OYL-033 "Jovaru" Lithuanian farmhouse ale yeast

[z-bob]

Anybody tried it yet? Someone posted a wheat saison recipe that caught my attention, and I got to thinking it might be a good one to try out a new yeast. Usually I use kveik yeast when brewing in the summer, but this has a pretty high temperature range too. I don't necessarily want to do the wheat beer no-boil, but might try doing a no-boil barley malt beer with hop tea for bittering like they do in Lithuania next month. (no boil is appealing in the summer)

I assume it saves and repitches well, being a farmhouse yeast, but don't know yet if it's a top-cropper or just save the sludge from the bottom of the fermenter like I do with kveik and most other yeasts.

 

[Gilbert Spinning Horse]

Yes mate, its pretty phenolic, very similar to T58.
It does dry with no problems and I saved the sludge. I can't remember if I managed to top crop it as well.

 

[Sammy86]

Great yeast! Beast at higher temps! Made a delicious Old Country Ale

 

[z-bob]

Great yeast! Beast at higher temps! Made a delicious Old Country Ale

Thanks for the link!

 

[Andres Falconer]

It’s a great yeast, I’ve used it on a few generic English-type ales, and I’m still trying to nail the original Jovaru beer recipe, which I’ve tried in Lithuania and is pretty amazing and unique. There are incomplete descriptions and hints about the process here and there online, but my attempts so far have failed. Her no-boil recipe apparently goes from brew day to glass in 3 days, fermenting at between 84-88F (29 - 31C). I visit Lithuania regularly (my wife’s family is from there) and we’ve visited the brewery a few times. Not much larger than the smallest of microbreweries, out in a little village in the countryside, literally in the garage in the the house of a wonderful old lady, Aldona Udriene, who is a bit of a legend. I am hoping to brew with her this summer, learn and - with her permission - share her original recipe. She is quite thrilled to know that her yeast is sold in the US and quite amused to see how it’s being used - it’s a family heirloom, and her brewing process is a dying tradition. Unfortunately you can’t really find her beer outside of Lithuania, as it is a “raw” and unpasteurized product with a short shelf life.

 

[Sammy86]

Aldona Udriene, who is a bit of a legend. I am hoping to brew with her this summer, learn and - with her permission - share her original recipe

Bit of a legend is a vast understatement of her and her families brewing tradition and impact on Lithuanian brewing.

Also, if she's not sharing her original recipe with Lars...I don't know if she's going to share it with you.

 

[Andres Falconer]

Bit of a legend is a vast understatement of her and her families brewing tradition and impact on Lithuanian brewing.

Also, if she's not sharing her original recipe with Lars...I don't know if she's going to share it with you.

As far as I know, Lars wasn’t able to spend enough time with her to brew. You can’t learn to brew it without seeing it. It involves arriving in the very early hours or sleeping over in this remote village. She’s already “shared” her recipe with me but in her very “traditional farmhouse way”, with so many important details that she takes for granted left out, and missing so many measurements that she doesn’t ever bother to take, that it’s very hard for a modern homebrewers to replicate without seeing it in person.

She is actually keen to share her recipe because a) it is a tradition dying with her (she’s 80 and does not have an heir to take over) and b) she hopes to sell more Omega yeast.

And yes, understatement. But, unfortunately, her influence on Lithuanian brewing tradition is… close to negligible. There were many like her that are now gone. She’s just one of the very last. Still going in person to little town fairs to sell to the locals. All folks seem to care there now is brewing western styles. Fortunately Lars’ work is starting to change things and she’s beginning getting the recognition she deserves.

 

[z-bob]

I have a packet of OYL033 on order; should get here Tuesday. The first thing I'm planning will be about half unmalted wheat, about half pilsner malt, and a little 20L dark Munich. A 5-minute boil mostly to sterilize the wort, with a little aroma hops added right at the beginning. I'll use hop tea for bittering. I haven't decided which hops, maybe Hallertau Tradition and/or Sterling or Crystal. I don't have any Saaz.

It should be interesting, it should be beer, and I should have a story to tell at the next HB club meeting. (they think I'm nuts talking about a 5 minute boil.) Next brew can be a no-boil version of Old Country Ale.

 

[Sammy86]

It should be interesting, it should be beer, and I should have a story to tell at the next HB club meeting. (they think I'm nuts talking about a 5 minute boil.) Next brew can be a no-boil version of Old Country Ale.

That would be awesome! Unfortunately, the raw ale is going to have to wait...school year went a little long this year and so did baseball season so I'm behind on brewing schedule!

Good luck and let us know if you brew it!

 

[z-bob]

I bottled the beer last night. It's nice and clear; not as light-colored as I expected; about like Coors. (it's not as clear as Coors, LOL) I had about 6 to 8 ounces leftover and I drank that. Even tho' I got 90% attenuation it tastes almost sweet. Not enough to be bad, but enough that it's distracting. Hopefully that goes away when it's cold and carbonated. It is kinda hoppy but not very bitter. I used Hallertau Tradition in the tea (I simmered the hops for an hour, then dumped them in the kettle at flameout) and added a half ounce more to the kettle at 5 minutes. But there is some bitterness there -- enough if the sweetness goes away. Next time I probably need to up the hops in the tea about 50%, and it didn't really need the 5-minute hops.

In two weeks I'll try one and see what I got.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: 0722 Wheat Saison, short boil

Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Saison
Boil Time: 5 min
Batch Size: 4 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 4.25 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.052
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.056
Final Gravity: 1.007
ABV (standard): 6.35%
IBU (tinseth): 31.65
SRM (morey): 3.02

FERMENTABLES:
4 lb - Pilsner (50%)
4 lb - US - Wheat flour (50%)

HOPS:
40 g - Hallertau Tradition (Germany), Type: Pellet, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 29.57
0.5 oz - Hallertau Tradition (Germany), Type: Pellet, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 2.09

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Temp: 150 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 5 gal

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
7 ml - Phosphoric acid 85%, Use: Mash

YEAST:
Omega Yeast Labs - Jovaru Lithuanian Farmhouse OYL-033
Starter: No

NOTES:
Simmer the 60-minute hops in a quart or so of water for an hour (I did this during the mash) to make a
tea. Add to the kettle at flame-out.

Generated by Brewer's Friend - Brewer's Friend | Homebrew Beer Recipes, Calculators & Forum

 

[Gilbert Spinning Horse]

Looking forward to hearing whether your's is as phenolic as mine was.

 

[z-bob]

The sweetness went away. (thankfully) It wasn't sugar, I don't know what it was; if it had been sugar the beer would be way overcarbonated and it's not. The beer is sparkling clear at room temperature, but looks almost milky when it's cold because there is so much chill haze. The head is dense and fluffy at the same time, about like meringue. I'm probably drinking it too cold because I don't taste a lot of clove or pepper or anything phenolic that I can identify. There is a lot of *something* though (kinda fruity). I think it's the hops and whatever biotransformation took place.

I would like it better if it were more bitter and had less yeast character. But with the malt bill I used, I should probably be glad it has any flavor at all. I like it at refrigerator temperature. I don't think I'll like it at cellar temperature but I need to try that.

I will brew this again and put all the hops in the tea and none in the kettle. But first I will try all-malt with no wheat, and I will probably do that as a true no-boil instead of a very short boil. Might use Magnum hops for that.

 

[z-bob]

93% attenuation on the all-malt beer I brewed a week ago, and I'm not sure it's finished yet. 1.060 to 1.004.

 

[BrewMan13]

I got ~91% attenuation on my first use of this yeast (1.056 - 1.005). Only tapped very recently, so still young.

 

[BrewMan13]

So for the record this beer has gone over very well for the few who have tried it recently. One of our brewclub members described it as "weed and lemons" (and seemed to have a lot of consensus lol), a friend who drinks pretty much only IPA's said it was the best beer of mine he had tried (personally disagree strongly, but I'll take the compliment), and a co-worker who drinks normally sweet and/or dark beers enjoyed it over the Belgian and roggenbier and asked for a growler to take home.

 

[Miraculix]

I didn't like mine. The beer was much fuller than fg might suggest, probably lots of glycerin. The flavour is very unique, nothing I came across before. Not like a typical saison, really it's own thing. I guess this yeast should do very well in a dry cider or mead because it adds lots of body and sweetness on its own.

 

[Andres Falconer]

“Weed and lemons” made me laugh, @BrewMan13, and I couldn’t disagree about that. I’d also describe the taste as a bit earthy, but in a pleasant way, not like many of the other local brews in Lithuania that have a somewhat vegetal taste. The falsely-sweet mouthfeel described by others certainly rings true.

Since I started living part-time in Lithuania I’ve been drinking the original Jovaru beer on a regular basis and I love it. As a true farmhouse/landrace beer, the experience and taste can vary a lot: bottled, it’s often quite flat and can go sour quickly. You get better beer when served freshly kegged. Served in festivals, I’ve gotten flat, lukewarm (but still delicious) beers or pours of pure foam that need to settle before you see any liquid. In her beer garden, Aldona Udriene usually serves her fresh beer from pitchers. That is the best experience. You don’t really find her beer anywhere else in the world because it simply doesn’t travel well.

Jovaru is brewed in the traditional way with honey and also without; the latter is far more popular (and better tasting, to me). The honey beer has some of those harsh honey flavors you see in mead when you drink it too young, but it is still interesting.

Some have said that the Jovaru yeast sold by Omega is a pure strain, whereas the original is “contaminated” thus the different results and which explains why Jovaru alus does sour so quickly.

I can’t wait to get my next keg!

 

[Miraculix]

I'd love to try the original!!

 

[Andres Falconer]

I'd love to try the original!!

If you're in Germany, as per your profile, it shouldn't be too hard to get it there!

We've been trying to help Aldona, who at this point is old and increasingly frail, is close to retiring altogether, and doesn't have an "heir" or succession plan for her brewery (which is, quite literally, in her back yard). Sales have been badly hit by the pandemic and several of the brewpubs in Vilnius that sell her beer have closed or reduced their orders. I believe if she got occasional orders from larger markets in the EU, as the guest "guest beer" in specialized brewpubs this would be hugely helpful to her. She can export in one-way PET plastic kegs, though her beer should ideally be refrigerated if traveling by road (not a problem in winter).

 

[z-bob]

When I transferred my latest batch (all-malt raw ale with a lot of munich) from the fermenter (bucket) to the brite tank (carboy) a week ago, I had about 3 pints leftover. I bottled a liter in a PET bottle and I drank the rest. The warm flat beer was pretty bad; it was a little too sweet in spite of the very low FG, yeasty, and not hoppy enough. The bottle carbonated quickly; 2 days ago I put it in the fridge and last night I drank it. It looks just like it picture in post #17; or at least the first pour did. There was a lot of sediment in the bottle, and after I poured a pint and put the cap back on, all the sediment bubbled up back into suspension. So the second pour wasn't very pretty but it tasted about the same. I think the sediment was mostly grain dust rather than yeast (it looked like flour.) The carbonation brought out the hops and balanced the beer nicely. I think I'm going to really like this one.

 

[z-bob]

I wonder if I need to replace all my vinyl tubing that might have come in contact with this yeast? I won't throw it out, but dedicate it to wine and diastaticus beer yeasts. Use new tubing for normal beer yeast. I don't like gushers or bottle bombs. (I've never had a bomb with beer; I have with root beer many years ago. That was scary and a real mess)