JK Craft

제이케이크래프트

Craft brewery in Busan's Dongnae district, producing the Gidarim (Waiting) series of clear and traditional liquors.

Region: Busan
Address: 부산광역시 동래구 사직북로48번길 34
Website: gidarim.co.kr/

Products (5)

Korean Fruit Wine

Gidarim 34

기다림 34

JK Craft in Busan's Dongnae district ferments domestic non-glutinous and glutinous rice with traditional grain starter (gokja) to create this 12% fruit-forward style. The aroma surprises with tropical lychee and pear blossom over a base of warm rice porridge. On the palate, a satiny body carries flavors of ripe Asian pear and a whisper of honey, finishing with gentle tannic grip and a floral lilt. The fruit character emerges naturally from the dual-rice fermentation rather than added fruit. Serve at 10-14°C, slightly below cellar temperature. Pairs elegantly with aged Gouda or Brie where rice sweetness echoes dairy cream, or with hwajeon flower rice cakes as a traditional Korean tea-time pairing.

Lychee and pear blossom aromaRipe Asian pear sweetnessSatiny medium body

aged Gouda or soft Brie cheesehwajeon flower rice cakes

12% ABV500ml

Gidarim 34 — Korean Fruit Wine, from Busan, 12%

Korean Traditional Drink

Gidarim 25

기다림 25

The table-friendly sibling from JK Craft in Busan, Gidarim 25 uses Korean white rice and glutinous rice with traditional gokja starter at a gentler 8% ABV. The nose presents warm barley tea and steamed rice with a subtle floral lift. On the palate, the texture is rounded and medium-weight, with clean grain sweetness that avoids heaviness. A quiet savory note emerges mid-palate, and the finish is smooth with a faint toasted-sesame warmth. Serve at 10-12°C. Excellent with galbi-gui where the balanced body supports smoky char without competing, or banchan-heavy spreads where its neutrality ties diverse flavors together.

Warm barley tea aromaRounded medium bodyClean grain sweetness

charcoal-grilled galbi-guiassorted banchan spread with namul

8% ABV750ml

Gidarim 25 — Korean Traditional Drink, from Busan, 8%

Korean Fruit Wine

Gidarim 16

기다림 16

The most visually striking of JK Craft's Busan lineup, Gidarim 16 uses Korean black rice alongside glutinous rice and gokja starter to produce a jewel-toned purple-crimson brew at 9% ABV. The aroma evokes mulberry jam, dark cherry, and toasted rice with earthy depth from the black rice hull anthocyanins. On the palate, the body is plush and slightly viscous, with layered flavors of boysenberry, dark chocolate bitterness, and sweet rice. The finish is long, lightly tannic, and tinged with dried cranberry. Serve at 10-14°C. Outstanding with blue cheese where the berry-fruit intensity stands up to pungent funk, or dark chocolate truffles for a luxurious dessert pairing.

Mulberry jam and dark cherryBlack rice anthocyanin earthinessBoysenberry and dark chocolate layers

pungent blue cheese with honey drizzledark chocolate truffles

9% ABV750ml

Gidarim 16 — Korean Fruit Wine, from Busan, 9%

Korean Makgeolli

Dongnae Adeul

동래아들

Dongnae Adeul from Busan takes its name from Dongnae-gu, one of Busan's oldest neighborhoods known for its hot springs and deep local food culture. The grain bill mixes glutinous rice (chapssal) with regular rice (maepssal), then ferments them with wheat nuruk — a combination that produces a notably thicker, stickier body than rice-only makgeolli. The glutinous rice adds a chewy, almost taffy-like sweetness to the texture, while the regular rice keeps the overall profile from becoming too dense. Wheat nuruk contributes a warm, bready fermentation note in the background. At 6%, the drinkability is high, but the mouthfeel delivers more weight than the ABV suggests. The aroma is soft grain and freshly steamed mochi with a barely-there yogurt tang. This is neighborhood-pub makgeolli — the kind shared over a platter of Dongnae pajeon, Busan's famous thick scallion pancake layered with seafood. It also pairs well with ssiat hotteok (seed-filled sweet pancakes) as a local snack-and-drink combination, or with spicy dwaeji gukbap, Busan's signature pork bone soup.

Mochi-stickyBready

Korean pancakes (jeon)fried chicken

6% ABV750ml

Dongnae Adeul — Korean Makgeolli, from Busan, 6%

Korean Cheongju

Gidarim Clear Wine

기다림 맑은술

JK Craft Brewery in Busan applies a patient approach to this 15% clear rice wine, fermenting domestic non-glutinous and glutinous rice with traditional nuruk (listed as 'gokja'). The name 'Gidarim' (waiting) implies extended fermentation or aging, and the palate confirms it: a composed, layered body with toasted sesame, aged grain, and a faint umami depth that quick-fermented yakju rarely achieves. The nose carries warm nutty notes with a whisper of soy sauce from the long fermentation. On the palate at 15%, the body is medium-full, and the finish extends with a savory tail that makes this an exceptional food wine. Try it alongside jangeo-gui (grilled eel) basted with soy-based sauce, where the drink's own savory depth creates a deep echo, or with chadolbagi-doenjang where the thin-sliced brisket and fermented bean paste dip meet the nutty, patient grain character.

Toasted sesameAged grainSoy sauce whisper

jangeo-gui (grilled eel)chadolbagi with doenjang dip

15% ABV500ml

Gidarim Clear Wine — Korean Cheongju, from Busan, 15%