Farmed kveik and creating supply

[Feronimus]

Hi everyone, I recently managed to get my hands into some farmed kveik. I am very exited about it but very anxious too.

I am not very familiar with yeast harvesting, and i am ultra anxious about it. In the past i have managed to reuse yeast from the bottom of the fermentation chamber and clean it successfully. I have even tried top ferment harvesting with less success as i was too late and the fermentation was almost over when i harvested it.

Since this is a one time deal and i need to keep the kveik alive for many fermentations , should/can i just create a big 2L starter and store that into 250ml jars on the fridge before even i ferment? Maybe dry some of that yeast later?

The reason behind this is that 1, kveik can be underpeached , and i think with that method i have less risk on destroying my yeast.
I am asking because i dont see anyone doing it like this, and i guess there must be a reason about it that i just dont know yet and i dont want to learn it the bad way loosing my yeast.

 

[madscientist451]

No need to get anxious about anything brewing related. Relax and have a homebrew!
If your "farmed kveik" is a mixed culture, the amount of each strain is likely to drift over time, which isn't a bad thing. Otherwise why couldn't you just store it in a jar like any other yeast? I usually make a large starter, pitch half of it and save the other half in a jar. If you are brewing a lot of batches you can dump the new wort onto the previous batch yeast cake, but I don't usually do that more than 2-3 batches. I've seen articles where people are drying their own kveik yeast, but I don't see how you could keep wild yeast off of it when doing that.

 

[Miraculix]

No need to get anxious about anything brewing related. Relax and have a homebrew!
If your "farmed kveik" is a mixed culture, the amount of each strain is likely to drift over time, which isn't a bad thing. Otherwise why couldn't you just store it in a jar like any other yeast? I usually make a large starter, pitch half of it and save the other half in a jar. If you are brewing a lot of batches you can dump the new wort onto the previous batch yeast cake, but I don't usually do that more than 2-3 batches. I've seen articles where people are drying their own kveik yeast, but I don't see how you could keep wild yeast off of it when doing that.

Putting it in the oven (turned off) helps, that room in there is pretty much free of MOs if used frequently.

 

[DuncB]

I just spread out the yeast slurry on a several pieces of greaseproof / baking paper sprayed with starsan. Left them with a fan blowing gently over them in a warm place. Then the dry crisps I put in a pot in the freezer. I've done dozens of brews with my original harvest and haven't bothered to crop again.

 

[Feronimus]

No need to get anxious about anything brewing related. Relax and have a homebrew!
If your "farmed kveik" is a mixed culture, the amount of each strain is likely to drift over time, which isn't a bad thing. Otherwise why couldn't you just store it in a jar like any other yeast? I usually make a large starter, pitch half of it and save the other half in a jar. If you are brewing a lot of batches you can dump the new wort onto the previous batch yeast cake, but I don't usually do that more than 2-3 batches. I've seen articles where people are drying their own kveik yeast, but I don't see how you could keep wild yeast off of it when doing that.

Thank you for the reply. Yes i know it will drift according to the environment i am in. So i guess i will make that starter.

I just spread out the yeast slurry on a several pieces of greaseproof / baking paper sprayed with starsan. Left them with a fan blowing gently over them in a warm place. Then the dry crisps I put in a pot in the freezer. I've done dozens of brews with my original harvest and haven't bothered to crop again.

I was thinking about using a food dehydrator since i have one. I will probably do mixed methods. Make a starter and from that dry half of it and store cold the other half.

Thank you all for the replies.

 

[DuncB]

Food dehydrator would be ideal, the oven with fan on and low heat and door open was noisy and took hours. Don't put the paper in direct sunlight either that will kill the yeast. Or certainly would here as the sun kills your skin pretty fast.

 

[Gilbert Spinning Horse]

Have you any idea what type of kveik you have? There are several different types and some give very different results.

 

[DuncB]

I have done it with Opshaug kveik it's whitelabs

Sourced from our friend Lars Marius Garshol, this Kveik strain was isolated from a mixed culture which belonged to Harald Opshaug, a farmhouse brewer in Stranda, Norway. This strain was originally used in the 1990s to produce several kornøl-style beers. It is a clean fermenting yeast and has tolerated temperatures up to 95°F (35°C) while finishing fermentation within three to four days. The hop-forward, clean characteristics of this strain make it ideal for IPAs and pale ales.

Pitch Rate Calculator

• Part No: WLP518
• Part Name: Opshaug Kveik Ale Yeast

 

[GrowleyMonster]

Hi everyone, I recently managed to get my hands into some farmed kveik. I am very exited about it but very anxious too.

I am not very familiar with yeast harvesting, and i am ultra anxious about it. In the past i have managed to reuse yeast from the bottom of the fermentation chamber and clean it successfully. I have even tried top ferment harvesting with less success as i was too late and the fermentation was almost over when i harvested it.

Since this is a one time deal and i need to keep the kveik alive for many fermentations , should/can i just create a big 2L starter and store that into 250ml jars on the fridge before even i ferment? Maybe dry some of that yeast later?

The reason behind this is that 1, kveik can be underpeached , and i think with that method i have less risk on destroying my yeast.
I am asking because i dont see anyone doing it like this, and i guess there must be a reason about it that i just dont know yet and i dont want to learn it the bad way loosing my yeast.

What are your brewing? If it is a big beer you should make a big starter. A half pound DME per quart will work. A little more if your beer will be a really big one. You can use a beer calculator and just let your starter's OG match your actual beer. Sure, you could make a double size starter and save half, but honestly I would just save some yeast from the fermenter and just keep it in the fridge if it will be used within a month or so. Then make your starter for the next batch from that harvest, the day before brew day.

You could also freeze a sample. Honestly tho, I have never done that and I am without a clue on it so emulate the experts. Neither have I ever dried yeast, but I plan to try both, real soon.

BTW, when I make a starter I pitch the whole thing, solids and liquid. I don't drain. YMMV but I think if the starter and the wort are similar and the starter is nice and clean, it is silly to toss any part of it.

 

[DuncB]

One of the great features of Kveik is it seems to break all the rules. I don't bother with a starter, pitched some dry flakes into an elderflower fizz that was 1.090, needed a lot of feeding as only sugar and flowers but it coped fine. Make a starter if you want it doesn't seem to mind.
They do say it's more expressive if underpitched but I'm not sure it knows the meaning of underpitch it just gets to work.
But I always add a double dose of nutrient and pitch it hot and have a well oxygenated wort. Then try not to blink and miss the tail end of fermentation if I'm going for biotransformation on a dry hop. It's my go too instead of US 05 or wlp001.

 

[McMullan]

According to kveik lore you just need a bucket in a barn. Or was I it a barn in a bucket? I can't remember.

 

[McMullan]

One of the great features of Kveik is it seems to break all the rules. I don't bother with a starter, pitched some dry flakes into an elderflower fizz that was 1.090, needed a lot of feeding as only sugar and flowers but it coped fine. Make a starter if you want it doesn't seem to mind.
They do say it's more expressive if underpitched but I'm not sure it knows the meaning of underpitch it just gets to work.
But I always add a double dose of nutrient and pitch it hot and have a well oxygenated wort. Then try not to blink and miss the tail end of fermentation if I'm going for biotransformation on a dry hop. It's my go too instead of US 05 or wlp001.

No, they don't break all the rules. They behave just as expected, for distiller's yeast. Think Norway. Think spud moonshine. Potato whisky. Historically, there were considerably more distilleries than breweries registered and unregistered in Norway, because potato was the only starch-rich crop to grow reliably in Norway. Even today they continue to grow sticky potato varieties high in starch and much of it is still rendered to a generic wash for potato whisky. It's called aquavit locally. Potato ale? I don't think so

 

[Feronimus]

Have you any idea what type of kveik you have? There are several different types and some give very different results.

Not yet. The guy told me its a super neutral one. I am planning on testing that myself next brew