Rainbrew

Woodinville’s Rainbrew Is One of the Country’s Only Makgeolli Tasting Rooms | Eater Seattle

"Tucked behind a hardware store in a nondescript Woodinville warehouse park, this spot bills itself as the Pacific Northwest’s first Korean rice wine brewery and only the second makgeolli tasting room in the country. Makgeolli is explained here as a brewed, unfiltered Korean rice alcohol traditionally made of steamed rice, water, and nuruk, a mix of enzymes, yeasts, and bacteria that kick-start fermentation; it’s traditionally unpasteurized (making it difficult to import), and described as bright and usually dry, with a creamy, cooling texture and yogurty acidity — in artisanal styles you can get notes like green apple, Asian pear, white flowers, pine nuts, and a pleasant bitterness. Founded in 2021 and run by three family members — Peter Jung, his sister Sophia, and their mom Jooyun — the family, in Seattle for three generations, chose a simple, traditional ingredient approach so their beverages remain dynamic and unpasteurized, “making them a perfect introduction to the style.” The team uses the word makgeolli loosely for the entire rice-wine category, following the lead of Hana Makgeolli in Brooklyn. The tasting room interior is warm and chic, lined with wood panels, custom ceramics, and touches of greenery; as Sophia puts it, “We wanted to go with a design that wasn’t too overtly Korean/Asian but still paid homage to our Korean culture,” and “Since we are in a warehouse space, we wanted to make sure our space was still warm and inviting.” Their custom ceramics were made by Chui Chui (a ceramicist based in Korea); Jooyun met with the designer over the course of six months to develop their cups, which feature the brewery’s logo. The bar pours the full line of sool, including an exclusive naturally carbonated sparkling makgeolli that the team hasn’t figured out how to bottle yet, so for now a visit to Woodinville is the only way to taste it; they also offer makgeolli-based cocktails (notably a play on a Moscow mule with homemade ginger syrup) and sell bottles in a bottle shop. The food menu highlights anju — “The rule of thumb [for pairing food with makgeolli] is any combination of spicy, fried, and seafood,” Sophia says — and includes both traditional Korean dishes and mash-ups like a kimchi quesadilla; the team also recommends pairing the rice wines with Thai, Mexican (think horchata), or Ethiopian cuisines. Peter acknowledges a market challenge — “I think a challenge is that there is no market for it, really, outside of Koreans” — but sees opportunity: “We can reinvent it in America, and part of that is we can explain it how we want to, especially this idea about freshness and locality.” Local bar managers are enthusiastic: “Most guests are completely unfamiliar with makgeolli. I love introducing guests to it [as] one of the oldest fermented beverages on the planet,” says Kary Calabrese of Joule, who also notes the health angle: “What a win, right? Here’s a beverage that is super healthy and with alcohol. When I talk to my guests about it that way, they are all in.” The tasting room is open Friday 5–10 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 3–8 p.m., no reservations required, with a 21+ bar area and an all-ages general dining area." - Asher Beebe-Tron