24 hour alcohol. Yes, it’s possible. In fact, it is not uncommon for basic wines made in tropical places from sweet saps like palm sap, sugar cane juice, or coconut sap to be prepared in the morning and consumed by nightfall. The high sugar content of these juices in the total absence of refrigeration makes voracious yeast feel at home quickly. More complex starches, however, need to be broken down before fermentation can begin. Things like grain and rice need to go through saccharification before they can ferment. Even so, now you can make alcohol in a day from rice powder. Just add water! Modernity waits for no one and nothing, not even makgeolli, the oldest of Korea’s many alcoholic beverages.
Traditionally, makgeolli (mahk-ah-li) ferments for 10-15 days. It is simply made by combining steamed rice with nuruk, which is ground wheat or rice flour mixed with molds and yeasts and then pressed into rings and left to age for several weeks. The steamed rice provides starches and water, while the nuruk supplies the microbial fermenters. As the microbes eat away at the softened rice, layers of liquid and dregs form known respectively as cheongju and dongdongju (Jun Yoo 109). The dregs, which are cloudy with rice particulate, can later be pressed to remove solids, creating the liquid that we know as milky makgeolli.
Koreans have been brewing makgeolli since just before the common era during their 3 Kingdom Period. By the Middle ages (Goryeo period) Koreans were beginning to create nuanced beverages and experimenting with a variety of fermentations; makgeolli was commonplace by then. When Mongolians arrived around 1200, soju emerged as the horsemen brought knowledge of distillation (Jun Yoo 109). Simple fermented rice wine persisted, but privileged classes drank only the clear cheongju while the rice-ridden dregs became known as nong ju or “farmer’s drink.”
Virtually every household in Korea brewed its own unique makgeolli, inoculating the nuruk with different herbs and medicinal plants to create unique flavors (Shin-Jae, 51). Such alcoholic beverages were commonly consumed at important events like weddings and funerals. In a great cultural shift, this country of fermenters, following a nearly 2,000 year old tradition, abruptly stopped in 1905 when Japan invaded. The conquering government shuttered home breweries, and at least 122,000 home breweries became illegal overnight (Jun Yoo, 109). Over the next 90 years, brewing was largely illegal. Various government policies encouraged wheat consumption and even outright banning rice consumption. The substitution of wheat in traditional recipes changed the flavor makgeolli. As the flavor soured due to wheat, so did the attitude of makgeolli drinkers.
But makgeolli is not only a lightly inebriating beverage, it is also a healthful and even medicinal draught. The drink is typically 6-8% alcohol by volume but contains many other nutrients and vitamins thanks to the rice and nuruk that go into it. A drinker can get 10% fiber, vitamins A & B, and a healthy population of bacteria and yeast along with their daily tipple. This salubrious property, along with its smooth, milky finish, saved makgeolli from the backwaters of Korean alcohol consumption. Ironically, it was Japanese consumers who catalyzed the re-authentication of the Korean beverage their government once banned, as modern consumers sought healthy and traditional drinks.
Simply whisk the packet of powder with one liter of water and leave it in an open jug for 24-48 hours. Then enjoy!
Since the early 2000s, 100% rice makgeolli has made an impressive comeback. Companies market the health benefits to Japanese consumers, specifically women, and the Korean government has moved to regulate and market the national brew. Now, traditional Korean pubs have to shove elbows with swanky makgeolli bars that sell craft bottles for prices that would baffle Syngman Rhee. After 100 years, makgeolli is once again on the move—which brings us to a powder that ferments in just 24 hours.
Korean brands have been eager to cash in on the makgeolli boom. One result of this has been a dehydrated makgeolli powder that can be rehydrated with water and consumed within days. One version states that the purchaser wait only 24 hours before the beverage is ready to consume. While store bought makgeolli is decidedly less starchy and tastier, the novelty of brewing near instant rice wine at home presents a fun boozy experiment.
Jun Yoo, Theodore. “Shaken or Stirred? Recreating Makgeolli for the Twenty-First Century.” Encounters Old and New in World History, University of Hawaii Press, 2017. https://doi-org.proxy1.library.jhu.edu/10.1515/9780824866129-010
Nile, Shivraj Hariram. “The Nutritional, Biochemical and Health Effects of Makgeolli – a Traditional Korean Fermented Cereal Beverage.” Journal of the Institute of Brewing, vol. 121, no. 4, 2015, pp. 457–463., doi:10.1002/jib.264.
Shin-jae, Kang. “Striving to Upgrade Makgeolli.” KOREAN CULTURE & ARTS, 1 Dec. 2020, pp. 50–53.
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