Makgeolli (Unfiltered Rice Wine)

The name is usually explained as ‘roughly strained’ or ‘just strained’: the fermented mash is pushed through a sieve or cloth instead of being left to settle into clear yakju. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture's entry on makgeolli brewing finds an early trace in the 1123 Goryeo dogyeong, whose Song author noted that commoners, unable to get the fine palace wine, drank a thinner, darker brew. Makgeolli went by many names, from the literary takju (cloudy wine) to everyday takbaegi, and it was drunk across social classes.

It is made from starchy grain, nuruk and water. Rice was the usual base, but in the 1960s, amid rice shortages, breweries were supplied with wheat flour and flour makgeolli became common; regions also added millet, corn or sweet potato. Nuruk shapes the flavor most. Breweries largely switched from wild-fermented wheat nuruk to ipguk, rice inoculated with cultured white koji mold, from the 1960s. Typical strength is 6 to 8 percent, with lighter 3 to 5 percent products and premium 10 to 12 percent brews from small breweries.

Makgeolli was the farmer's drink, carried to the paddies at rice-planting time, and the wine of village rites. Home brewing was effectively banned after liquor-tax rules tightened in 1935 and became legal again for personal use in 1995. ‘Makgeolli brewing’ was designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Korea in 2021. The encyclopedia calls it ‘liquid rice,’ which is why banchan double easily as anju; sour, well-fermented kimchi is the classic partner, alongside haemul-pajeon, dubu-kimchi and bossam. In the kitchen it is also used to leaven steamed buns (makgeolli-ppang).

• Live cultures: Unpasteurized makgeolli is sold with its lactic acid bacteria and yeasts still alive, which the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes as one of its distinctive traits. Research on makgeolli microbes is ongoing; it is not a probiotic supplement.
• It is alcohol: Whatever its cultures, makgeolli is an alcoholic drink. The CDC advises that adults who drink limit intake to two drinks or fewer a day for men and one or fewer for women, notes that even moderate drinking may raise risks of some cancers and other diseases, and advises people who do not drink not to start.
• Who should avoid it: The CDC lists people who are pregnant or may be pregnant, those under 21, people with certain medical conditions or on interacting medications, and people recovering from alcohol use disorder.
• Gluten: Many makgeolli are brewed with wheat nuruk or wheat flour; people with celiac disease should check labels.
• Sugar and calories: Commercial makgeolli is often sweetened; lighter-tasting does not mean low in calories.