Kveik Yeast Discussion

Kweik was mentioned in another thread this morning and I’ve been considering using it for an IPA just to do something different, so…

Let’s talk kveik! Anything kveik is welcome…beers you brewed, process, temperature, etc. How did it perform at different temps etc, etc…

I know at least a few of you guys use it so chime in @porkchop, @sneezles61, and @wilcolandzaat as well as any others. It’s a kveik free for all boys and girls.

Are there more than 2 strains available commercially? What are the differences?

I just read a couple of short articles about it this morning. One by the mad fermentationist, Voss and Muri: Kveik Strains | The Mad Fermentationist - Homebrewing Blog, included the following data regarding different experiences at different temperature ranges. How does this jive wtih your experiences using it?

  1. Voss, 40°C/100°F: Lager-like, doughy, citrus

  2. Voss, 40C (underpitched): Clean, no sulfur, orange, fruity

  3. Voss, 20°C/68°F: Sulfur+, smoother, less fruit

  4. US-05, 20C: Darker color, stone fruit, cleanest

  5. Muri, 20C: Light sulfur, brandy, peach, dry/bitter

  6. Muri, 40C: Stone fruit, mild sulfur, bone dry

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Ok moving this link here then for safe keeping.

I’ve been using Omega’s Hothead strain for almost a year. Not sure which this is.
http://scottjanish.com/omega-hothead-ale-oyl-057-yeast/

I have fermented from mid 60s F to Mid 80s F and have not been able to really sense a difference. It’s clean. My one complaint is that it’s too clean. I’ve done several IPAs and Double IPAs and thought the hop profiles came through as intended.

Hothead is the Stranda strain. Works well. I’ve used both the Stranda and Voss strains (from yeast bay). I think maniacal yeast may have other strains? It’s kind of nice pitching at 100°F and letting it run wild. Definitely has some esters at high temperatures, but nothing objectionable.

TY porkchop , Stranda noted
When these first came out online they were all listed at up to 100F. Then one day I was thinking about the hazards/ benifits of beer yeast that can live at over 98.6F. Now they are all listed at sub human body temperatures funny enough.

Some genetic fun in this part of Lars’ blog

Not sure i think there are more. Sigmund kviek yeast strains at the moment. Our host has. Hotale. Yeast as well. Me use the kveik yeast. At no temp control. Just lets it stand. After 4 days fermenting stops and i do take a grav reading. Do let it stand most the time for 8 days. Before i rack it to secondary. Main reason for kveik yeast use. Here on island a high temp. It works perfect for me. Creating ipa. Beers.

Keep in mind that all sacch strains can survive well over 100F, and are quite healthy at those temperatures. They just tend to make flavors that we don’t find terribly appealing in beer.

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It looks like NB is also carrying the Hornindal strain, OYL-091. Hmm… I might have to place an order for that one…

I haven’t used this Kviek yeast yet… I do have in possession Voss Kviek… I really want to play with this, this summer… I have to go back and look, it seems as though an older gentleman first posted/blogged about this yeast… 2002(?).
Creating a good summer ale is what I’m after now… Squeegee snuffed out my Saison with Kviek…:sunglasses: I’m OK with that…
I’m going to keep this simple… Pilsner, Rye, … Ferment higher temps… I’m going to use K-ale as the name…
So, with Dannyboy as the MC on this thread… Lets brainstorm some more… I’ll look to 4.8- 5.2… Some spicyness, Saaz hops? Ideas? Sneezles61

I think making a Norwegian Farmhouse ale based on saison would be delicious. Underpitch the yeast, pitch it hot, and give it some yeast nutrient and it’ll give you plenty of character. Not exactly like a saison, but that’s why it’s Kveik!

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Saaz or Sorachi Ace sounds good to me. I was planning on something like this as well. I think Honey Malt goes well with the strain but that’s not the spiciness that sneezes desires for that I would add some Rye

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[quote=“porkchop, post:8, topic:26015”]
NB is also carrying the Hornindal strain, OYL-091
[/quote]Omega Yeast OYL-091 Hornindal Kveik
I will have to try this. Unlike the Stranda/Hothead, Hornindal is a blend which I really enjoy but do notice change with subsequent generations of other blends I’ve tried.

I want to brew tropical IPA for the summer so I’m thinking the Voss Kweik yeast is the way I’ll go. I’m just not sure at what termperature to ferment. I can start it as warm as I want and pretty accurately with my plate chiller. The room will be about 70F but if I start it as high as 100F I’m assuming it will be done in 24-48 hours which won’t be enough timer for it to cool down much with fermentation going.

So anyone know what might be the best ferm temp for Voss to get the fruity esters I’m looking for?

I’ll likely bitter it with magnum to 25ibu or so, then hop burst a bunch of fruity hops late and dry hop it with the same. Total IBU will be somewhere around 70 like my normal IPAs but with more fruity hops to be determined.

Hot, pitch above 90°F, underpitch, and add some yeast nutrient. That should get plenty of fruitiness out of the yeast. You could wrap the fermenter in a blanket, but don’t be surprised if it goes 5-6 days before fermentation is finished. It’s a beast of a yeast, but stays in suspension a long time.

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You should do a side X side… one warm and one cooler… After all… you’re XBEERMENTING… You’ll find which trail you’d want to follow… I changed my freez-mentor into a keezer… So I’ll swamp cool one and put the other on a seedling pad… I really need to find out what this yeast has to offer… Sneezles61

Find that the kveik gives almost a neutral flav while the hotale yeast. Gives more a mild orange flav. I use the hot ale. For saison beers.

These have been my “snowbird” yeasts. With little equipment they are perfect to brew without temp control. So far I have only used the Hothead and Voss. Each for one winter season, reused for 4 or 5 batches.

The Hothead did have a slight citrus flavor but not enough for me to think it was an off flavor in a beer that would not normally have one. The Voss was clean in everything. My ferment temps were usually mid to upper 70s sometimes pushing into 80. I did not pay close attention to the temp because the point of the Kveik strain was to not worry about it.

When these first appeared on the scene I read posts of brewers using them in batches in the 60s. Seemed like they were missing the point of using them.

Now I am interested in trying the Hornindal. Does sound like an excellent choice for a fruity Saison.

Now that we are back up north and I can better control temps these hot fermenting strains aren’t necessary but would still be fun to pitch it hot and forget about it until it ferments out. How is everyone finding cold crashing working to clear these beers out? I have not been able to do so with any of my batches yet.

I haven’t cold crashed but Hot Head/Stranda is has clumpy flocculation which is kind of fun to watch in a clear fermentor. I find it bottle conditions well leaving a nice compacted bottom in the bottle that doesn’t stir up to easily. Knowing this I would guess that it would cold crash well.

So, for those of you who enjoy reading, Larsblog is chock full of “Kviek” and the different variations… Sneezles61

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Interesting and easy reading. A little confused on how to pronounce some of it though :slight_smile: