[Jo Yongjun's Travel Journey] The Aroma of Life Aged Over 100 Years, Have a Drink!

Journey to Mokdo Brewery, a 100-Year-Old Distillery Where Alcohol Matures in Goesan, Chungbuk

Goesan Mokdo Brewery, which has preserved 100 years of history intact. Seok-il Lee and Gi-ok Yoo, a couple continuing the family business into the third generation.

A traditional liquor jar used for generations at the brewery

A brewery is no different from a museum. Every step you take is filled with traces of time.

A couple conducting a final check before filtering the alcohol

One type of yakju and three types of takju produced at Mokdo Brewery

The fermentation room is lined with old jars of alcohol.

Mr. Lee Seok-il explaining the collected alcohol-related exhibits and the traditional brewing tools used for generations at Mokdo Brewery

Iron Man of Mokdo Brewery Used Since the Japanese Colonial Period

The color of Mokdo Clear Alcohol is subtle.

[Asia Economy, Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist]During the busy farming season, a young child carries a small sheep-shaped kettle in both hands. They are on their way to deliver Makgeolli as a snack along the rice field ridges. With every step, the Makgeolli inside the kettle sloshes and dances. Makgeolli spills from the spout. Not wanting to waste the spilled Makgeolli, the child brings their mouth to the spout and starts sipping. The sweet taste slides down their throat. They take another sip. Then, they remember nothing else. Middle-aged men who grew up in the countryside can probably recall such a memory. The good child helping busy parents during rice planting season would get knocked out by a sip of Makgeolli and regain consciousness around sunset. Travel Manli seeks out these Makgeolli memories. Specifically, places that have brewed traditional Korean Makgeolli for over 100 years. That place, filled with old memories and history, still brews alcohol today and shares its taste with visitors. The philosophy and stubbornness of the brewers are fully embodied there. This is the Mokdo Brewery in Goesan, Chungbuk. On a day when the rain hastening summer poured heavily, I drove to Goesan. Along the way, a glass of Makgeolli and a savory Bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) kept swirling in my mind.

Gently opening the door of Goesan Mokdo Brewery, the welcoming scent of fermenting alcohol greets you. The unique aroma of Makgeolli carried by the rain is extraordinary. Mokdo Brewery looks back on a 100-year history. Every corner of the brewery, where time and space seem frozen, resembles an alcohol museum. Old rafters, lattice windows, barrels, and jars quietly tell their history.

Starting from a Japanese owner in 1920, Mokdo Brewery changed to Korean management in 1939 as Goesan Brewing Co., Mokdo Factory. The founder, Mr. Yoo Jeung-soo, had already operated a brewery in Goesan-eup since 1931. Later, his eldest son Yoo Jong-hee inherited it but passed away early, so for nearly 40 years, his daughter-in-law Lee Soon-geun practically ran the brewery. Now, the founder’s granddaughter, CEO Yoo Ki-ok (64), manages it as the third generation.

Leading the brewery alongside CEO Yoo Ki-ok is her husband, Lee Seok-il (68). A doctor by profession, he works in Bundang during weekdays and comes down after Friday’s clinic to work at the brewery throughout the weekend.

When asked why they took over the brewery, CEO Yoo said, "I couldn’t give up a brewery soaked in history, tradition, and childhood memories, so I decided to continue the family business."

The couple officially started running Mokdo Brewery in 2013. Mr. Lee recalled, "In 2012, I visited places like Gang-gyeong, Gunsan, and Nonsan for research. Seeing the Japanese colonial-era houses in Gunsan strengthened my resolve to protect our brewery. Without any plan, I came down to Goesan with just my bedding," reminiscing about those times.

Nothing went smoothly from the start. It was a series of unfamiliar and tough challenges. The couple said, "We thought we could comfortably make Makgeolli by hiring workers, but we realized within days that was a misconception."

Mr. Lee began learning the brewing process professionally. He learned alcohol production from the person managing the house and visited old breweries to master the taste one by one. After spending 5 to 6 years, he gained a little knowledge about alcohol. Still, in the countryside, they were always outsiders. He said, "My wife graduated from Mokdo Elementary School, and through her connections, we barely managed to endure those times."

The Makgeolli from Mokdo Brewery is not sweet. They minimize synthetic sweeteners to preserve the traditional taste. It is a Makgeolli where the characteristic flavors?earthy, sharp, bitter, and sour?harmonize well. The Makgeolli the couple talks about is just like the one sipped along the rice field ridges in childhood.

Reducing synthetic sweeteners drastically initially drew criticism from locals who said the taste had changed after their return to the hometown. Now, it is recognized as a "precious alcohol" that protects the hometown.

Mr. Lee proudly says, "Nowadays, people are accustomed to sweetness, so it’s not easy to change, but once you try our Makgeolli, you can feel the essence of Makgeolli without the sweetness."

Makgeolli is a fermented liquor. Its ingredients include rice, wheat, and glutinous rice. Even when making Makgeolli traditionally by putting steamed rice into fermentation jars, the taste is always unpredictable. That’s why Makgeolli is an open liquor. Artificial sweeteners or additives must not be used. It waits for fermentation as nature provides.

At one time, the area around Mokdo Brewery was the busiest place. The warehouse now used as the brewery’s history museum once served as a kind of sales outlet. Over 1 ton of Makgeolli was sold daily, and long lines formed to buy alcohol. It was the era when savory Bindaetteok was fried golden as a drinking snack. However, the prosperous brewery gradually declined after 1990. Mokdo Market also closed. Thus, the brewery’s legacy was interrupted.

When the couple reopened the brewery, their first step was to open it to the public. They allowed anyone to come in and look around. They revealed the dilapidated old buildings, fermentation jars, and materials to the public. Every place they stepped?from the room where rice was steamed and nuruk (fermentation starter) and jumo (yeast) were made, to the yard, the sarangchae (guest quarters), and the small room?overflowed with stories.

There was also this incident. Recently, three generations came to Mokdo hometown village, and led by their grandfather’s hand, a son and grandson visited the brewery. They said, "It’s our hometown after 60 years, and we were so surprised to find the brewery exactly as it was before," and expressed their gratitude, "It must have been hard, but thank you for preserving it like this."

Mr. Lee said, "Visitors are always amazed at how we preserve it, but just having people come is the driving force and strength that keeps us going."

The couple makes Makgeolli and clear liquor entirely by traditional methods without using any machines. Mr. Lee said, "Since it’s all handmade, we can’t produce large quantities. We set a principle of making 150 bottles of Makgeolli per week and clear liquor about twice a month. That’s the amount we can handle."

Mokdo Brewery produces four types of liquor: one type of Yakju (refined rice wine) and three types of Takju (unfiltered rice wine). Despite the hardships of COVID-19, they launched Yakju called "Neuti" earlier this year. They released a no-sweetener liquor last year and now added Yakju. Making no-sweetener Yakju in a small private brewery is a remarkable achievement. Even large breweries find it difficult.

However, running the brewery diligently does not translate into profit. They don’t make money from the brewery; in fact, they often have to spend money because of it.

The couple created another way to spend money to protect the brewery: sharing. Not a business-oriented brewery, but a valuable shared space encompassing history, architectural types, and human interaction over time.

Therefore, the couple does not pursue making money. Their goal is to continue showing Mokdo Brewery as it is to interested people. They brew alcohol and preserve history for their own enjoyment.

Mr. Lee emphasized, "The brewery embodies history and tradition. Besides architecture and culture, the brewery must have philosophy. There must be a brewing philosophy, a principle of working with local people, and above all, people must come and go through the brewery." Thus, the brewer’s philosophy and stubbornness naturally become stories that elevate the product’s quality.

On the way out of the brewery, I look back once more. The old single-story building with sliding lattice windows, the quaintly written Mokdo Brewery sign above, the jars, and the couple standing at the door exude a deep and long-lasting scent of life as rich as the Makgeolli itself. They wave goodbye with warm smiles. The 100-year-old brewery where alcohol matures, the couple making memories and history with time?thus, the world ripens.

Goesan = Written and photographed by Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist jun21@

◇Travel Notes

△Directions= From the Seoul metropolitan area, take the Yeongdong Expressway to Yeoju Junction, head toward Chungju, then exit at Goesan IC toward Goesan and Suanbo. Follow the signs to Guwol-ri and Gammul-ro to reach the brewery.

△Attractions= Sanmaki Old Road, Yangban Road, Mungwang Reservoir (photo), Yeonhayeop Cloud Bridge, Gareun Valley, Hwayang Valley, Ihwaryeong, Suok Waterfall, and more.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.