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Slow City, headquartered in an industrial park in Niles, is the first makgeolli maker in this hemisphere, thanks to an arrangement between president John Oh and Korea’s Baesangmyun Brewery, producers of a range of distilled and fermented Korean beverages. That’s an important distinction: imported makgeolli is made shelf-stable with preservatives that kill its natural enzymes. It tastes the same on the day you open it as it did on the day it was bottled. Slow City’s makgeolli breathes through a cotton-lined cap that’s commonly used in Korea, but which presents some special shipping and storage challenges here. More on those later.
- Mike Sula
- John Oh, Slow City Brewery
Over the years Oh, who was formerly in camera repair, sampled many makgeollis on his frequent trips to Korea, and finally settled on Baesangmyun’s because he liked its freshness and what he says is the company’s commitment to natural ingredients and fermentation. He imported three large brewing tanks and bottling equipment from Korea, Baesangmyunn sent over brewers to provide training, and in March they started brewing and bottling. The process starts with water, rice flour, grain syrup, yeast, and kogi, the fungus-inoculated rice we have to thank for miso, sake, and a bunch of other good things. The mixture sits in a smaller tank for four days, fermenting between 25C and 28C (77F-82.4F), then is moved to a larger tank for one more. When it comes out at 6 percent alcohol by volume, it’s milky-white, slightly sweet, with a whisper of funk, and a creamy body that’s almost horchata-like. Let it sit and the lees settle to the bottom.
For now you can find Slow City Makgeolli at Joong Boo and Mitsuwa, as well as restaurants like San Soo Gap San, Woo Chon, So Gong Dong Tofu House, and Ssyal Ginseng House, among others. Raise a glass and say “gun bae!”
