[Gu Eun-mo's Sake Story] Dreaming of Making Pyeongtaek, the "Belly Button of the Korean Peninsula," the Center of Korean Alcohol

<1> Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi 'Horangi Baekkob Brewery'①

Panorama of 'Horangi Baekkop Brewery' in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Korea has long been known as the ‘Hodamguk (虎談國),’ meaning the ‘Country of Tiger Tales,’ due to the abundance of tiger stories. Before his pro-Japanese betrayal, Yukdang Choi Nam-seon also remarked that Joseon had so many tiger stories that it could easily fill books like the “One Thousand and One Nights” or the “Decameron.” Tigers have been familiar spiritual creatures and sometimes objects of reverence in this land, leaving traces throughout our history and life via various legends, folktales, and place names.

Western Painter Ventures into Korean Alcohol... Makgeolli Made with Wine Brewing Techniques

The ‘Horangi Baekkop Brewery’ also began from one of the many tiger stories. Looking at the Korean Peninsula map shaped like a soaring tiger, the spot at the tiger’s navel corresponds to Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province. It was here that Western painter Lee Gye-song opened the Horangi Baekkop Brewery in 2008, with the determination to connect the past and present of Korean alcohol like a navel linking parent and child, and the ambition to become the center of Korean Makgeolli.

Lee Hye-in, the CEO who succeeded her father, the founder, said, “Horangi Baekkop is a name that can showcase the regional identity of Pyeongtaek and philosophically embodies the story we want to tell best. Since our ancestors regarded this place as the center of the Korean Peninsula, the brewery’s name naturally became Horangi Baekkop.” It is only natural that the brewery’s flagship Makgeolli is named ‘Horangi Baekkop.’

Lee Hye-in, CEO of Horangibaekop Brewery.

Painter Lee had traveled extensively and experienced atmospheres where alcohol and culture harmoniously blended. His life in France became a turning point. During his long stay, he observed rural areas creating high added value through regionally distinctive wines and enjoying a leisurely lifestyle. He resolved to return to Korea and produce Korean alcohol rich in regional characteristics.

Back in his hometown, he established a brewery in Poseung, where the Ham-pyeong Lee clan had lived for 600 years and where he was born and raised, and began making Makgeolli. Since his father operated a mill and his mother brewed Makgeolli using broken rice and byproducts, rice was not an unfamiliar ingredient to him. The regional specialty liquor system, implemented to expand the consumption of local agricultural products, also made it relatively easy to obtain a brewing license, which encouraged his challenge.

Panorama of Horangibaekkob Brewery.

Although rice was a familiar ingredient he had always eaten and drunk, turning it into alcohol was not easy for someone who had only painted all his life. There were no proper educational institutions, and there was not as much related information on the internet as there is now. Despite the difficult conditions, his goal was firm: he did not want to just add another similar alcohol to the market. He thought that while Makgeolli that is gulped down quickly is good, there is also a need for Makgeolli that can be savored leisurely like wine.

Thus, inspired by wine brewing methods rather than the typical Makgeolli brewing process, he began brewing alcohol using raw rice with the husk intact. CEO Lee Hye-in recalled, “While others usually invest startup funds in equipment, my father used most of that money to purchase raw materials. He brewed various types of alcohol with a large amount of rice while conducting research.” After numerous trials and errors, the ‘Horangi Baekkop Makgeolli’ was born in 2009.

Light Texture and Refreshing Taste... Aiming to Be the Most Pyeongtaek-Representative

Horangi Baekkop Brewery's 'Horangi Baekkop' Makgeolli

Horangi Baekkop Makgeolli stands at the opposite end of the spectrum from the thick and heavy typical Makgeolli. It has a light texture rather than a heavy one, and despite being made from rice, it is filled with fruity aromas like apple and pear, giving an overall fresh and clean impression. It also has low carbonation, making it easy to swallow, and its color is somewhat pale at first glance.

Perhaps because the brewer’s preferences and intentions are deeply embedded, Horangi Baekkop Makgeolli was not initially well received. Many people were puzzled because it differed in many ways from the typical characteristics of Makgeolli. However, by steadfastly brewing Makgeolli filled with their own taste and sincerity, it gradually became a place where people came from afar, curious about its flavor. CEO Lee Hye-in said, “We have remained the same, but generations have changed and times have evolved. As the atmosphere has formed to accept new things without resistance, the number of people naturally seeking our somewhat different Makgeolli has increased.”

Exterior view of Horangibaekkob Brewery.

As the taste of this alcohol gradually seeped into people’s palates, the brewing hands naturally passed from father to daughter. The second daughter, Hye-in, who had completed her studies in Seoul and worked as a photographer, had been helping her father whenever she had time, which eventually became her main job. For several years now, she has taken over as CEO following her father, and her older sister, Hye-beom, who was working as a designer, also joined, with the sisters together handling most of the brewing and other tasks.

Looking back, CEO Lee said she felt emotions similar to when she first learned photography while watching the alcohol-making process beside her father. When she entered university, she learned black-and-white photography in a darkroom, and it was fascinating and fun how a blank paper would emerge with an image after being dipped in chemicals. Now, alcohol is like that. She said, “When I watch the fermenting alcohol, bubbles rise and whirlpools form as if possessed by a ghost. The mysterious transformation of rice into an entirely different form called alcohol is what led me here.”

She hopes Horangi Baekkop Makgeolli will become a product that showcases the value of the Pyeongtaek region. For her and her family, Pyeongtaek is a satisfying place to live with beautiful mountains and clear water, but from an outsider’s fleeting perspective, Pyeongtaek appeared dark. She concluded, “Pyeongtaek is a wonderful place where vast plains, mountains, and the sea come together. Using agricultural products born and raised on Pyeongtaek land and the wind and water of Pyeongtaek to create the most Pyeongtaek-like product is the beginning of everything and the goal we will continue to uphold.”