Co-Pitching Voss Kveik in Belgian Ales?

[hiphoppotamuss]

David Heath seems to be a big advocate of co-pitching Voss Kveik in his Belgian Ales ( at 14:40 time mark )



Anyone done this?
How’d it turn out?
I have a few packs lying around and I might try this …

 

[VikeMan]

I will say this for Kveik strains. There's no shortage of devotees finding new ways to bang that square peg into a round hole. And when it's on youtube, that's credibility. </sarcasm>

But who knows? Maybe Voss plus a traditional Saison strain makes a better Saison beer than a Saison strain alone. I kind of doubt it, but I haven't tried it.

 

[chthon]

But who knows? Maybe Voss plus a traditional Saison strain makes a better Saison beer than a Saison strain alone. I kind of doubt it, but I haven't tried it.

Well, since saison's origins are somewhere in the 19th century on farms, it's pretty sure the original yeasts used there weren't pure strains, and couldn't stay pure. Maybe adding a kveik gives a better approximation to real, original farmhouse beers (well, certainly another approximation).

On the other hand, I suppose that farms which brewed their own beer, which occurred mostly in autumn and winter, might have had (mixed) yeast strains that performed better at lower temperatures.

 

[VikeMan]

Well, since saison's origins are somewhere in the 19th century on farms, it's pretty sure the original yeasts used there weren't pure strains, and couldn't stay pure.

I agree, sort of. The history of "saison" is pretty muddy, and the 19th century commercial beer called saison may or may not have been related to the farmhouse ales. I kind of doubt there will ever be agreement/resolution on that. But I definitely agree the beers being brewed on Belgian farms were very likely multi strain.

Maybe adding a kveik gives a better approximation to real, original farmhouse beers (well, certainly another approximation).

Maybe. But it sounds to me like a long shot. Why should a random, single strain isolate from Norway in any way resemble something that may have been part of a mixed culture in Belgium? Because it also came from "farms?" Anyway, if a reproduction of Belgian farm beers is the goal, we'll probably never know.

That said, I think mixed strain yeast fermentations can be a great way to go for modern saisons. Maybe Voss would be amazing. I suppose it's possible.

 

[chthon]

Are kveiks single-strain? I thought they were also a mix of different things (as read somewhere on the internet in the past 5 years).

 

[CascadesBrewer]

David Heath seems to be a big advocate of co-pitching Voss Kveik in his Belgian Ales ( at 14:40 time mark )

I enjoy David's content, I just wish he would not throw Kveik yeast into about every batch. Personally, I would not add Voss to a Saison or any Belgian. Belle Saison is already fairly neutral as far as Saison yeasts go, and I find it to be a fast and reliable fermenter. The 20C / 68F temp for this batch seems odd as well.

Are kveiks single-strain? I thought they were also a mix of different things (as read somewhere on the internet in the past 5 years).

Most of the original Kveiks are multi-strain (maybe with a bit of Brett or Bacteria in the mix). Most of the commercial sold strains are single isolates.