Air Date: November 4 – December 10, 2024

Episodes: 12

Where to Watch: Viki

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Starring: Kim Se Jeong and Lee Jong Won

A former special forces soldier has become a successful team leader for a major alcohol distribution company.  So she is broken-hearted to learn that the company plans to shut down their Busan branch.  Now her only chance to save her team is to recruit a reclusive master brewer who is more concerned with his peaceful country lifestyle than the succes of a major contract.  And convincing him to join the company is only half the battle.  She will also have to juggle the profit based motivations of her employer with the artistic pride of the talented brewer if they are going to produce a beverage that satisfies both sides.

Chae Yong Ju served in the military as a special forces soldier before settling down to support her ailing grandmother while working for the alcohol distribution company Jisang Liquor.  She has worked hard to establish her reputation as a star employee and team manager.  So she and her co-workers are devastated to learn that the main office intends to close their small branch for good. But there is still hope.  Yong Ju is promised that if she can manage to recruit the small town brew master responsible for creating Naro Beer to their company, they will let her keep her branch open.  

Unfortunately, a trip to the countryside shows her that this will not be an easy assignment.  The quiet, introvert crafter is not at all interested in her offer or the fame their big name company could give him.  But Yong Ju is never one to give up easily.  And as the unlikely pair begin working together, they find that they have more in common than they may have initially thought.  

Chae Yong Ju is cheerful and optimistic.  She is known for her fierce loyalty to her company and her determined attitude toward her job.  But under the surface, she hides the scars of guilt for letting down the person in her life who means the most to her; her grandmother, who raised her. When she meets Min Ju, she begins to understand that she needs to forgive herself if she is ever going to be happy.  And slowly she begins to take the important steps of understanding and loving herself as much as she does others. 

I feel like Kim Se Jeong plays these overly cheerful, optimistic roles well.  She has a killer smile and a magnetic personality that can light up the screen.  She was a perfect fit in this role, and while the writing may have been weak in spots, her acting was spot on.  

After going abroad to study in Germany, Yun Min Ju left behind the high stress of his family to open a brewery in a small town in the middle of nowhere.  His inspiration brought stability and jobs to the tight-knit community.  And eventually the product they worked together to create also brings them some recognition.

Min Ju is less than pleased when Yong Ju shows up to disturb his peaceful life with promises of fame and fortune, both of which he has no interest in. But the more he gets to know her, the more he trusts her to promote their beer without disturbing the quiet balance he has created in his life.  And he soon learns that they share a fated connection from their past that makes him feel even closer to her.  But pressure from her boss to prioritize profit over quality will challenge their budding relationship and any future they hope to share.

Yun Min Ju was a sentsitive child with an overbearing father who is a decorated military leader.  Min Ju’s ability to feel the emotions of those around him is something his father can never understand.  And the weight of those feelings and the strained family relationships are a constant source of pain for Min Ju.  But when he gets to know Yong Ju, she shows him a different side of his father and helps Min Ju learn to balance his empathy with a deeper understanding of himself and his own emotions.

I really wanted to see a bit more about Chan Hwi’s reunion with his lovely family and the their meeting A Reum.  Especially since we met them earlier in the drama, it would have been nice if they had brought the characters back so that we could enjoy their warm family vibe again.  It just felt like a waste to not revisit them in their time of healing,

The whole Yeom Jang Goon character didn’t really work for me.  I couldn’t understand his motivation. Somehow it seems like if you are trying to prove you are indispensible to the company, causing a financial crisis is a step in the wrong direction.  And honestly, even if I did understand, I didn’t care about the character or his whole belated back story.  

At points this drama seemed to bog down with the business side of things.  I mean, I doubt there are many fans who were there to learn how to make beer.  Boring team meetings and clandestine alliances weren’t all that interesting.  That time could have been better spent fleshing out some of the more engaging side stories.

‘Brewing Love’ closes up its storyline with happy endings for most of our characters.  Yong Ju and Min Ju create a product they can be proud of and end their short relationship hiatus.  And with that, the Busan branch is saved from closure.  Beom returns and is given a promotion for all his hard work.  Ra Oh gets a new trainee who is almost as annoying as he was in the beginning.  And the evil Marketing Director is exposed and fired. 

As for our two couples, Chan Hwi and A Reum finally get permission to marry and Chan Hwi takes her to his house to meet his family.  Min Ju and his father reconcile and his father begins to take more of an interest in all of his family members.  And after much soul searching, Yong Ju decides to leave the company and start her own beer house.  Of course, she and Min Ju are still going strong as they support each other on their continued journey of healing.