For centuries, brewing in Korea happened right at home. Until industrial production of makgeolli became widespread in the 1970s, nearly every household had a wife whose homemaking responsibility included brewing rice wine, following rules learnt by watching and listening to older women.

Some of those rules were practical. Others sounded like superstition. Most sat somewhere in between as literal old wives’ tales. One, still well-remembered by Korean brewers today, warned: “Do not keep alcohol and vinegar under the same roof.” Long before anyone spoke about germ theory or oxidation, Korean homemakers learnt the hard way that keeping vinegar too close to a fermenting jar of wine could completely destroy the wine, turning something precious and nourishing into something sharp and ruined.

Which is why Yangjudoga (양주도가) feels almost gleefully heretical. Founded on the exact opposite idea, the brewery embraces vinegar in brewing, deliberately inviting vinegar bacteria into against fermenting makgeolli. The name of its flagship wine declares the provocation: Byeolsan Makgeolli (별산/別酸 막걸리) literally means “Extra Sour Makgeolli”, and it drinks like one too, built around rice sweetness and a lively fizzy- tart, refreshing edge that sets it apart from almost everything that came before.

Tucked away in the quiet outskirts of Yangju city that lies north of Seoul, Yangjudoga isn’t the kind of brewery you’d stumble upon by accident. It’s part science lab, part farmhouse – and entirely unlike any other makgeolli brewery in Korea.

A Foot in Two Worlds: Farm and Lab

The mastermind behind this alchemical brewery is Kim Ki-gap (김기갑), Yangjudoga’s founder and CEO, though he’d be the first to credit his co-founder wife Minji and their small team for the brewery’s success.

Kim Kigap came into makgeolli by way of science. Armed with a Master’s degree in food engineering from Korea University, he started his career in the R&D lab of a well-known makgeolli company in Gyeonggi Province.

There, amid giant fermentation tanks, he became obsessed with the microbial ecology of makgeolli: the interplay of nuruk (누룩, a traditional wild starter of molds and yeasts), yeast, and lactic acid bacteria, and how their balance creates a norishing, delicious brew. He witnessed how temperamental Korean traditional rice sools can be. For instance, if you brew it wrong, the alcohol falls ‘sick’; the microbial balance skews, and the makgeolli’s signature pleasant tang (산미, sanmi) turns into off-flavours.

By the late 2010s, Kim had amassed notebooks full of yeast trials, acid levels, and fermentation data. He also had a gnawing feeling that the makgeolli industry needed a shake-up. Much of the mass-produced makgeolli had veered away from tradition one-week fermentations, used heavy dosing of artificial sweeteners like aspartame for taste, and an emphasis on sugary simplicity over complexity. Kim envisioned something different: makgeolli that could be crafted with the care of fine wine or craft beer and yet remain true to Korean heritage with natural fermentation flavours and local ingredients.

In 2018, Kim Ki-gap decided it was time to put his research and convictions into practice. He left the comfort of his corporate lab and, along with his wife (the industrious Kim Minji), founded Yangjudoga – which simply means “Yangju Brewery”.

While Yangju is not a household name on the Korean booze map, it is home to fertile rice paddies known as Yangjugol and a storied mask-dance tradition. While it sits just north of Seoul which holds the pulse of the nation’s trends, the founders liked that the place remains agrarian at heart. From day one, Yangjudoga set for itself a mission: to revive local traditions and push makgeolli forward into new territory. That meant sourcing local rice and local fruits, resurrecting old recipes, and crafting an identity inseparable from Yangju itself.

Another inspiration came to Minji one afternoon when she observed the health consciousness of Koreans and was reminded of a popular folk remedy where a dash of drinking vinegar would be added to makgeolli. This led her to wonder, what if they could brew the makgeolli with vinegar right from the start? Would this help create a deeper, more complex profile?

Finding The Sweet Spot, Or Rather, Sour Spot

Throughout 2018, in a modest brewing facility, Minji and her team embarked on a marathon of trial and error. They used live bacteria from 6-year-old persimmon vinegar (감식초) – a traditional vinegar prized for its mellow complexity – and experimented with exactly when and how much to add it during fermentation. Failure was frequent. Add the vinegar culture too early, and the brew turned unbearably sharp and acidic; add it too late (when alcohol levels climbed above ~10%), and the bacteria went dormant, leaving no perceptible change. There were brews that became undrinkably sour, and others that tasted like any plain makgeolli.

Kim Minji holding up a bottle of Byeolsan Makgeolli with a bottle of persimmon vinegar – the secret ingredient in her brewing process.

But after an enormous amount of trial and error, they found the sweet spot – or rather, sour spot. About one-third of the way into fermentation, they would introduce a carefully cultured dose of persimmon vinegar bacteria. At that stage, the young makgeolli (still around 6% ABV) was hospitable enough for the bacteria to work, yet far enough along that it wouldn’t turn the whole batch to vinegar. The effect was transformative: the brew’s acidity increased just to a pleasant, palate-cleansing tartness without tipping into harshness. Equally important, the added bacteria helped prevent unwanted contaminations early on and enhanced the depth of flavour. After more than a year of tinkering, the team finally achieved a stable recipe and knew they had something special.

Byeolsan Makgeolli would be entered into a prestigious blindtasting competition called the Korea Liquor Awards 2020. The brewing method astounded judges – while it made the cardinal brewing sin of using vinegar, experts found that it had a “perfect harmony of subtle sweetness and tartness”. Byeolsan Makgeolli swept the top honour, the “Best of 2020” award. What had begun as an experiment on the fringe of tradition was rapidly turning Yangjudoga into one of the most talked-about new breweries in Korea. 

Tradition Meets “Mak-pagne” Energy

By 2020, South Korea was also in the midst of a craft sool renaissance. Younger brewers around the country were rediscovering traditional recipes and ingredients, opening boutique breweries, and elevating drinks like rustic rice wine (takju (탁주) to a new level of artistry. Yangjudoga quickly found itself at the forefront of this “new wave” of Korean sool.

While breweries like Boksoondoga in Ulsan – also famous for its bottle-fermented “Champagne Makgeolli” – leaned on a grandmother’s home-brew tradition, or focus on extreme authenticity and single grain terroir, Yangjudoga sprang from a scientific inquiry and unabashedly blends old and new. It relies on time-honoured methods like Iyangju (이양주) – a two-stage fermentation where fresh steamed rice is added mid-ferment for complexity – but then tweaks those methods with modern twists like the calculated introduction of acetic fermentation.

Yangjudoga’s brewing philosophy puts it in a unique position in Korea’s drinks scene. The brewery has managed to captivate both crusty sool aficionados and trend-chasing MZ generation (Millennial/Gen Z) drinkers. For the traditionalists, there’s genuine delight in seeing historic techniques revived – such as the nuruk-driven slow fermentation and the resurrection of a local makgeolli brand (more on that later). For younger Koreans and adventurous palates, Yangjudoga offers something fresh: makgeolli that’s lighter, livelier, and more refreshing than the saccharine, sedentary brews their parents drank. In fact, the local media have taken to calling Yangjudoga’s sparkling creations “막페인 (mak-pagne)”, a portmanteau of makgeolli and Champagne.

By 2022, the buzz was no longer confined to niche circles. Noticing that sparkling makgeolli was popular with younger drinkers, Lotte struck a deal to carry Yangjudoga’s new Yuzu-infused makgeolli, the Byeolsan Yutokjatok (별산 유톡자톡) as part of a strategy to woo the 20s/30s demographic. The fact that a retail giant Lotte embraced a craft brewery’s product was a big milestone for Yangjudoga– it had leapt from small local fame on to the national stage.

So what makes Yangjudoga’s appeal so broad? Much of it of course comes down to a flavour profile that resonates with casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike. But more than that, it shares narrative that hits all the right notes in a changing Korea. This is a farm-to-bottle story of local rice and fruits, championing an ethos of authenticity (unfiltered, minimal additives), and a nod to health (e.g. using natural persimmon vinegar, avoiding artificial sweeteners or flavours) that aligns with modern Korea’s wellness trends.

For a generation increasingly label-conscious, that’s a big draw – standard cheap makgeolli is notorious for containing copious flavourings and other additives to extend shelf life. Yangjudoga’s brews, by contrast, wear their short shelf lives as a badge of honour: these are fresh, living products meant to be enjoyed at their peak. In an era when Korean consumers are rediscovering the value of the artisanal and the local, Yangjudoga’s philosophy strikes a chord.

Korean Sool Review: Byeolsan Yutokjatok "Yuja" Makgeolli (별산 유톡자톡 막걸리), 6% ABV

Tasting Notes

Appearance: White and cloudy.

Nose: Vivid and evocative, with a fizzy, sparkly aroma to it. Bright, expressive citrus, driven by fresh citrus peels. Soft, slightly sweet grain notes followed by a light, apple-leaning sweetness and a gentle sponge-cake sweetness. The carbonation pushes up a mildly peppery, almost savoury aromatic edge that reminds me of Japanese yuzu kosho, with citrus zest and a restrained peppery spice.

Palate: Immediately tangy and sparkly with carbonation. Opens with a clear yuzu-ade character with a fresh citrus bitterness cutting through along with some sweet grapefruit. Some gentle sweet-umami of bruised apples. It gets a bit creamier through through the mid-palate, a chalky milky mouthful with mellow riceyness. There’s a lot of brightness but acidity is well managed with a zesty prickly dryness similar to a bitter lemon soda.

Finish: The acidity subsidies quickly, with a long pith-driven bitterness and dryness from yuzu peels. Continued soft orchard fruits, gentle toasted rice, light pepper, lemon zest and a light herbal tone reminiscent of shiso leaves and sansho-like bitterness.

My Thoughts

This is a really easy to love drink. It’s lively, fun, immediately approachable with a freshness that comes through from nose to the finish. It is a sparkling yuzu makgeolli that clearly prioritises citrus brightness and persistent carbonation over rustic cereal funk. It’s remarkable how aromatic and whole the yuzu character feels – with both zestiness and fresh bitter pithiness to boot. The rice sweetness and creamy texture provide enough structure to support the fizz and citrus, keeping a nice balance intact. This one’s well suited for casual drinking at social settings, while still offering sufficient fun to reward attention.

@CharsiuCharlie