[Gyeonggi/Yangpyeong] Jipyeong Brewery – The oldest Makgeolli brewery, review of a visit to Jipyeong Brewery

Located in a spot where a single weeping willow has grown large enough to completely block the view.
Wooden building, this place Jipyeong Breweryam.

It is a name that anyone who has drunk makgeolli has likely seen at least once.
It is near Jipyeong Station in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do, and I also learned the place name Jipyeong this time.

After reading the information board at the entrance, I found there are more intertwined stories than I expected.
This building, constructed in 1925 during the Japanese colonial period, is a type of Japanese-style house that combines a Hanok structure with Japanese architectural techniques.
It is said that the operator changed after liberation and it has continued for three generations to this day.

The detail that it was also used as a command post for a French battalion of the UN forces during the Korean War stood out.
In February 1951, a French battalion fought the Chinese Communist forces for three days in the Jipyeong-ri area of Yangpyeong and emerged victorious.
It is said that General Ralph Monclar, who was in charge of it, used this place as a workshop.

Visitor information is written in handwriting on the chalkboard next to the entrance.
Follow the route in the leaflet for viewing, QR code commentary videos provided, free Makgeolli tasting, and docent tours available at 11:00 and 14:00.
Since the docent tour time had awkwardly passed, I just grabbed a leaflet and walked around on my own.

Posters of Jipyeong's products are attached to the wall at the entrance.
Spring tea gathering, Jipyeong Soju, Jipyeong Takju
Bottles and glasses are also displayed underneath. They are not drinkable.

Upon entering, you come to a spacious area with high ceilings.
In the center, a 100-year-old well remains as it is, covered with a glass lid, and,
The doors of the exhibition halls are connected on the left and right.

When I unfolded the leaflet I received at the entrance, the route was kindly drawn.
Order: Bossam Room → Starter Room → Fermentation Room → Brewing Room → Office → Archives.
The traces of the distillery, including the locations of the chimney, well, and mud bricks, are marked, so you just need to follow them.

The first thing I met was the Bossam room.
It is a space where flour is steamed and yeast is sown.
Aspergillus oryzae was inoculated into flour lowered to an appropriate temperature, mixed thoroughly, and stored for one day.,
It is said that the name 'Bossam' was given because it was wrapped in a large cotton cloth to prevent the temperature from dropping.

Inside the room, a video of stacked blankets is being projected onto the wall, and,
Beneath it lay a box filled with sand and a wooden bowl.
It seemed as though the method of maintaining temperature using a wrapping cloth had been visually recreated.

Jongguksil is the wheat noodles sown in Bossamsil
It is the space where it was placed in a paulownia wood box and cultured for three days.
When cultivation begins, heat is emitted from the soup, and the temperature and ventilation were controlled through an internal chimney.
It is said that on the third day, he left the country and spent the time making base liquor with the innkeeper.

The interior of the final room was also recreated with actual paulownia wood boxes stacked.

Description of the paulownia wood box for cultivating yeast

As I followed the path, I came across the well I had seen in the leaflet again.
It is said to be a well that has been used to brew makgeolli since the brewery was established in 1925.
Looking inside the glass, it is incredibly deep.

If you look up, the roof frame is fully exposed.
The rafters and OSB plywood are woven in a grid,
Traces of windows placed high up remained, revealing the old structure originally intended for ventilation.

Next is the fermentation room.
It is a space where the starter culture, base liquor, and freshly brewed liquor were fermented to perfect their aroma and flavor.
The koji is prepared using the koji completed after passing through the bossam room and the jongguk room, and,
The explanation is that after making the base liquor with the finished starter culture, steamed rice was mixed in to brew good liquor through the main fermentation.

Inside the fermentation room, three jars were placed covered with cotton cloth.
It is impressive that it shows the different sounds produced inside depending on the fermentation state through sound.

Jipyeong Brewery's Mindset

On the adjacent wall, photographs documenting the process of Jipyeong expanding the factory were displayed.
First production plant next to the brewery in 2016, Chuncheon plant equipped with research facilities in 2017,
From Blue Brewery in 2022 to Cheonan Smart Brewery in 2023
‘The history of expansion was organized under the title 'New Horizons of Korean Alcohol'.

There was an office at the end of the path.
It was used as the headquarters of the French UN battalion during the Korean War, and,
Along with the explanation that it was also used as General Monclar's office
It was written that the desk the general used was preserved exactly as it was.

In the actual exhibition space, there were black-and-white photos of General Monclar and
“The phrase ”A promise connecting generations, the power to carry on history” is hanging under the lights, and,
On the old desk beneath it, old books and documents are laid out.

Once the viewing route ends, a tasting and sales area appears.
Two bottles in pouches were standing upright on the shelf,
I asked the staff member, and it is a product from Jipyeong's premium line.
They said that it is not sold here and can only be purchased at the online store.

The last one is the tasting room.
There are premium Jipyeong lines that are hard to find in regular supermarkets.
Unfortunately, this lineup is not available for tasting.
When I asked where to buy it, they said it is available on Naver Smart Store.

The actual tasting will be conducted with a total of three varieties: Jipyeong Yet Makgeolli, Jipyeong Ilgu-i-o, and Saengsaeng Makgeolli.

Saengsaeng Makgeolli is a cost-effective line launched by Jipyeong relatively recently.
As expected of a product targeting steady sellers like Jangsu Makgeolli, the carbonation was refreshing and it went down lightly.
It had a sweet taste, but it wasn't completely lacking in weight, so it seemed like it would go well with spicy snacks.

The most impressive thing was Jipyeong Yet Makgeolli.
It is wheat makgeolli made using wheat flour as the main ingredient instead of rice,
It is one of the Jipyeong lines that is not easily found in supermarkets, so I was glad to try it here.
It had a richer, savory aroma than rice makgeolli, and while the finish was slightly rough, it left a warm and inviting impression.

There is a theory that makgeolli was originally popularized during the Goryeo Dynasty, when wheat cultivation was increasing more than rice cultivation.
In times when rice was scarce, alcohol was also brewed using wheat or barley.,
Jipyeong Yet Makgeolli essentially maintains its original ingredient composition to this day.

Jipyeong 1920 is a product that reproduces the exact method used by Jipyeong Brewery to first produce it in 1925.
The alcohol content is 7%, which is higher than the regular line, and the sweet aroma from the fermentation process felt stronger.
It was on the heavy side, so rather than gulping it down lightly, I tended to savor it sip by sip.

The exhibition itself was densely and well-organized.
Just by reading the explanatory panels attached to each section, I could picture the process of brewing makgeolli in my mind.
However, it is a bit of a shame that the tasting is limited to the basic line.
Established Jipyeong Blue Brewery to create a new premium line
I felt it was a shame that I couldn't access it while it was being made.
I also think it would be nice to have the opportunity to try it, even if it is just through a paid tasting.
Putting aside the downsides, if you have a keen interest in alcohol, I recommend visiting this place when traveling to Yangpyeong.