Donghae Myeongju

How It Began

Donghae Myeongju opened in 1955 under the name Dogu Brewery in Donghae-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, North Gyeongsang. Its first product, Dogu Makgeolli, was born at the same time. "Dogu" comes from "Dogu-ri," the old place name of Donghae-myeon, where the brewery stands. In 2019, Kyongbuk Ilbo described it as the oldest brewery in Pohang.

In 1985, CEO Yang Su-gil took over the brewery run by its first owner, Seo Yeong-su. Yang Su-gil renamed the company Donghae Brewery and in 1992 released the first 100% rice makgeolli in the Pohang area. Since 2016 his son, CEO Yang Min-ho, has run the brewery as the third generation. After taking over, Yang Min-ho renamed the company again to its current name, Donghae Myeongju.

Yang Min-ho learned how liquor is made by helping with his father's brewing from the age of five. In a 2019 interview with Kyongbuk Ilbo, he said that while serving in the Marine Corps, seeing a superior he looked up to happily drinking his family's makgeolli made him decide, "I should try making makgeolli myself." After his discharge he returned to university in Gyeongsan, commuting the long distance from Pohang and balancing work and study.

How the Liquor Is Made

In a 2019 interview, Yang Min-ho named rice, water and ipguk (a koji starter) as the three elements of Donghae Myeongju makgeolli. He said the brewery uses about 40 tons of Pohang-grown rice a year for brewing (as of 2019). For water, instead of pumped groundwater, it uses tap water passed through a purification system that filters it once more. He explained that this is to keep water quality stable.

In 2013 the brewery introduced a system for checking and controlling the temperature of its liquor tanks by smartphone, even when no one is in the fermentation and aging rooms. In 2019 it said its next goal was to manage other variables in the plant by smartphone as well. Meanwhile, stirring the ingredients in the tanks is called gyobaban (agitation) at other breweries, but here it has been handed down as "gawijil" (literally "scissoring").

Dogu Makgeolli is brewed from wheat and rice. The ingredients registered on The Sool are wheat (imported), rice (domestic and imported), starch syrup, yeast, prepared seed koji, purified enzyme, aspartame and lactic acid. It is described as having the nutty aroma typical of wheat makgeolli, with sweetness and acidity that go well with richly seasoned braised fish.

Signature Liquors and Lineage

Dogu Makgeolli is the first liquor, released when the brewery was founded in 1955. It is a 6% ABV wheat makgeolli in a 750ml bottle. In 2023, Yeongnam Economy described it as "the oldest existing makgeolli in Pohang," reporting that it is still drunk by people looking for old-style thick wheat makgeolli.

Donghae Dongdongju is a rice makgeolli with grains of rice floating on top. According to Yeongnam Economy, Donghae Brewery released the first 100% rice makgeolli in the Pohang area in 1992. Donghae Dongdongju is that first 100% rice makgeolli in Pohang, made during the Donghae Brewery years.

Yeongilman Chingu 100% Rice Makgeolli came out in 2009. According to Yeongnam Economy (2023), in 2010, the year after its release, it recorded the highest sales in the Pohang area. The same report described it as a joint creation of Pohang City, POSTECH and Donghae Myeongju, highlighting the addition of agar seaweed (umutgasari) to raise its dietary fiber.

As of a May 2023 Yeongnam Economy report, Donghae Myeongju produces five kinds of makgeolli. Among them, Yeonorang Seonyeo Takju is inspired by the legend of Yeonorang and Seonyeo, handed down in Donghae-myeon, where the brewery is located. It contains no sweeteners and comes in two versions, 12% and 6%. The official website introduces "Minho 47" as Donghae Myeongju's first distilled soju.

Recognition

In 2012, Donghae Myeongju became the first in Pohang to receive liquor quality certification. In 2017 it became the first makgeolli company in the Gyeongsang region to receive HACCP certification. Yang Min-ho said that, to shed the old image of breweries as shabby and unsanitary, "I really wanted to put the HACCP mark on the bottle."

The official website says Donghae Myeongju was the first in the makgeolli industry to be selected as a "company with a history and growth to last a hundred years," recommended by the Minister of SMEs and Startups. Yeongnam Economy reported this in 2023 as its selection as a "Centennial Small Manufacturer." In 2022 it was chosen as an exemplary small business at the "2022 Korea Small Business Convention" and received a Prime Minister's Citation.