Discover Makgeolli: Inside Seoul's Hidden Urban Brewery

Great little review of how Makgeolli is made and the custom stuff they are making here is delicious, I really want to go back to try the tart cherry again, so unique and delicious.

Outstanding tasting with a patient, passionate host this is not supermarket makgeolli I booked Discover Makgeolli: Inside Seoul’s Hidden Urban Brewery at Chowol Our host, was knowledgeable and had a great personality. He poured generously and explained, right in front of us, how Chowol is made and why it is different from almost anything sold commercially. He took the time to answer every question and showed real patience. The snack pairings were thoughtful, well presented, and served with care.

This was an amazing experience! I'm so glad I had the chance to do this with family. He was so sweet, thoughtful, and patient in explaining the brewing and how the process of his makgeolli was made. Totally different from what you'll find in a restaurant. It was a cozy space and he had snacks to be paired with the makgeolli. Absolutely amazing and delicious that I had to purchase 2 bottles ❤ great experience and would definitely come back if I get the chance to travel back to Korea ❤! Totally recommend if you enjoy makgeolli or want to try it !

We loved this cute artisan brewery, hidden among the high rises. Not the easiest place to find but a little haven once we reached. My friend and I were the only guests: we were welcomed by the assistant to the master brewer, she did the tasting but he was there as well, busy with his craft at 40C. After the tasting we were given the chance to have a brief encounter with him a- he was inside the brewery, we were behind the glass. He communicated with us with gestures and smiled profusely and even handed out an extra shot for us to taste directly from the cask. The place was quirky, and lots of care was given to the small details. The female assistant was great at explaining the whole brewing process and the different offerings. We learnt a bit about the K traditional drinks culture; overall a lovely experience.

I was so excited to find this place! Craft makgeolli is rare to find and this place was great! The atmosphere was very comfortable and welcoming! The host host was very nice and gave great explanations of making makgeolli and introducing his unique and delicious makgeollis :) Great conversation and drinks. I'll definitely come back to purchase more :)

This was a wonderful experience! A perfect mix of culture, conversation, and tasting, all in a little Zen-like oasis of calm in downtown Seoul. Quality products. Highly recommended.

Mr Choi loves his craft and it shows in every detail from the quality and taste of the makgeolli to the nice design of the bottles to the cozy and cool atmosphere. A interesting experience to have when you’re in Seoul.

Really cool experience and a great introduction to premium Korean makgeolli! The tasting was relaxed, interesting, and very well explained without feeling too formal. You can tell a lot of care goes into both the brewing and the presentation. Definitely recommend this if you want a unique way to experience Korean culture.

Chowol was one of the highlights of my trip to Seoul. That was our second visit because the craft makgeolli was simply outstanding. The owner is incredibly talented, creative, and welcoming; he takes the time to explain the ingredients, brewing process, and flavor differences behind each variety. Every makgeolli we tried was unique and consistently impressive, which made us return a few days later to buy bottles to take home. The atmosphere felt warm and authentic, making the experience even more memorable. I will definitely return whenever I’m in Seoul and highly recommend Chowol Brewery to anyone wanting exceptional craft makgeolli.

Very nice experience. We learned so much about rice wine. I recommend this experience. A young host with a big passion to continue an old Korean tradition and bring it to higher levels. Good luck and thank you for your time.

Boutique makgeolli brewery with 3 different types. Run by the quiet but charming Mojo. A short tasting experience with little snacks matched to each tasting. A little hard to find, tucked in a basement leaflet but good directions from Mojo. Well worth it

This was a cozy, wonderful experience! The rice wine was delicious and unique. This business is a one-man-show, which made everything that much more impressive. He was kind and friendly. I will definitely be going back in the spring when he releases the tart cherry edition!

Very informative and interesting. The Makgeolli is fantastic. His English is very good and easily understandable for those that don't speak Korean.

What a fun an interesting overview. Moeshe(sp?) shared information about the process to make each of the wines or magkeolli. Everything is fresh and no preservatives. It was delicious. The hand made pottery cups for tasting were beautiful. The host spoke great English and even gave us a dinner suggestion.

Small businesses, big hearts ❤️ I wasn’t expecting much from my visit to this brewery but it really impressed me. Despite arriving late to our tour because of wrong drop off, the owner was very understanding and friendly. He explained to us so perfectly the brewing process and you can literally feel the love he has to his craft Makgeolli and quite rightly so! The taste is so clean and exquisite, a lot of patience and hard work invested into it. We obviously had to bring some of his gem back with us and I recommend anyone visiting Seoul to drop by and have a taste of this excellent Makgeolli. I have no doubt in its potential to expand globally. All the best! Lara

The place is so cozy and the experience well worth it ! Our host explained the brewing process and we got to try different kinds of craft Makgeolli which is a whole different league compared to store bought ones. Obviously couldn’t leave without taking some home :) very chill experience, the time slot was perfect, very reasonable fee… highly recommended!

I really enjoyed the tasting section of these handmade magkeolli. I did try 6.9 in a magkeolli bar and really liked it. When I found out there was the opportunity to taste additional products from the same brewery I sign-up for the session. Big thank you to the owner who explained me this is a pure natural magkeolli and helped me enjoyed it with pairing it with snacks.

We had a really interesting introduction to makgeolli. Our host explained the history and brewing process in a clear and engaging way, and happily answered all our questions. We got to try three different types of makgeolli, each with its own flavour and fermentation time, paired with snacks that brought out their unique tastes. Moju was a friendly and passionate host, and you could really feel his love for brewing. Finding the place took a little effort since it’s in the basement of a building, but the posters and signs for the brewery experience made it easy enough to spot in the end. Overall, it was a fun and authentic experience that I’d definitely recommend!

Was really good! Bought some to take it back home! Would definitely recommend people who love alcohol

A highly recommended tasting in a set of four persons. Our guide was telling the stories abot rice wine and we got to taste three different wines together with some small pieces of food to enable a good pairing.