In this New Year's episode of Sake Deep Dive, Andy and Jim get back to the start—yeast starter, that is. We round out the group by taking on yamahai this time, building on what we’ve already covered in the kimoto and sokujo episodes with how it came to be, and what it is becoming now.

Vocabulary from this episode

Kai-ire - while generally a term for mixing or stirring the mash, here we mean a step in orthodox yamahai where a single brewery worker mixes and crushes the moto mixture after kumikake

Kumikake - circulating the enzyme-rich moto liquid using a perforated metal cylinder in the middle of the mash, and ladling the liquid it lets in back over the rice outside

Recommended Sake

Andy - Kikuhime Yamahai Junmai

Jim - Yuki no Bosha Hiden Yamahai Junmai Ginjo

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