Asan Makgeolli Making Success!

Last Saturday Mamas & Papas new and old made the trek out of Seoul to the Asan Folk Village to get our makgeolli making on.  The setting could not have been more perfect for a weekend out of town, and we were well occupied with all the traditional distractions at the festival.

When we arrived, the awesome team at Susubori, Hyojin and Haena had already set up ‘Camp Susubori’ in our own reserved hanok area.  The first thing we did was to dive into tasting our own makgeolli creations that some Mamas & Papas had made the week before.  A tasting tent had been set up featuring 8 different makgeolli inspirations made by expats and friends of Susubori Academy, along with a voting board for our tasting guests.

Among some of the combinations, Papa Stewart made a straight ginger makgeolli, Mama Beryl tried out a rosemary makgeolli, and Papa Dan’s version of his recipe ‘Pimp Juice’ tasted like Christmas eggnog in a glass.  As for our efforts, Mama Julia’s proudly named ‘Baninja’ incorporated banana and ginger, while Mama Monica’s attempts to recreate Thanksgiving dinner had pumpkin, cinnamon and brown sugar.

So who was the winner we hear you ask?  Well it’s no secret that Monica’ s ‘Pumpkin Pie’ makgeolli was a roaring success with 3 sheets filled with voting stars.  However a late entry by Rebecca and Dan on Sunday may have tipped the scales, as their persimmon infused makgeolli was undeniably delicious!  All in all we had an absolute blast around the tasting tent, watching everybody both love…..and not so love….our makgeolli creations.

And then came class time!  As the first class rolled in we were super excited to meet some new Mamas & Papas, and also to catch up with some old favorites.  After a short class with the expert a la makgeolli, Jo Hyojin, Mamas & Papas were itching to get their hands dirty and try out their fermenting skills.  Rice, nuruk and water were a mixin’, and our Mamas & Papas  were a brewin’!

Finally with proud grins and pots of potential makgeolli goodness in hand, it was time to kick back and pour each other a bowl of the folk village’s very own brew!  The second class soon arrived and had their chance to get down and ferment, and it wasn’t long before they joined the big long table of happy makgeolli brewers.
As the sun went down in our hanok oasis, Mamas & Papas began to slowly make their way back home.  The MMPK team and the Susubori Heroes spent the night relaxing, reveling and soaking up the moonlight in good company, well into the evening.

All in all it was everything we could have asked for in a traditional makgeolli making experience, and we are as always grateful to our super supportive (and patient!) friends Hyojin, Haena and the Susubori Academy.  We hope to be able to have more events like this sometime in the future, so watch this space!  See you soon Mamas & Papas :)


Makgeolli Mamas & Papas
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