Baesangmyeon Brewery

How It Began

Baesangmyeon Brewery was founded in 1996 by Bae Young-ho. Bae had learned to brew from 1985 at Baehan Industry, the predecessor of Guksundang. In a 2015 interview he said, “If my father hadn't brewed traditional liquor, I would never have thought of this business.”

Bae Sang-myeon (1924–2013, pen name Ugok), whose name the company bears, is Bae Young-ho's father; his eldest son, Bae Jung-ho, runs Guksundang, and his eldest daughter, Bae Hye-jeong, runs Baehyejeong Doga. Bae Young-ho proposed to his father, “Lend me your name, and I'll make you a monument that lasts longer than a gravestone,” and received permission after a long effort to persuade him. The official website presents this as the first case in Korea of a company named after a person.

Bae Young-ho set up a traditional liquor research institute at the same time as he founded the company. Sansawon in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, whose name means “garden of hawthorn trees,” is a liquor museum built together with the Pocheon plant on a 4,000-pyeong (13,223㎡) site. He describes liquor as “a medium for sharing feelings.”

How the Liquor Is Made

Neurinmaeul Makgeolli came out in 2010 and is presented as Korea's first sweetener-free makgeolli. The official website explains that it is brewed from rice, nuruk and water alone, and the information registered on thesool.com lists the ingredients as rice, guk (koji), yeast and purified water, at 6% ABV in a 750ml bottle. Because no artificial sweeteners are added, seasonal differences in temperature and humidity show up directly in the taste.

The taste of Neurinmaeul Makgeolli changes as time passes after bottling, which Baesangmyeon Brewery calls “the four seasons of Neurinmaeul Makgeolli.” Days 1–6 after bottling are “spring,” fresh and sweet with light carbonation. Days 7–11, “summer,” are richly carbonated, and days 12–18, “autumn,” are clean with a gentle acidity. From day 19 on it is “winter,” sharp and fully mature.

Neurinmaeul Makgeolli is also the base for other liquors. Adding one more mash to Neurinmaeul Makgeolli, a samyangju (triple-brewed liquor), makes the 11% sayangju (four-stage brew) Neurinmaeul Makgeolli Hanbeondeo (“One More Time”). Collecting only the clear top layer of the well-matured liquor gives Neurinmaeul Yakju, and distilling it gives the distilled soju Neurinmaeul Soju 21.

Signature Liquors and Lineage

Sansachun was popular from its first year on the market in 1997 and reached 100 million bottles sold in 2005. Brewed with hawthorn berries and cornus fruit, it has a sweet-and-sour taste. The official website presents it as a liquor that has carried on for more than 20 years.

Neurinmaeul Yakju is made by collecting the golden top layer of well-brewed, matured Neurinmaeul Makgeolli. It is characterized by fresh acidity, subtle sweetness and the deep flavor of rice. Bingtanbok is a sparkling drink that adds light carbonation to a gentle bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) base, with a sweet taste that makes it easy to drink.

Recognition

Neurinmaeul Makgeolli won an excellence award in the unpasteurized makgeolli category of the 2014 Korean Liquor Competition. In 2017 it won the top prize in the takju category of the same competition. At the Korea Liquor Awards, it received the “Best of Best” award.

Sansawon was designated a “Visiting Brewery” by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2014. The Neurinmaeul Makgeolli information on thesool.com also lists “2014 Visiting Brewery” under other history. Sansawon still runs exhibition viewing, tastings and tasting experiences today.