Reviving a Closed Brewery: Willow Brewery Turns Old Makgeolli Mill into Gangneung Craft Beer Spot
Creatrip Team
8 days ago
Willow Brewery in Gangneung repurposed a closed makgeolli (traditional Korean rice wine) brewery—originally making alcohol since 1926—into a craft beer brewery in 2015, blending Korean ingredients like rice, pine needles, iris (changpo), and chrysanthemum into beer recipes. Avoiding overexpansion, the brewery focused on beer development and local appeal, staying profitable for over a decade and becoming a must-visit for young travelers. On-site visitors can try draft beer and sampler flights (160 ml pours): a core sampler includes Minori Session (rice beer using Minori village rice), Changpo Saison (saison fermented with iris), Haslla IPA (pale ale named for old Gangneung), and Baegilhong Red Ale (red ale named for the city flower). Summer seasonal samplers feature Summer Lager, Pine City Saison (made with pine needle extract), Daegullyeong Pale Ale, and Coffee Porter. The brewery also recommends an octopus steak made with locally caught Korean octopus, served tender with a balanced spicy-butter sauce. (makgeolli: traditional Korean unfiltered rice wine)
