[Gu Eun-mo's Sake Story] Kim Doo-su, CEO of Dusuldoga, "We Create Eternal Unfinished Alcohol"

<10> Gyeongbuk Mungyeong 'Dusuldoga'②

The Alcohol of Dusuldoga, Ongoing... Continuously Refining and Improving
Brewing Site as a Space for Self-Realization... Finding True Aptitude Through Brewing

The couple Kim Doosu and Lee Jaehee, who jointly operate Dusuldo-ga.

"Heiyangsan Makgeolli will endlessly evolve and will never be completely finished."

Kim Doosu, CEO of Dusuldoga, emphasized in an interview with Asia Economy on the 18th that since alcohol is a living organism, it constantly changes, and both the makers and drinkers of alcohol need to enjoy these changes.

It is rare to find a culture without alcohol throughout history. Various types of alcohol have existed depending on the region and culture, and the ingredients, methods of brewing, as well as the reasons for drinking have changed and evolved over time. For CEO Kim, it is very natural that alcohol, as part of human culture, changes with the flow of time. He said, "If we were to make wine or whiskey using methods from centuries ago, it would probably be difficult to drink," adding, "Alcohol also reflects trends of the times and evolves accordingly." The alcohol from Dusuldoga is also a work in progress rather than a finished product. CEO Kim plans to continue refining and improving today's alcohol in the future.

When CEO Kim says alcohol is alive, it is not just a figure of speech. Among the alcohol produced in Korean breweries, many are unpasteurized raw alcohols (saengju) containing various living microorganisms. Chemically speaking, our alcohol is indeed alive. Unpasteurized raw alcohol has lively flavors and aromas and is rich in nutrients. Recently, CEO Kim has been focusing on aging as a way to enhance the appeal of these raw alcohols.

Raw Makgeolli, which contains live yeast and other microorganisms, is often emphasized for its freshness. Therefore, most places do not extend the aging period long, and the shelf life is relatively short, up to 90 days after bottling, compared to pasteurized alcohol. However, Dusuldoga plans to extend the aging period before bottling to bring out a deeper flavor. CEO Kim said, "Generally, the longer alcohol is aged, the better the taste and aroma tend to be," adding, "Heiyangsan Makgeolli also shows better quality with longer aging periods, and we plan to introduce long-term aged products in the future." Dusuldoga plans to release yakju in the second half of this year and soju around next year, experimenting with various aging methods including oak aging as well as aging periods.

For CEO Kim, Dusuldoga is a space for self-realization. The ten years of rural life farming with his wife after moving to the countryside was materially less abundant than before but spiritually more peaceful and fulfilling. It was the peaceful and simple life they dreamed of, but in fact, there was a certain emptiness in Kim’s heart. Unlike his wife, he did not feel much interest in farming.

Brewing became a breakthrough for him. By chance, he found his path through making alcohol. Kim explained, "I actually had neither talent nor aptitude for farming," and "I was worried because I couldn’t just live as an idler, then I found brewing as a career." He added, "Although there are definitely hard and stressful moments in running a brewery, including making alcohol, I find joy and excitement in it." His wife, Lee Jaehee, who knew about her husband’s emptiness, was quietly pleased and deeply supportive as she saw him gradually become absorbed in brewing. Now the couple has wrapped up farming and is running the brewery together.

CEO Kim confessed that he has become much more humble since he started brewing. This is because it is common for results to differ greatly from expectations due to minor reasons. He said, "Even though I am not young, I am learning many new things through brewing," and concluded, "Since brewing is not something that can be perfectly controlled at will, I will continue to do my best to brew alcohol."