Hana Makgeolli MAQ8 Bubblocitea

Hana Makgeolli MAQ8 Bubblocitea is the first domestic American makgeolli to directly address the bubble tea lane, and it does so without abandoning the fundamentals of traditional Korean rice wine. Founded in Brooklyn in 2020 by Alice Jun and John Limb, Hana Makgeolli produces small-batch jeongtongju using organic California rice, traditional nuruk fermentation starter, and zero additives. The MAQ8 line packages that approach into single-serve cans, and Bubblocitea pushes the format furthest: a makgeolli built around the floral, tea-tinged sweetness of bubble tea, bottled at 8% ABV instead of the watered-down sessionable baseline most canned Korean rice wines default to. The production follows the jeongtongju model, meaning stronger and more complex than diluted versions that dominate the export market. Nuruk is the traditional Korean fermentation starter, a mixture of wheat, rice, and wild microbes that drives the conversion of starch to sugar and alcohol simultaneously. The base is organic rice from a family farm in California, fermented in Brooklyn without pasteurization or clarification, leaving the naturally cloudy, lightly effervescent character intact. No extracts, no flavorings, no stabilizers. The tea and floral notes come from infusion during or after fermentation, not from concentrate. The result tastes like a crossover that shouldn't work but does: the creamy, mildly tangy backbone of live rice wine meets the perfumed sweetness and gentle tannin of bubble tea. Light fizz, floral lift, a touch of structure from the tea, and enough residual sweetness to remind you this isn't soju or sake. It drinks bright and sessionable despite the 8% ABV, landing somewhere between a sparkling beverage and a dessert you can sip. Serve it cold, straight from the can, alongside Korean fried chicken, rice cakes, or anything with a spicy gochujang glaze. It also works as a palate reset between heavier courses or as an afternoon drink when you want something more interesting than kombucha but less committed than a cocktail. Hana Makgeolli MAQ8 Bubblocitea is available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.