JS Brewery Celebrates Ancient Art Of Makgeolli At Columbia Location

COLUMBIA, MD — As the one-year anniversary approaches for JS Brewery in Howard County, its founders hope more guests check out the business that is one of only a handful of licensed makgeolli breweries located across the entire country.

A family business, JS Brewery specializes in makgeolli, which has a robust history dating back 2,000 years.

"We brew traditionally and sell our makgeolli unpasteurized," co-founder Rajiv Aggarwal told Patch.

Aggarwal opened the business with co-founder and wife Jung-sun Cho in August of 2025.

"We couldn’t find good makgeolli when we met in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2020. Thus began a multi-year journey of homebrewing and exploration into U.S. brewing regulations. After a false start in Michigan, we moved to Seoul where we researched various makgeolli breweries, took classes to further our knowledge and participated in local events," Aggarwal said.

After the family returned to the U.S. and claimed Maryland as home, they decided to open JS Brewery. Their daughter, Gayeon Kim, is their resident artist who designs, paints murals and decorates the brewery.

"Our focus is on the culture surrounding traditional makgeolli. Makgeolli has a 2,000-year history and reflects Korean culture and society. Tracing the history of makgeolli offers unique insight into not only the past but also the present. We don't sell alcohol. Our mission is to share a piece of Korean culture with every visitor," he said.

Both Jung-sun and Rajiv studied traditional makgeolli brewing in Seoul, South Korea, and are certified makgeolli brewers. Traditional makgeolli is made with three ingredients: rice, water and nuruk, they explained.

Nuruk is a traditional fermentation starter made in Korea that contains wild molds with the essential enzymes for fermentation. We follow this tradition. All our products use only these three ingredients. Additionally, we don't pasteurize so each bottle contains live probiotics. Finally, we don't add chemicals, colors, or sugars," Aggarwal said.

Makgeolli can range from tart to sweet, appearing milky, bubbly and acidic.

"We brew a few different kinds of makgeolli which range from traditional Nongju (농주), made by farmers to Yakju (약주), the drink of royalty," Aggarwal told Patch.

But makgeolli isn't the only popular beverage patrons are enjoying when they stop by the brewery.

"Korean Sool, an alcohol, is rising in popularity in the U.S., along with K-pop, K-dramas and K-food. Our goal is to help people understand Korean culture, history and art. We host a couple of events each month dedicated to lesser known Korean events," Aggarwal said.

"We have been involved with a few events with the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. Additionally, we spoke about makgeolli at the Smithsonian Museum in late January 2026. We are honored to be recognized for our role in educating the local area about makgeolli, its history and its cultural heritage," Aggarwal added.

Even though JS Brewery is located in Howard County, their success has made its way back to Korea. They were visited by a famous Korean actress when she was in the U.S. last fall.

"When people walk in the door we typically yell 'eoseo oseyo' (어서 오세요) which means 'welcome' in Korean. It is the same in Korea when you visit a small restaurant or cafe," Aggarwal said.

As a tribute to their Korean heritage, JS Brewery doesn't collect taxes, tips or fees.

"So the price of our products is the price on your credit card charge. This is similar to how businesses operate in Korea where tipping is generally not accepted and fees, taxes, etc. are built into the price," Aggarwal told Patch.

Anyone interested in learning more about makgeolli can take a hands-on brewing class offered at JS Brewery.

"Additionally, we have events for almost every Korean holiday, historical event or observance. For example, on Valentine's Day in Korea, it is typical for women to give chocolates to men. March 14 (White Day) is when men give candy to women. The 14th of every month is some kind of couple day. April 14 is the exception being Single's Day (Black Day). We love sharing these insights about Korean culture with every visitor," Aggarwal said.

Interestingly, the co-founders of JS Brewery have impressive backgrounds. They aren't restauranteurs, for example, but rather scientists.

Cho earned a doctoral degree in biomedical science from Korea University and worked as a research professor in the BK21 program at Korea University Hospital, then as a research scientist at the University of Michigan. Cho also is a neuroscience doctoral candidate at Seoul National University.

Aggarwal has a bachelor's and master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and served as a director of software engineering at Samsung and Coupang.