Koubo shikomi (yeast-direct brewing)

Koubo shikomi (yeast-direct brewing) is a brewing method in which cultured yeast is used in place of the usual shubo (yeast starter). The cultured yeast may be in liquid, slurry, solid, or dried form. Because this method removes the need to prepare shubo in-house, it allows more stable fermentation and makes it possible to produce sake of consistent quality. Compared with traditional methods, the fermentation characteristics of the yeast are easier to control, and sake with a variety of flavors and aromas can be made. For these reasons, it has gained support at many breweries in recent years.