Soju wasn’t the only Korean alcohol. We also tried a few beers and wines. All of these were purchased from the grocery store or 7/11. Some drinks delicious, others were a little hard to get down. Typically, alcohol is a special occasion purchase for us but we wanted to try some of the things that aren’t available in the U.S. and everything was fairly cheap (under $5, most about $1-$2).
Wines
Makgeolli:
Makgeolli is a rice wine from Korea, popular among hikers/mountain people, (as opposed to soju being the alcohol for city folk) and farmers. First, the bottle needs to be shaken and then it is meant to be drunk from small bowls. The alcohol by volume is about 6-8 percent.
We first had Makgeolli at Makgeolli station. It was actually the only alcoholic beverage we had out – at a restaurant as opposed to at home in the apartment. We both enjoyed it and then we bought it twice after that, once in a bottle, and once in a can. Allegedly, there is a compound in Makgeolli which is supposed to help prevent the growth of some cancers. The alcohol content is about 6-8 percent. There is flavored makgeolli but we only tried the standard versions.
Makgeolli – Bottle
“Honestly, now that I taste it again, it reminds me a lot of beer. In fact, it tastes like my home-made Mr. Beers. It has that same sweetness. It tastes like beer without the hoppy aftertaste. That’s what it is. A little bit smoother. There’s a little bit of creaminess.” – Kyle
“Obviously it doesn’t have a special fruity or whatever flavor like the flavored-soju but I like it. Before Kyle said that about beer, I didn’t think about it but it really does taste like beer which is interesting because I am not a big beer person but I do like this.” – Briana
Walmae Maekgeolli – can
“It tastes like the other Maekgoli but canned.” -Kyle
“I feel like it tastes sweeter and has another taste to it, maybe even almost fruity.” -Briana
Plum Wine
Plum wine is a popular drink in Korea made with green plums.
“Wow, that smells so good. It also tastes really good. Fruity for sure. Sweet. Has the plum taste but like a slightly sour plum, a good ripeness.” -Briana
“That is good. It’s definitely a strong fruity flavor. I guess it’s plum but to me it kind of tastes more like an apple-ish. It’s got like a lighter taste to it than other alcohols, it doesn’t taste syrupy like some alcohol, it’s lighter in that sense. Nice warming feel to it as well.” -Kyle
Gap Liang Jiu
Gap Liang Jiu (actually a Taiwanese distilled wine popular in Korea)
“It smells strong.”
“It does.”
Looking at computer “And it is strong. It’s 40%.. which is low by its normal standards, it’s usually around 60%. But it’s still a wine. And now I understand how on those drunken boxing things, they’re always drinking wine, and they get hammered really quick. And I was like ‘wine isn’t that strong.’ Well, apparently their wine is.” (Kyle)
“Wow. Whew. Kind of burns on the way down. In a good way. It’s got heat to it. I can’t put my finger on the flavor, mainly because I can’t take big swigs of it. It’s not my favorite, but, I do like it. It’s definitely going to be the slowest drinking of all these. Definitely a sipping liquor.” burps -Kyle
“Aghh, Oh my! Do they normally mix this with something? Because I don’t know if I can drink this. This is strong. It smells like a terrible medicine. Or like straight alcohol. It makes me think of when you are at the doctor and you are about to get a shot and they wipe it with the alcohol pad. It burns my lips. It kind of reminds me of drinking vodka or.. maybe EverClear..but maybe worse. I think what is bothering me most is how much it is burning my lips.” -Briana
Upon research: they don’t normally mix it with something. Not sure we will be drinking much if we ever make it to Taiwan.
Bekeseju Baekseju
Baekseju is supposed to be a medicinal liquor. There is a legend associated with it that says some of the herbs in it will help you live to be 100 years old.
“It’s rather unique, it doesn’t taste like any wine I can really place my finger on. It’s light, kind of dry but still rather sweet. Kind of reminds me of sake but there’s something different. more like a sake mixed with white wine.” -Kyle
“This is good. It does make me think of wine, not sake as Kyle thinks. It has a kind of nutty quality or something. After looking up what is in it: glutinous rice, herbs, ginseng, licorice, ginger, and cinnamon, I am definitely aware of the ginger and cinnamon.” -Briana
Bokbunjajoo Black Raspberry Wine
The alcohol content of this wine was somewhere in the 15-20% range
“That wine was good. It is sweet but it has a slightly dry taste to it. It feels like its a slightly thicker wine, not quite to the level of a port, but it’s not white. I thought it was really good.” -Kyle
“Very good taste.” -Briana
Gashiogapi
Gashiogapi: Korean Traditional Wine (11%)
This is a wine that is allegedly not easy to find. For the most part, it can only be found in markets/stores in northern South Korea. Upon researching it we discovered it is made from Siberian Ginseng.
“Initially, I feel I am not a really big fan of the smell. It kind of reminds me of maple (which I like). I get a sort of woodiness. It’s so different. It also kind of reminds me of a tea. I think I like it and the flavor is just so different I can’t fully decide how I feel about it or if I would like to drink it again.” -Briana
“Oh, that is a weird smell. That’s good. It’s got almost a whiskey taste. It must have been aged in barrels or something like that. To me, it reminds me of a fortified wine but without the extra alcohol added to it. It almost kind of tastes like a port.” -Kyle
Beer
We actually only tried one brand of beer while in Korea but it was pretty good. It cost about $1 per beer.
Cass Fresh: 4.5%
“It’s pretty good. It’s pretty easy to drink but has a more full flavor than like a bud light. Light, crisp taste, almost a slight citrusy flavor. It reminds me of a Corona, almost. It’s not overly carbonated. It’s pretty good.” -Kyle
“Tastes like beer, but a kind I can drink. It is a lighter beer, pretty decent.” -Briana
Cass Lemon:
“It’s got a thick head. Wow, that really is lemony. That tastes like there is a lemon in there.” -Kyle
“I’m not a big fan of beer but this is pretty good. I like it better than the Cass Fresh and tasting it after the Cass Fresh it does almost taste like a beer lemonade.” -Briana
~B~
Comments
I hope this space is for comments on the wine and beer tasting. Also hope all the taste tests weren’t at the same sitting. I am really surprised at all the Cat Cafes. Love your posts.
Thanks, I’m glad you like them! Yes, this is the comment area. And don’t worry, we did not taste them all in one sitting haha. That would have been far too much for us. We think the cafes are pretty neat and are even thinking about the idea of opening one back in Florida.
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