[Gu Eun-mo's Sake Story] J&J Brewery, Two Become One Drink

<17> Yongin, Gyeonggi 'Julia and Juhwi's Brewery (J&J Brewery)' ①

Interest in Traditional Liquor Leads to a Brewery Named After the Couple
From Proposals and Gwahaju to Takju, Yakju, and Soju... The Charm of Korean Alcohol
Various Fermentation Agents Impart Unique Characteristics to Each Drink

I love you like an old street

Stars buzz like bees

In summer, like playing a small silver drum

I will give you rain tapping your palms

As in the past, I will not flatter in the future

Searching for the vow we made in the pure soap bubbles of childhood

I will write them all on your arms

I will return all the times I was the seeker looking for myself

I love you like an old street

Bees buzz like stars in the ear

I will drink all the bitter cups for one woman, not for humanity

Sorrow is contained in my water cup like transparent glass shards

Jin Eun-young, "Proposal"

The poet says that even if the bitter cup contains sharp sorrow like transparent glass shards, he can drink it all for one woman. Even knowing that drinking it may bring fatal pain and wounds. The poet asks to be together despite sorrow and pain because the moment and process of being together are important regardless of the outcome. When together, joy becomes our joy and sorrow becomes our sorrow.

Marriage is the rebirth of two people who lived different lives into one community of destiny, and a proposal is a resolute and courageous offer to willingly embrace both the joys and sorrows that unpredictable fate may bring. Like the poet’s vow of ‘sharing joys and sorrows (同苦同樂)’, there is a brewery created by two people together. It is ‘Julia and Juhui’s Brewery’ in Yongin, Gyeonggi.

Desire for Good Alcohol... Leading to Brewery Establishment

There wasn’t a grand plan. Juhui Lee, who worked at a foreign pharmaceutical company in Seoul, resigned perhaps because he was a bit tired. It might have been boredom or conflict that anyone who has worked for years might have felt. Whatever the exact reason, he wanted to take a break and have some time.

While spending his own time, his attention shifted to Korean traditional alcohol. Although he enjoyed drinking, he was not interested enough to brew it himself. But as if led by fate, he enrolled in a Makgeolli school, and there he encountered premium traditional liquors, deepening his passion for Korean alcohol. He recalled, “I was amazed that such high-quality alcohol existed in Korea, and I wanted to experience it in various ways.” He became more immersed. He searched for liquors mentioned in old documents and traveled to local breweries, and visited places like the Korea Traditional Liquor Research Institute to build theoretical foundations.

What started as a hobby grew into a strong desire for good alcohol. Initially, the alcohol was unimpressive, but through continuous research and experimentation, the quality improved day by day. Positive feedback from others motivated him further. Eventually, he decided to make his own alcohol. He reflected, “Looking back, it was a somewhat reckless decision, but I really wanted to make good alcohol. Above all, I wanted to live doing what I wanted.”

The fermentation tanks inside the J&J Brewery brewing room where the alcohol is fermenting.

When he was preparing a workshop and planning the business, a new door opened. It was meeting his current wife, Kyungmi Bae. Bae, who had moved to the U.S. as a high school student and majored in piano and architectural interior design, had recently returned to Korea after over 20 years in the U.S. They first met at a horseback riding club they both attended as a hobby. Bae recalled, “At first, he looked like a man who might come out of the mountains, brewing alcohol every day, but at some point, I fell for him and we ended up getting married,” she laughed.

As one became two, the business gained momentum. In 2019, they obtained a liquor manufacturing license and officially started operating their brewery. They named it ‘Julia and Juhui’s Brewery’ or ‘J&J Brewery,’ combining the wife’s English name Julia and the husband’s name Juhui’s initials. Juhui Lee, vice president of J&J Brewery, explained, “Brewery might be unfamiliar to Koreans, but it literally means a place where alcohol is brewed. Although it is Korean alcohol, we wanted to show that it’s not just for Koreans but also for foreigners to enjoy, so we chose the name Brewery.”

Exterior of J&J Brewery in Yongin, Gyeonggi

Proposal, Two Liquors Combined to Become One

The ‘Proposal’ series was the first product J&J Brewery introduced to the world. The beginning of Proposal dates back to 2017 when Vice President Lee applied for the ‘Liquor Artisan Training Course’ hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by the Hansik Foundation. The course required submitting a finished product, and the liquor he made then was Gwaha-ju. Gwaha-ju (過夏酒) means ‘liquor that passes the summer’ and is made by adding distilled soju to fermented liquor and fermenting and aging it again to increase alcohol content. Because it has a higher alcohol content than regular fermented liquor, it does not spoil even in the hot summer, allowing it to be stored and enjoyed for a long time.

Vice President Lee was drawn to Gwaha-ju because it symbolized the combination of two different liquors, cheongju and soju, to create a new liquor. He said, “I liked the meaning that two different liquors meet to create a better new liquor. I thought it was connected to the idea of two people with different personalities meeting, loving, marrying, and becoming one.”

J&J Brewery Fruit Wine 'Cheonghon Gold'

The Gwaha-ju named Proposal later gained the suffix ‘Gold’ when the brewery started operating. Vice President Lee said, “When we opened the brewery, I thought we should present our basic Korean liquors?takju, yakju, and soju?under the name Proposal. We expressed their characteristics through colors.” Currently, the Proposal series consists of four types: Gwaha-ju ‘Proposal Gold,’ takju ‘Proposal White,’ yakju ‘Proposal Blue,’ and distilled soju ‘Proposal Red.’

Although the four Proposal liquors are known as siblings, they are not actually from the same parents. Each of the four liquors is brewed separately using different yeast. Most breweries brew one mother liquor to make makgeolli, yakju, and distilled soju, meaning siblings from the same batch. But J&J Brewery uses different fermenting agents for each liquor.

Using different fermenting agents naturally requires different fermentation conditions and more careful management. Despite this effort, they brew each liquor separately because, according to Vice President Lee, to properly bring out the desired characteristics of each liquor, it is necessary to use the appropriate fermenting agent and manage fermentation accordingly. He calmly explained, “Brewing is something that can be applied diversely through fermentation. I learned how to change the character of liquor by using different fermenting agents in beer brewing, and I am applying that to actual brewing.”

Although brewed separately, these liquors share a common character and direction. J&J Brewery pursues clean and light liquor. Vice President Lee said, “We make it less sweet by controlling sweetness. Traditional liquors are often distributed with emphasized sweetness, but we try to balance acidity and sweetness.” They also pay attention to harmony with food. He said, “We want our liquor to blend well with food. We make sure to bring out enough aroma so it can be enjoyed pleasantly in the glass, and we plan to continue brewing in this way.”