Canadian YouTuber takes viewers on brewing adventures in Korea

Kevin Grabb poses with various bottles of handmade traditional Korean alcohol at Susubori Academy. / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb

By Jon Dunbar

Kevin Grabb doesn't remember the first time he tried "makgeolli," that milky fermented Korean alcoholic drink, which maybe isn't surprising, considering how much energy he puts into making, promoting and ― of course ― drinking all types of alcohol.

But the Canadian YouTuber imagines it probably went?something like this: "It would have been me drinking a bit, making some Korean friends and then being introduced to Seoul makgeolli at a 7-Eleven," he told The Korea Times. "And then it hits, 'What on Earth is this? This isn't beer, it's not wine. It's milky, it's fizzy. I love it!'"

Soon after that, he heard there were three-hour classes on how to make makgeolli, or "mak" as he frequently calls it, and he signed up.

"I entered a blueberry basil mak into a competition at a makgeolli festival in Gapyeong years ago and the curmudgeonly head brewer from SongMyeongSeop came up and tried it and told me it was the best homebrew he'd had that day," Grabb said. "That's when I knew I must be doing something right and I've been brewing and learning ever since."

He's been brewing for six years of the nine years that he has lived in Korea, and has received a few advanced brewing certificates from Susubori Academy.

What makes makgeolli unique is what he calls its "Wild West aspect." "There are no German purity laws ― there are different styles but as long as you have rice, a fermentation starter and water, you're essentially good to go," he said.

"The individual brewers really know how to put their own stamp on their brews. I love beer, from all over the world, but it still does seem a bit stodgy to a larger degree. Makgeolli varies wildly in flavor and mouthfeel from province to province and from brewer to brewer. The unpredictability of the "nuruk" (yeast) you're using and the 'sonmat' (flavor derived from the microbial culture on the brewer's hand) really add to a fresh bottle every time, even from batch to batch from the same brewery over just a few months."

He says his makgeolli tastes are split into two opposed camps: the "purist" and the "mad scientist."

"I do love a really simple makgeolli done really well. Water, nuruk, rice. PungJeongSaGye and CheonBiHyang really do this for me. The flavors these brewers can manipulate with these three ingredients are extraordinary. I had a PJSG last weekend and the flavors over my tongue changed every three seconds, three times. It was like a roller coaster," he said, describing purist makgeolli.

"Then there's the mad scientist. These are the maks that break the convention of simplicity. I adore lotus leaf makgeollis and pine pollen ones. They're ace," he said.

As a brewer, Grabb certainly joins Team Mad Scientist, making makgeolli flavored with cherry vanilla, blueberry basil and peach rosemary. "They're not all hits, but I do like to push the limits of what can be done with mak," he said. "As long as your makgeolli stays true to natural ingredients ― no aspartame or bizarre sweeteners ― I'll champion your brews."

He recalls one makgeolli classmate who aged his makgeolli in what he thought was a clean pickle jar. "We tried it. Tasted like dill pickles. And… it wasn't bad!" he said.

He said some of his favorite makgeolli experiences have been at breweries. "At Midam, out in Hongcheon, we went out and made a day of helping filter "hangaris" (Korean clay pots) to the tune of hundreds of liters," he said. "Being in a brewery and working for a master brewer, even as a volunteer, is great. Learn and drink, no currency required."

Makgeolli is traditionally seen as a laborer's drink, consumed by farmers working in the field or by travelers walking between cities. Nowadays, it's a popular drink for mountain hikers.

Grabb also prefers drinking his makgeolli outdoors. "Not quite on a mountain ― I've worked too hard getting up there to drink warm makgeolli. But outside a brewery, surrounded by hangari and some forest, talking to other sool nerds. That's the perfect setting," he added.

"There is nothing quite like going to a divey mak jip (makgeolli house) with a few mates and a lot of hours, though. Plowing through all sorts of different bottles and ending up at a 'noraebang.'"

Kevin Grabb visits a brewery. / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb

These days, makgeolli, like other cultural sectors is enjoying increasing popularity worldwide. While he won't discount the effects of "Hallyu" on promoting makgeolli to global drinkers, he also gives credit to the craft beer revolution that started in the U.S. for changing the global perception of what beer can be ― "and dare I say, should be," he said.

"A lot of younger people simply aren't satisfied drinking Coors or Carling anymore and they're willing to fork out more money for something memorable. Pair this with the 'snobbery' that can come with wine enthusiasts and I believe there's a globalization moment where people are looking a little deeper into cultures worldwide to find a new fix to itch their alcohol curiosity. Makgeolli is slowly, but surely, coming into that sphere," he said. "It's taken off in Japan and Hong Kong and there is news all the time of people opening up mak breweries in the U.S."

He says he sees positive trends in Korean hypermarkets such as E-marts and Lotte Marts, where the selection of makgeolli varies way more than it did three or four years ago.

"I think there is a genuine curiosity from younger people about makgeolli," he said. "It'd be great if this trend of 'better and easily available' continues to spread."

Kevin Grabb has a sip of beer. / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb

Grabb started his own YouTube channel way back in 2012, which originally had what he called a "pan-Korean" theme to it, but started to focus on Korean brewing and Korean craft beer, seeing a void in the market.

"I realized that I'm drinking and brewing anyway, so I might as well use my knowledge of film, editing and mak to make something," he said.

Visit youtube.com/user/kevincgrabb or fb.com/GrabbBrewing for more information.