Yamahai Sake
In the early 1900s, brewers experimented with not mushing and mashing and just covering the shubo and keeping it cold. This method was named “yamahai,” an abbreviation of “yama-oroshi hai-shi,” which means to quit mushing and mashing. In yamahai and kimoto, lactic acid is not added but rather produced naturally. It takes 30 days to make the shubo using kimoto or yamahai. Yamahais are also layered, umami-driven, and higher in acidity. They can have “gamey” or funky aromas with notes of petrol and butterscotch.
