Mix the two together, and you get makgeolli. In fact, another name for makgeolli is nong-ju, meaning farmer’s liquor. Pak explains that during the fermentation process, makgeolli splits into what are essentially two different beverages: A clear rice wine called cheongju and the thicker, hazier sediment at the bottom, called takju, traditionally consumed only by peasants. Similar to nigori, unfiltered sake, the sediment from the fermentation process is left in the bottle, giving the beverage its signature cloudy, milky appearance. One standout characteristic of makgeolli is that it’s left unfiltered. Fruit and herbal infusions can be added to the mixture during fermentation to give the makgeolli an additional flavor. Traditionally, makgeolli is brewed in a large ceramic jar known as a hangori or onggi, the same type of jar in which soybean paste and kimchi are sometimes also preserved. “Sake uses koji, so you get the unique organisms in the air and the land of Japan. “Sake is very similar to makgeolli in terms of the brewing process and ingredients - but the main difference is the culture that we use,” Carol Pak, the founder of Makku, explains. For contrast, the sake brewing process involves washing and steaming rice, mixing it with yeast and koji, a type of mold, and allowing it to ferment. The nuruk is then combined with steamed rice and water and is allowed to brew for as many as 10 days. Makgeolli beings with nuruk, a wheat cake that catalyzes fermentation. Though both are technically referred to as rice wine, both makgeolli and sake are brewed using rice in a process more akin to beer. Many Americans are already familiar with soju, a Korean liquor distilled from rice.
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