Omega Lutra yeast?

[JM-brew]

Been following this thread and I'm finally ready to experiment with Lutra. BUT....There are so many things this "Swiss Army Knife" yeast supposedly can do, I can't decide which one to do.

Prolly won't do a lager, but I might try Lutra in an Alt or maybe a Kolsch. A Blonde or a 'fruited' Blood Orange Pale Ale both show promise as well. Maybe a simple SMASH with 2-row and the new Trident hop I've been wanting to try.

My question to the Forum is what temperature, and pressure or no pressure? The Alt/Kolsch would be no pressure and ferment around 65-70F. The ales would be 'some' pressure and 75-80F. Curious to see how this works under different circumstances with a goal of reduced esters, brilliant clarity, quick turnaround, and fidelity to style.

Any suggestions or anecdotal experiences are welcome!

Brooo Brother

Used lutra with my mexican lager recipe recently. It wasn't the same (clean and light) as my mexican lager is, but actually was a pretty good kolsch style beer. I repitched the yeast into a baltic porter that came out pretty good too.

 

[Brooothru]

Great. Just the type of info I was looking for. Your answer explains why there's not much info out there about fermenting keivks under pressure. My normal process would be to spund the final 5 points of gravity as opposed to a 1 BAR pressure to suppress esters at a higher fermentation temperature. Have there been issues fermenting under pressure late in the process? I've gathered from some of the comments on this thread that priming to carbonate with Lutra has been less than satisfactory. As fast as this yeast works, it might be difficult to actually get a spunding valve set before (but not after) 5 points of Final Gravity .

Brooo Brother

 

[Miraculix]

You can certainly try for the experiments sake, but given the chance of experiencing problems, I personally wouldn't.

 

[Brooothru]

So you would suggest not to spund but rather dose with a dry yeast, or force pressure carb?

 

[stealthfixr]

I've got an Oktoberfest in the Spike conical, fermented with Lutra @ 10PSI & 71F, and it ought to go into a keg within a week. OG 1.067, FG 1.013 (mashed at 152F).

Samples sure seem clean, but I would not call it a lager (so far--it's cold conditioning and will improve with some time). More like a Kolsch yeast is how I would describe it right now. Whether it was the pressure or the lower end of the temp range, fermentation took over a week to reach a stable FG--not Kveik-like in speed. It still got to the predicted FG, even if it took a while.

 

[Gusso]

Btw, this one is a pseudo Imperial lager. OG was 1.088, it's down to 1.044 after 24 hours. Not as fast as my Baltic Porter but I'm doing this in a 10 G Torpedo keg with the SPUNDit set on 22psi right now. Fermenting at 90.

Finished at 1.010. Pressurized Fermentation, took longer than I thought. After a week in the keg, I thought nice ale that wouldn't be confused with a lager. A couple of weeks later? Maybe I could be confused. Very nice pseudo lager. Big Pseudo lager. 10%abv

 

[stealthfixr]

I've got an Oktoberfest in the Spike conical, fermented with Lutra @ 10PSI & 71F, and it ought to go into a keg within a week. OG 1.067, FG 1.013 (mashed at 152F).

Samples sure seem clean, but I would not call it a lager (so far--it's cold conditioning and will improve with some time). More like a Kolsch yeast is how I would describe it right now. Whether it was the pressure or the lower end of the temp range, fermentation took over a week to reach a stable FG--not Kveik-like in speed. It still got to the predicted FG, even if it took a while.

Follow-up: Kegged the "LutraFest" last weekend and is already crystal clear. The longer this beer cold conditions, the more like a lager it seems. Even has this lager 'signature' that no other ale has had in my experience. Still, so far not as 'clean' as a commercial lager, but getting better and closer with conditioning for sure.

My wife, who normally dislikes most ales, or anything hoppy, had a glass of it last night--huge compliment. Her comment was "Just like being in the Hofbrauhaus!"

 

[jcav]

Just want to report back on the perry cider my wife and I made with the Lutra yeast. The cider is very good. We did back sweeten with pear juice and we let it age for quite awhile and then started sampling it. It is very good and it still is tart and cider like, but it is also cleaner than when we used other yeasts. It is crisp and refreshing and she gets a lot of compliments from her friends who love cider. So all in all this was a great experiment. So when my fermentation chamber (upright freezer) is occupied fermenting my beer, I will order Lutra yeast again, and she can make her cider and keep it in a spare room to ferment. Great thread by the way, thanks for all the info from everyone about this yeast for the different beers.

John

 

[Gusso]

Finished at 1.010. Pressurized Fermentation, took longer than I thought. After a week in the keg, I thought nice ale that wouldn't be confused with a lager. A couple of weeks later? Maybe I could be confused. Very nice pseudo lager. Big Pseudo lager. 10%abv

Getting better by the day! Looking and tasting like the real deal.

 

[Gusso]

Couldn't delete the above video!

Doh!

Figured it out.

 

[AzOr]

Couldn't delete the above video!

Doh!

Figured it out.

That’s about as clear as clear can get. Looks tasty.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Irish Red Ale fermented with Lutra and kegged on 1/24. I've brewed this recipe numerous times, I really like it, and I occasionally tweak it around the edges. I brewed this 5 gallon batch on 1/18 but this time I used Maris Otter as the base grain instead of 2-Row, and also added 6oz (~3%) of biscuit malt even though the recipe doesn't call for any. First time trying it with any yeast other than WLP001 or US-05. IMO the change in grains should be noticeable but relatively minimal, but damn does this tastes bad. Nothing like I'm used to whenever I brew this, not even close. I don't know if it can be attributed to the Lutra or not but I'm leaning that way, even though I fermented cool at 68° and finished up for a couple days at 72°. I'm probably going to let it go for a few weeks to see if it improves at all, and if not dump it. I think I'll brew this recipe again soon but this time follow it as written by @Mysticmead . I have yet to make it better so I'm going to give up trying.

 

[shoreman]

What was so bad about the batch? Off flavors? It seems pretty young and although Lutra is hailed as a clear, lager-like 48 hour and done yeast it still needs the same ale yeast conditioning in the 2 brews I made with it. 2-4 weeks in bottle/keg.

 

[BongoYodeler]

What was so bad about the batch? Off flavors? It seems pretty young and although Lutra is hailed as a clear, lager-like 48 hour and done yeast it still needs the same ale yeast conditioning in the 2 brews I made with it. 2-4 weeks in bottle/keg.

Yes, it's quite young and I intend to let it ride for a few weeks to see where it goes. I find it hard to describe the flavor, but it has absolutely none of the sweet malty goodness that I've tasted in past brews with this recipe. There is a back-end toasted biscuit flavor which I was expecting based on the grains used this time. The funny thing is that the hydro samples I tasted on brew day and even on the day I kegged it tasted promising. One thing I failed to mention is that I fined this with gelatin once it was in the keg. It's the first time I've used gelatin but the procedure is pretty straight forward so I'd be surprised if that alone would alter the taste this much, if at all. I also used gelatin the same day in a Schwarzbier I've had kegged for a couple months. It always appeared quite "murky" to me so I mixed up a half batch of gelatin to see if it would clear a bit. It seems to have helped just a bit, and it tastes fine. Oddly enough that Schwarzbier was also fermented with Lutra, the only other time I've used it.

 

[k-os]

I've only used Lutra in a "Pilsner" so far and was considering using it in a Raspberry Kettle Sour that I've previously fermented with US-05. Has anyone used Lutra in a kettle sour? I'm hoping to maintain the same clean taste I get from US-05, but speed it through a little quicker by fermenting around 90F.

 

[raymarkson]

I am also curious about using lutra in a kettle sour. I'm following this in case someone comes along to share their experience using it this way.

 

[k-os]

I am also curious about using lutra in a kettle sour. I'm following this in case someone comes along to share their experience using it this way.

I'll be brewing mine within the next week or so. I'll post updates with how it goes.

Changed plans a bit and will be brewing a sweet stout instead of the kettle sour this weekend. I'll still update when I get the kettle sour brewed and fermented.

 

[raymarkson]

I'll be brewing mine within the next week or so. I'll post updates with how it goes.

Changed plans a bit and will be brewing a sweet stout instead of the kettle sour this weekend. I'll still update when I get the kettle sour brewed and fermented.

I went ahead and made a kettle sour (GOSE) and pitched lutra kveik in it this weekend. Yesterday I made wort:

11 gallon batch-
7 pounds pilsner
9 pounds wheat
mashed at 150f

Cooled to 100f and added Swanson L. Plantarum (about 15 capsules)to the kettle, put the lid on and let it sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours, I checked the ph and it was 3.4, so I went ahead with the boil (30 min). During the last 15 minutes of the boil, I added :

2 teaspoons Iris moss
1 teaspoon diammonium phosphate
1 oz coriander
1.25 oz salt

Cooled wort to 90f and pitched some a slurry of lutra that I collected from a batch of Pilsner that I used the yeast in.

OG 1.044

It has been about 2 hours since I pitched the yeast and I am starting to see some airlock activity and the beer temp is in the mid-80's.

I will report back with results.

 

[raymarkson]

I think that it is safe to say that lutra kveik is still very robust in a very acidic brew (ph 3.4). The krausen looked like this less than 12 hours after pitching. I may need to put on a blow off tube.

The temp of the beer seems to be holding around 78-79f. The ambient temperature is 73f.

 

[raymarkson]

Update on kettle sour with Lutra:

Two days after pitching (temps held consistently in the high 70's), the krausen had completely fallen and the fermentation activity seemed to have ended. I took a gravity reading and it was NOT even close to final gravity (1.028).

I left it for three more days and took another gravity sample- it was 1.019... still not where I would expect it to end.

I waited for another two days. This morning I took a gravity sample and it is now at 1.011. This seems close enough for me. However, I will wait for a few more days and take another sample and if it has not moved I will go ahead and keg it.

So a week to go from 1.044 to 1.011. This is a little slower than I am used to with this yeast. It seemed to have a lot of strong activity right away, then it crawled the rest of the way. A week to reach final gravity is not bad, but it is a little surprising for this yeast. This yeast is usually noted for tearing through a fermentation in a couple of days. I'm not entirely sure what I would attribute the slightly longer fermentation to. It could be because of the acidic environment of a kettle sour. It could also be because my temperature was in the seventies. Or, it could be some other reason that I am not considering.

In the end, though, I am not disappointed with a week to ferment. I also think that a FG of 1.011 is good. And... the gravity sample tasted fantastic!

I will report back after packaging and conditioning.

 

[k-os]

I brewed my Raspberry Kettle Sour yesterday and have it souring now. After a quick boil before pitching my lactobacillus I pulled 1 liter of wort off for a starter with my Lutra slurry.

Once I pitch yeast I'll post my updates. I planned to ferment around 80F.

 

[deuc224]

Weird part about that is im doing a mexican lager with it as we speak and i didnt use yeast nutrient this time(drinking and forgot) and it went good for the first 2 days then has been slow getting to the finish line and is still bubbling away but not blazing speed like everyone is saying. Im also only fermenting it at 68 to hold back most the esters and get a clean ferment from this and judge it from there, next one will be at the 93 temp.

 

[k-os]

I brewed my Raspberry Kettle Sour yesterday and have it souring now. After a quick boil before pitching my lactobacillus I pulled 1 liter of wort off for a starter with my Lutra slurry.

Once I pitch yeast I'll post my updates. I planned to ferment around 80F.

My post-souring pH ended at 3.13 and pitched my starter of Lutra yesterday around 5pm and by 9pm and I had a nice krausen formed and bubbling away. May pull a gravity sample tonight to check progress.

 

[Tigmachado]

Hey Everyone

I , out of inexperience , brought some to Brazil
Bough online and shipped to MIA then here I didn't put on the fridge right away
the package stuffed... I would love to know if I blew it forever, or if there is even some where on the forum that talks about how to resurrect yeast

or if I should open a new thread

Thanks

 

[Tigmachado]

Hey Everyone

I , out of inexperience , brought some to Brazil
Bough online and shipped to MIA then here I didn't put on the fridge right away
the package stuffed... I would love to know if I blew it forever, or if there is even some where on the forum that talks about how to resurrect yeast

or if I should open a new thread

Thanks

 

[k-os]

My post-souring pH ended at 3.13 and pitched my starter of Lutra yesterday around 5pm and by 9pm and I had a nice krausen formed and bubbling away. May pull a gravity sample tonight to check progress.

Just an update on this. The Lutra fermented the kettle sour with no issues, however it looks like I got an introduction of Brett into this beer, most likely from the fruit.

Transferred from my Flex+ fermenter to a Fermonster and have it isolated in a separate room I keep my long-aged wild/sour beers.

 

[Miraculix]

Just an update on this. The Lutra fermented the kettle sour with no issues, however it looks like I got an introduction of Brett into this beer, most likely from the fruit.

Transferred from my Flex+ fermenter to a Fermonster and have it isolated in a separate room I keep my long-aged wild/sour beers.

A happy little accident.

 

[Miraculix]

Hey Everyone

I , out of inexperience , brought some to Brazil
Bough online and shipped to MIA then here I didn't put on the fridge right away
the package stuffed... I would love to know if I blew it forever, or if there is even some where on the forum that talks about how to resurrect yeast

or if I should open a new thread

Thanks

Kveik is very forgiving. I would put everything in the fridge now and try to brew a beer with one of the packs and see what happens.

 

[stealthfixr]

Feedback/updates from earlier posts. Synopsis: I brewed an Oktoberfest and fermented it with Lutra, at the bottom of the temperature range and under pressure (10psi). The resulting beer seemed to improve on it's lager-like qualities with time and conditioning, but I was still curious how truly lager-like it was.

Update: I brewed another Oktoberfest, at lager temps and under pressure, with Saflager 34/70 just to compare with Lutra. Despite the age & conditioning differences, there is an easily discernable difference between the two. While the 34/70 version has a signature 'lager' quality & taste, the Lutra version has *some* of those qualities. In comparison, I would call Lutra a slightly estery, lager-like hybrid, but distinguishable from a true lager, or from a 'true' ale. I would say Lutra sort of sits somewhere in the middle.

However, I have to say that I may actually prefer the Lutra Oktoberfest--the keg emptied in record time in our house. I will absolutely use this yeast again. While 34/70 can be used at near-ale temps and does not seem to require typical lagering condition durations, especially under pressure, Lutra is easier, quicker and tastes fantastic.

It's not a lager, but produces some amazing beer unique in it's own way. Give Lutra a try!

 

[rtstrider]

I built a 2 liter starter of Lutra last night. I am brewing this recipe

https://omegayeast.com/lutra-kveik-helles-pseudo-lager-recipe
I intend to keep a half liter of the starter to add to my frozen yeast bank and the rest will be decanted/pitched into a 5.5 gallon batch of the Lutra Helles. I did taste the slurry from the pouch and it reminded me a ton of a musky Kolsch. Then again that's just the slurry. I'm really eager to see how this performs in a real brew. Plan is to keg this once it's done, hit it with gelatin after a couple of days of cold conditioning, and let that sit for a few weeks. After reading through these posts it seems the brew gets much better with cold conditioning. I intend to brew this weekend and I'll keep everyone in the loop. Really excited for this batch!

 

[hottpeper13]

I just kegged an IPA that was fermented at 77* for 10 days and I'd planned on the gelatin, but it went into the keg almost crystal clear. In fact I could have decanted the starter 30 seconds after taking off the stir plate. I have my stir plate on the fireplace mantle and plugged into the fan control for my insert. it would settle out in the time it took to reload the fireplace,which is a minute or two.

 

[Andre3000]

I was a skeptic. Not a fan of Kviek in general (blasphemy I know).

I had a packet of Lutra sitting in my fridge since last summer and I decided to brew with it, no starter.

I have to say, this beer turned out clean, shockingly clean. It's not quite a lager, but it definitely earned the pseudo-lager title.

Basically a riff on Centennial Blonde with high color malt. Fermented at 69F. It's delicious:

 

[rtstrider]

I was a skeptic. Not a fan of Kviek in general (blasphemy I know).

I had a packet of Lutra sitting in my fridge since last summer and I decided to brew with it, no starter.

I have to say, this beer turned out clean, shockingly clean. It's not quite a lager, but it definitely earned the pseudo-lager title.

Basically a riff on Centennial Blonde with high color malt. Fermented at 69F. It's delicious:

View attachment 725846

Did you fine that with gelatin or is that clear just from cold conditioning? I'm hoping to hit it with gelatin then let it sit a few weeks to drop bright

 

[DuncB]

My " lagers " just drop clear with the cold crash and a week or so in the keg fridge. Using Opshaug.

 

[rtstrider]

My " lagers " just drop clear with the cold crash and a week or so in the keg fridge. Using Opshaug.

Funny you say that. Next brew is using Opshaug! It's going to be a Cascade/Citra IPA. Fermenting with no temp control and just letting it ride. Going to cold crash, transfer, gelatin, then keg hop with one of those hop cylinder things. I'm not really fining for clarity here. I'm using a tip from a local pro brewer to drop out the yeast before dry hopping.

 

[DuncB]

Well I followed the David Heath drying kveik yeast advice. Have enough for about 25 brews in the freezer. Underpitch with about 5cm x 5cm of flakes just lobbed into the fermenter. Real easy.
That said the other week made a big starter using Wyeast 1098 and enjoyed that for a change.

You might find that the yeast beats you to dropping out, it just falls when it's done especially as the temp falls at the same time as activity ceases. I put my fermenter under a sleeping bag and a few hot bottles of water to keep it hot for the first day or so. Then uncover and let it chill!!

 

[rtstrider]

Well I followed the David Heath drying kveik yeast advice. Have enough for about 25 brews in the freezer. Underpitch with about 5cm x 5cm of flakes just lobbed into the fermenter. Real easy.
That said the other week made a big starter using Wyeast 1098 and enjoyed that for a change.

You might find that the yeast beats you to dropping out, it just falls when it's done especially as the temp falls at the same time as activity ceases. I put my fermenter under a sleeping bag and a few hot bottles of water to keep it hot for the first day or so. Then uncover and let it chill!!

I've been building a frozen liquid bank. Was hoping to siphon off a half liter of slurry but you're right. That half liter was more wort than anything else lol A fun yeast to watch in the starter is hothead. It drops as soon as the stir bar is off, once it flocs out it goes right back to town! These yeasts are definitely different than anything I've ever messed with before!

 

[DuncB]

The frozen dry flakes are like having a packet of crisps in the freezer.
I'm going to try some co fermentation with kveik and a belgian yeast for a tripel apparently a real quick turn around and a good result.

But I still struggle with the body temp way it thrives.

The dry lallemand Voss didn't drop very well and I wouldn't use it again ( except if I wanted Hazy).

 

[Andre3000]

Did you fine that with gelatin or is that clear just from cold conditioning? I'm hoping to hit it with gelatin then let it sit a few weeks to drop bright

No. I never use cold side finings anymore. They're a good way to oxidize otherwise perfect beer. If one uses good brewing practice and Whirfloc, most beers clear up wonderfully like that in 3ish weeks anyway.

 

[rtstrider]

No. I never use cold side finings anymore. They're a good way to oxidize otherwise perfect beer. If one uses good brewing practice and Whirfloc, most beers clear up wonderfully like that in 3ish weeks anyway.

Do you happen to have any references that I can look at in regards to cold side fining and oxidation? I'm still a noob to cold side fining