Wow, what a difference a week makes! It's now about 8 days post-bottling, and the makgeolli has been sitting in the fridge in that time. I'm now pretty certain that I bottled it early, as the makgeolli is fully carbonated - I decided to release the pressure this morning to prevent the bottles from exploding in the fridge, and the full bottle was a heck of a lot more carbonated than fizzy drinks bought from the shop!
Whereas the makgeolli tasted ridiculously, unpleasantly sour when it was first bottled, it has mellowed quite a lot in the last week. It's still distinctly sour, and has developed a bit of a bitterness too, but there's now flavour beyond the sourness. It definitely tastes like makgeolli now, and I'd even go as far as to say that it's pleasant - not exactly a drink that I'd order, but one that I'd be happy to drink if it was there. I think we can declare this a success now! I think it might be improved with a bit of sweetness, so I might give adding a little sugar to it a go next time I drink it - but I'm pretty happy with it as a first attempt. I'll have to do a bit of reading to see if I can figure out how to make it naturally sweeter for next time - and yes, I think there will be a next time!