[Gu Eun-mo's Sajeori] Durumi Brewery, Liquor That Turns Moments into Eternity

<13> Gangwon Cheorwon 'Durumi Brewery'①

Making Fun and Happy Alcohol Resembling an Amusement Park
Handcrafted Traditional Liquor Brewed with Cheorwon Odae Rice and Volcanic Bedrock Water
Directly Fermented with Myeonpo for Smooth and Clean Taste

The song we used to listen to together long ago

makes me stop again in my tracks

I can feel you on this street

I feel like I will definitely meet you here again

I look once more, wondering if it’s you

I keep turning around, thinking it might be you

Listening to the same song somewhere

Are you also standing still, thinking of me?

Standing Egg, "Old Song"

Music evokes memories. It recalls the space and time where the song existed, the person who listened with you, and the emotions of that moment. In this way, alcohol resembles music in that it summons forgotten memories. Some alcohols resemble longing, making the space and time where they were shared, the person drinking side by side, and the emotions of that time unforgettable. To make moments eternal, there is a place that brews music-like alcohol and alcohol-like music: Durumi Brewery in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

A Three-Brother Brewery with Three Unique Styles

Yoo In-ja, the mother of Kim Jong-han, CEO of Durumi Brewery, was a strong woman. At a time when it was rare for women, she boldly entered the high-voltage electricity distribution business and proudly grew her company into a well-known enterprise in the Cheorwon area. Born with a business instinct, even after stepping down from management, she did not live a quiet life. Well over seventy years old, she never stopped planning new businesses that could represent Cheorwon.

During her continuous exploration, what caught her eye was none other than alcohol. In fact, it was not traditional liquor from the start. Yoo heard by chance that Gangwon National University was collaborating with Tokyo University of Agriculture in Japan to develop a cheongju (clear rice wine) project using Cheorwon Odae rice. She immediately expressed her strong intention to participate and prepared to join the project. However, from 2019, due to semiconductor core material export restrictions, relations between the two countries rapidly cooled, causing the project to stall, and Yoo naturally withdrew.

Although the plan was disrupted by unexpected international friction, Yoo had no intention of putting away the sword she had drawn. She gathered her three sons, including CEO Kim, and proposed brewing Korean liquor instead of Japanese sake. Although the three brothers had no prior connection to traditional liquor, they all responded positively to their mother’s suggestion and jumped into brewing. However, they could not enter the battlefield empty-handed. Being novices in traditional liquor, the brothers chose to seek learning separately. Thus, the eldest Kim Jong-min and the youngest CEO Kim Jong-han studied traditional liquor and brewing at the Korea Traditional Liquor Research Institute, while the middle brother Kim Jong-ho studied at the Korea Homebrew Research Institute, each mastering brewing in their own way.

Exterior view of Durumi Brewery

The first to take action was the middle brother, Kim Jong-ho. In 2019, he opened ‘Gureuma Brewery’ in Mapo, Seoul, and created a makgeolli (rice wine) sensation among young generations with products like ‘Meeting Place’ and ‘Love Letter.’ As a small-scale brewery, Gureuma Brewery took advantage of having no restrictions on raw materials, experimenting with various ingredients to attempt bold and innovative brewing. This free-spirited brewing approach has continued to this day, serving as fertile ground for the creation of unique liquors including Durumi Brewery’s flagship products ‘Ferris Wheel’ and ‘Hantan River Express.’

The baton from Gureuma Brewery was passed to the eldest brother Kim Jong-min’s ‘Nogumjuga.’ Opened in 2020 in Geumhak-ro, Dongsong-eup, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Province?the brothers’ home base?Nogumjuga stands at the opposite end of the spectrum from Gureuma Brewery, aiming for classic traditional liquor brewed strictly in the old-fashioned way, like ‘Iljichun.’ It insists on using only traditional nuruk (fermentation starter) rather than commercial yeast.

Following his two older brothers, the youngest CEO Kim Jong-han opened Durumi Brewery last. Named after the crane, the county bird of Cheorwon, Durumi Brewery opened in 2021 and aims to be a local brewery. CEO Kim explained, “Durumi Brewery is a friendly and comfortable brewery positioned between Gureuma Brewery and Nogumjuga. Since it is based in Cheorwon, the basic concept is to brew liquor only with Cheorwon agricultural products without any additives.”

The three brothers’ breweries are literally sibling breweries lined up under the agricultural corporation Woochang, represented by their mother Yoo In-ja. Instead of gathering under one brewery and dividing tasks, the brothers chose to establish three breweries that reflect their individual personalities. CEO Kim said, “We considered ways to specialize each of our strengths, which led to creating three breweries with different colors and concepts. Although there are three breweries, we share the basic philosophy and production facilities to pursue efficiency.”

"Alcohol Resembles an Amusement Park"... Capturing the Image of Happiness in Liquor

Durumi Brewery has its own worldview. The idea is that rather than having individual liquors fragmented and existing separately, it would be more enjoyable for both makers and drinkers if various liquors with unique characters and stories share commonalities within a large theme and create a narrative together.

This worldview is called the ‘Durumi Universe,’ themed around an amusement park. CEO Kim said alcohol resembles an amusement park. He explained, “When people think of an amusement park, they usually associate it with pleasant images like joy, happiness, memories, and cherished people. We created this worldview because we believe the liquors brewed by Durumi Brewery should be an extension of those images.”

Durumi Brewery 'Hantangang Express'

The first product in Durumi Brewery’s amusement park worldview is ‘Ferris Wheel.’ Brewed without additives using Cheorwon Odae rice and volcanic bedrock water, Ferris Wheel expresses the dreamy feeling that brewer Shin Dong-ho experienced while riding a Ferris wheel in Ireland. It features subtle melon and banana aromas. Inspired by the 12 o’clock position where the Ferris wheel reaches its peak, the alcohol content is set at 12%.

Alongside Ferris Wheel, the product leading the amusement park worldview is ‘Hantan River Express.’ Brewer So Ji-seop created Hantan River Express inspired by the amusement park’s rapid river ride, and it is also a tribute to the Hantan River flowing through Cheorwon. Unlike the sweet Ferris Wheel, it has a dry taste, and its alcohol content is also 12%.

Durumi Brewery’s liquors are all characterized by being clean and smooth. CEO Kim is sensitive to turbidity and avoids thick, heavy liquors. For this reason, Durumi Brewery insists on hand-filtering (chaeju) by brewers rather than using machines to express a soft and clean feeling. CEO Kim emphasized, “To avoid the lees crushing into the liquor and making it thick, we use cloth to squeeze the raw liquor by hand. Although it takes a long time and reduces production volume, the core of Durumi’s brewing process is to hand-press all liquors like herbal medicine to obtain the clearest liquor possible.”

Collaboration with Standing Egg... "Traditional Liquor Can Also Be Enjoyed Elegantly"

In addition to the amusement park worldview, Durumi Brewery continues various new attempts. A representative example is the takju (unfiltered rice wine) ‘Old Song,’ created in collaboration with the singer ‘Standing Egg.’ Named after Standing Egg’s song of the same title, Old Song’s bottle label is decorated with the song’s lyrics, and a QR code on the back of the label allows listeners to access a ‘playlist good for drinking’ personally curated by Standing Egg.

Durumi Brewery 'Old Song'

CEO Kim emphasized, “Alcohol and music are inseparable,” explaining the background of the collaboration with the artist. He said, “After COVID-19, with the rise of drinking at home and alone, we wanted to show that traditional liquor can also be enjoyed stylishly, with atmosphere and fun. Whether alone or with others, enjoying alcohol with curated music will surely double the pleasure of drinking.”

Durumi Brewery plans to continue releasing collaborative products and carry them as regular products rather than limited editions. Recently, following Old Song, they again partnered with Standing Egg to launch the premium yakju (refined rice wine) ‘Nongdam,’ and introduced ‘Tallong Bon’ in collaboration with the traditional liquor pairing dining bar ‘Tallong De Cheongdam.’ Besides collaborations, they plan to expand their business area soon with B2B products like the customized yakju ‘With Durumi.’