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What do Koreans drink? The answer to that question could take hours, but Korea’s most beloved alcoholic drinks are ‘Soju’, a distilled spirit, and ‘Makgeolli’, a brewed rice wine. These days it’s rare to find true artisan brewers and distillers, as most ‘Soju’ and ‘Makgeolli’ is produced in large factories. Let us introduce you to some modern master artisans who brew and distill according to the time-honored (and time-consuming) methods. This tour involves learning about the entire process of turning rice into ‘Soju’, followed by a homemade Korean traditional dinner washed down with bowls of ‘Makgeolli’.
Tour Information
Length: 2.5~3 hours
Type: walking, eating & drinking
Food samples: artisan Soju(distilled alcohol), Makeolli (brewed rice wine) and yakju(brewed clear rice wine), seafood, pork, vegetables, tofu, and fermented sauce.
Suggested items: comfortable walking shoes, bottled water, an umbrella, camera.
Meet-Up Place: Anguk Station, exit 1 (Subway Line 3)
Price: USD 140.00.00 (Need at least 2 person minimum, age over 20, price includes VAT) Meet-Up Time: 5:30 pm
The tour runs: Wednesday to Sunday (please reserve at least 2 days before)
* This tour is the most popular tour of Gastro Tour Seoul
EdSteane– :
“Very interesting tour with above-and-beyond service”
I booked a tour a few weeks ago with Veronica during a brief two day stopover in Seoul. Unfortunately my taxi got caught in traffic (the annual pride march) and I was running so late that we weren’t able to meet up.
Veronica was super helpful and sympathetic to my mistake – she ended up running a separate special-edition tour just for me. I learnt a lot about traditional Korean gastronomy and culture, all while having a great time (and spilling moreish brown sugar pancake all over myself).
Highly recommend as a great way to experience a different side of Seoul. A must-do Korean activity.
ps. don’t trust traffic predictions on apple maps in Korea – use the subway instead! 🙂
lissashoff– :
“Unique experience”
My husband and I took the traditional brewery tour and absolutely loved it. It was such a unique experience getting to go into the brew master’s workshop and try some truly one of a kind liquors (we learned a lot too!) Dinner after was also fantastic… highly recommend!
NZ-AJ– :
Ulsan, South Korea
“A ‘Behind the Scenes’ look into Korean traditional liquors and brew culture”
Veronica is a fun guide. It was fascinating wandering the streets of the Bukchon Hanok Village and learning a bit about it’s history and some of the craft classes you can take there (we went back the next day to check some out!). Veronica also pointed out several restaurants of interest as we wandered around. It was an honor to meet the Master Brewer, he was so humble and gracious in teaching us about the process of making and distilling soju. I definitely gained an appreciation for traditional Korean liquors as well as the home brewing culture in Korea. You get to sample quite a lot of some pretty serious liquors, so be prepared!
Our second stop was at a traditional Korean restaurant to sample homemade Makgeolli and a full Korean dinner. The food was amazing and plentiful. Each dish was interesting and tasty, but the fish was especially good. Veronica was able to explain everything to us and translated the owners description of his home brewed Makgeolli.
It was a great night out!
AlvinWoo– :
“A must-do Tour!!”
We participated in the tour on 10 December 2018. As it turned out, my wife and I were the only ones on the tour so we got the personal attention from Veronica.
Though we have visited Korea many times, this was the first time for us on such a tour. It was very informative and we learnt a lot from Veronica. Only unfortunate thing was that we did not get to meet the Master Brewer. However, his apprentice was awesome.
Before the tour, soju to me was just the normal bottles we can get from convenience stores. After the tour, we have developed a deeper appreciation for soju. The one with 71% alcohol content was amazing.
Dinner was delicious and somehow the bean paste stew tasted different from the rest we have tasted before.
Cindy C– :
“Unique Experience of Seoul”
If you are interested in taking a deeper dive and learn about Korean culture and food, this is the tour to take. We learn that artisan soju made by the real master in small batches, unlike the ones mass produced and sold in cheap plastic bottles, can have such variety with real complex taste. The brewing skill and recipe passed down for generations is being carefully preserved and revived.
And the best part of this tour is meeting Veronica. You can feel she is genuinely passionate about her own culture and the city itself. We are so lucky finding her tour and have a wonderful evening out in Seoul.
Charmaine M– :
“Great night out!”
Highly recommend the Brew tour. Veronica was a wonderful guide!.
We learned alot about traditional Korean liquors and got to try some really great liquors. then we went to a traditional Korean restaurant to sample homemade makgeolli and a full Korean dinner. Really great food and a great night out!
joe z– :
“Korean booze “workshop” and dinner”
This tour was led by Veronica who is very knowledgeable of the area having grown up in Korea but also lived outside Korea. Veronica still led the tour with just 2 people. After meeting at the subway stop ( FYI, gate #1 is on the street not in the subway tunnel). Involves walking and the hills of Seoul. The first part is the Korean booze tasting. Plenty of different samples to try. However, the high alcohol types soju are not for me, taste like grappa. Still entertaining, even met the master brewer. The workshop manager explained in Korean and Veronica translated. Even did some chemistry and distilled some soju. Then off to dinner at a kinda hidden place. There was so much food. Now the makgeolli was good. Rice wine kinda, served cold. Veronica explained everything and the neighborhood. And living in South Korea. Small spaces, extra people, high property costs. Oh yeah don’t forget the neighbor to the north.
smenne– :
Brew master tour
On a sunny afternoon we walked through the beautiful traditional part of Seoul before visiting a Soju and Magolli brewery. It was very interesting and surprising how different those drinks are from the cheap industralised versions.
The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. We finished the day in a informal traditional pub food and drink.
It was a very good experience of Korean culture from the inside.
HSS09– :
“Amazing artisan home-brewed soju and makgeolli tour”
I had the pleasure of taking Gastro Tour Seoul’s Brew Master Tour with Veronica. We first visited Taek Sang Kim, a 10th generation brew master of traditional Korean liquor. We learned the brewing and distillation process and sampled different types of his “rice wine”. Korea, or to be more specific, Seoul, is an extremely fast-paced, exciting, and trendy place. However, I love how Master Kim explained that taking time with love and dedication as well as using quality ingredients is key to brewing. And this can be experienced by tasting his alcohol. I’m a devoted fan of whiskey, and now a big fan of artisan home-brewed soju.
The second part of the tour was a wonderful lunch at Jeongchul Park’s restaurant. We got to sample his home-brewed makgeolli along with traditional Korean dishes. Throughout the tour, Veronica was an amazing guide. She has a wide and deep knowledge of the culinary culture of Korea. Walking around Bukcheon Hanok Village and Samcheong-dong with her was very interesting and informative.
I highly recommend this tour to people visiting Seoul as well as to people working and living here!
Richard W– :
“Delicious, educational… and alcohol
Although I’ve lived in Seoul for a few years and enjoy the Samcheong-dong area, Gastro Tour Seoul showed me a layer of the neighbourhood – and Korean culture – I hadn’t seen before. The tour guide’s explanation of small but complex facets of traditional Korean culture was really interesting, and the food on the tour was great (I’ve never eaten 2-year aged kimchi before).
For me, the real highlight of the Brew Master Tour was, obviously, the brew master and his soju. I’m not a fan of cheap, regaulr soju, but I love traditional Korean alcohol, and this was an education. The brew master (actually distiller I guess but he brews and distils) is literally making soju and makgeolii (kind of a cloudy rice wine) in his house as he explains it to you. And his soju tastes fantastic. We tried sojus of various strengths, and they varied from smooth and fresh to whiskey-like in complexity (though it’s a very different taste).
For fans of alcohol or people who want to learn more about Korean traditions in general, I thoroughly recommend the tour.