Brewing Love – K-drama Episode 11 Recap & Review

Episode 11

Episode 11 of Brewing Love starts with Yong-ju and Min-ju being worried about a taste shift in the beer. Apparently, the mass production process can cause minute changes in the taste. On the day that the first batch of beer is to be transported from the factory, Min-ju puts a stop to it.

He tells Yong-ju that the batch tastes different and they can’t release it. Yong-ju is more concerned about maintaining the brand’s credibility by not breaking their promise to wholesalers. Dumping this batch also means a loss of five million dollars.

Yong-ju changes her mind and tries to ask her boss to change the launch date of the beer but he furiously refuses. The news reaches the planning director Yeom Jang-goon as well. Yong-ju sends a message apologising to Min-ju but when she leaves work, she finds him waiting outside the office.

They go for dinner but they’re both downhearted. Yong-ju is called away for work and they go their separate ways. Yong-ju drinks with Ah-reum and complains about how Min-ju always pretends everything is okay. Meanwhile, Min-ju feels her pain so keenly he can’t talk about his own.

One week later, they haven’t quite made up yet. Yong-ju’s been ignoring Min-ju because it’s easier. Sook-ja and Young-ja come over to Yong-ju’s house to cheer her up. They mention that Min-ju has been overworking himself and passed out one night. Naturally, she rushes over. Yong-ju finally tells Min-ju that she can’t automatically understand his feelings, he needs to communicate his pain.

But Min-ju doesn’t want her to be sad or feel more pain because of him (and in turn feel those feelings himself due to his abilities as an empath). She then asks what she can do for him, implying a breakup. She leaves the house but then comes back in and says they won’t break up. Instead, they start a “truce” where they will focus on their work and return to each other after some time.

Meanwhile, Chan-hwi and Ah-reum have lunch with Ah-reum’s parents. Chan-hwi wins over Ah-reum’s father through his delicious toasts but her mother is a harder sell. Yong-ju is then delighted to hear that the second batch of the beer tastes just right. She is about to go meet Min-ju but finds him outside her front door. Min-ju reveals his particular likes and dislikes to her, showing her that he is willing to open up. In response, she tells him she loves him.

Of course, their joy is short-lived due to an article that points out the difference between the two batches of beer. News spreads online and the team gets in trouble. Yong-ju realises it was an inside job. Min-ju questions Director Yeom’s assistant and realises the director is to blame. Ah-drum finds the proof in his office and the director is told to leave the company.

He shouts at Min-ju, who reads his real emotions and sees all the effort that he’s put into the company. He berates Yeom’s actions but advises him not to just think about himself. We then see a flashback montage of how hard Yeom worked through the years but how he never mingled with other colleagues. At present, he laments about not receiving a single phone call from anyone. He then begins to pack up his things at the end of Brewing Love Episode 11.

The Episode Review

Brewing Love Episode 11 throws new challenges in the face of Together Beer as well as Yong-ju and Min-ju’s relationship. The issue of the taste shift is intriguing and shows just how many things a liquor company must consider while producing massive amounts of a beverage. The argument on both sides feels justified until the end when the decision inevitably comes back to haunt them.

Yong-ju and Min-ju’s struggles over emotional vulnerability were an interesting topic as well. Any relationship needs effort and consideration from both parties, but Min-ju’s abilities do skew that balance.

The breakup seemed imminent but I am pleasantly surprised at the show’s insistence on keeping the couple together and not going down the road of the ‘last minute separation’ trope which is so often used in K-dramas. Their reunion is heartwarming and Min-ju’s little confessions are adorable. 

Unfortunately, both issues feel like they’ve been addressed at a surface level and not any deeper. By limiting them to just one episode, the writing doesn’t dive into the nuance of either situation. The taste shift simply becomes a plot point to bring the villainous Yeom Jang-goon down. And the complicated nature of vulnerability and support in a romantic couple is never really explored either.

The unexpected focus and sympathy for Yeom also feels out of the blue, with his previously vindictive nature being at odds with this section. In the end, the episode does feel a bit haphazardly put together and not quite as compelling as other episodes in this K-drama.