bridge. A gust of wind nearly knocked me sideways as I turned onto Dupont Street, towards the destination of my trip: Hana Makgeolli Brewery and tasting room.
As a sake expert, makgeolli (mahk-oh-lee) has always been in my periphery. It’s a traditional Korean rice-based wine with both similarities and differences to sake. But my knowledge is fairly minimal, so when the opportunity came to meet with Alice Jun, founder and brewer of Hana Makgeolli, I jumped.
The Origins of a Brooklyn Brewery
Jun homebrewed alongside her father growing up, a hobby she carried with her into adulthood, even as she worked a full-time job at Deloitte. Eventually, her passion for brewing eclipsed her other career, and in 2019, she and her business partner, John Limb, commenced buildout on a facility. They were “80% of the way there,” she says, when COVID shut down progress in March 2020. They got back on their feet and went into full production in September 2020.
Jun produces all manner of sool, a catchall term that refers to Korean alcohol, whether it is fermented or distilled. Makgeolli is a fermented, sedimented rice wine at 10% ABV or below; Takju is also sedimented, but at an ABV higher than 10%; Yakju is a clarified fermented beverage; and Soju is a distilled spirit.
She explains more about the stylistic differences in the video above.
Makgeolli vs. Sake
