Sparkling Chestnut Dongdong

Description

The chestnut (albam) entry in Urisul Brewery's sparkling dongdongju lineup adds chestnut concentrate and chestnut extract to the familiar rice-and-ipguk base, creating a makgeolli with distinctly autumnal warmth. The aroma opens with steamed chestnuts and a faint brown-sugar sweetness, closer to marron glacé than raw nut. On the palate at 6% ABV, the body is creamy and rounded, with chestnut contributing a mellow nuttiness that sits between the corn version's savory grain and the sweet potato version's roasted density. The sweetness is gentle and lingering, finishing with a soft, slightly powdery chestnut-flour quality. Carbonation keeps each sip from becoming too rich, adding a pleasant textural contrast. This is a comfort-drink bottle — best when you want warmth and softness without high alcohol. Compared to pine-nut makgeolli (like Gapyeong Jas), chestnut reads sweeter and less oily, leaning dessert rather than savory. Serve at 5-8°C with hotteok (sweet pancakes) for a seasonal dessert pairing, or with braised dakdoritang chicken where the chestnut sweetness echoes the chestnuts traditionally added to the stew.

Ingredients

Rice, Purified Water, Nuruk (Steamed Grain), 밤 농축액, 밤 추출물 등

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings