Voss Kveik yeast is a monster

[Shwagger]

most beers finish in 72 hours. Dont get SOP of longer primary fermentation

 

[jaymosbeershack]

I stopped at the LHBS for a fresh pack of Voss the other day. They told me they were out, but had an out of dat pack in the back. It was from november 2018. I made a starter and it took off in 2 hours. Now to brew my 1 week porter[emoji482]

 

[macaronijones]

From some comments it sounds like lingering haziness can be an issue with this yeast if you're looking for clarity. Is this despite cold crashing and fining?

Also wondering if you still run into the issue of the beer, while being drinkable in a crazy short timeframe, still exhibiting the normal hiccups of "green" beer (yeasty/bready, overly bitter, flavors not melding) until it has been given a bit of time to condition in the keg.

 

[Dland]

I think i'd like to try this yeast when it gets warmer, but the above are very good questions. Hopefully someone knows.

 

[Amadeo38]

Going full tilt 3 hours after pitch, fully attenuated (76%) by 18 hours and completely stable FG by 21 hours post-pitch. Barely a Krausen so no blow-off tube needed by a long shot. Heat wrap set to 98F, I did not oxygenate other than splashing during transfer, and I forgot to add yeast nutrient. Just wow.

 

[Rickdude]

I think you guys have answered my question about this (I only looked over the last page of posts, so forgive me if this is explicitly answered earlier), but I want to be sure about this...

One of our commercial breweries is using this yeast (and making great beer with it), and I really like the short timeframe. He told me that I didn't need to worry about the temp much because the heat of metabolism will keep it up over the day or so needed. Of course he's brewing much larger batches, but I thought it sounded good.

I'm still in active fermentation 5 days out. Clearly I needed to pay more attention to keeping the temp up in some way. But here's the question(s)--

1) Is a blanket enough, or do I need to rig up a heater?
2) It's been bouncing between 75 and 100 here in Richmond, and the fermenter is on my screened in porch. Am I asking for trouble by having the temp vary this much (I'm thinking how fluctuating temperatures seem to emphasize off-flavors/aromas by yeast with other strains)?
3) I've been trying to downsize my brewing footprint since I moved recently (I know, it sounds crazy, but I have good reasons)... what's the simplest yet cheapest way of keeping my temp up if I need a heater?

Thanks!

Rick

 

[Amadeo38]

I think you guys have answered my question about this (I only looked over the last page of posts, so forgive me if this is explicitly answered earlier), but I want to be sure about this...

One of our commercial breweries is using this yeast (and making great beer with it), and I really like the short timeframe. He told me that I didn't need to worry about the temp much because the heat of metabolism will keep it up over the day or so needed. Of course he's brewing much larger batches, but I thought it sounded good.

I'm still in active fermentation 5 days out. Clearly I needed to pay more attention to keeping the temp up in some way. But here's the question(s)--

1) Is a blanket enough, or do I need to rig up a heater?
2) It's been bouncing between 75 and 100 here in Richmond, and the fermenter is on my screened in porch. Am I asking for trouble by having the temp vary this much (I'm thinking how fluctuating temperatures seem to emphasize off-flavors/aromas by yeast with other strains)?
3) I've been trying to downsize my brewing footprint since I moved recently (I know, it sounds crazy, but I have good reasons)... what's the simplest yet cheapest way of keeping my temp up if I need a heater?

Thanks!

Rick

Based on how quickly mine fermented out, I would have thought that pitching at 100F and wrapping in a blanket on an outdoor porch would have sufficed. Most say no temperature control is needed for this yeast and no off-flavors occur if the temp fluctuates. I never like to tempt fate, so I just use my heat wrap plugged into an STC-1000.

How much yeast did you use and what was the OG? They say only a tablespoon of slurry is needed for these Kviek strains, but again, I still make at least a 500ml starter and save 50ml of that in an old White Labs tube for the next batch.

A couple cheap options for keeping things hot yet stable are, 1) swamp cooler with an aquarium heater plugged in and placed in the water to keep it warm, and 2) heat wrap plugged into a temperature controller. Option 1 requires you to use a thermometer to confirm the heater is heating the water to the correct temp. Option 2 requires probably purchasing the plastic heat wrap in bulk and wiring it up yourself with an old extension cord (what I did) then also having an extra temp controller. Probably overkill for Kviek, but can also be used for Belgians and saisons (esp. in the winter). I’m sure there are other options, and others can chime in. I’ve seen those little heat belts that look like a rubber bungee cord, but don’t understand how they heat the entire carboy.

In regard to a previous posters question, my Einstock White Ale clone fermented with Voss at roughly 100F has no apparent off-flavors as of this morning (42 hours post-pitch).

 

[whovous]

What happens if you ferment at room temp - low to mid 70sF?

 

[Miraculix]

What happens if you ferment at room temp - low to mid 70sF?

You get a lager-ish beer.

 

[Julian Høstan Urrea]

What happens if you ferment at room temp - low to mid 70sF?

You get a Really clean beer. I've tasted it and really can't tell the difference between a bottom fermented lager and "low" temperature kveik beer. The plus side being that no lagering is needed.

 

[Beer666]

Had a 11.5% RIS finish in less than 3 days with no hint of alcohol. The yeast is a beast and i always ferment at 37c. I never seem to get any of the esters people talk about either or perhaps its masked by the styles i brew with it.

 

[Miraculix]

Had a 11.5% RIS finish in less than 3 days with no hint of alcohol. The yeast is a beast and i always ferment at 37c. I never seem to get any of the esters people talk about either or perhaps its masked by the styles i brew with it.

The ester key is to underpitch heavily. You really want one teaspoon of slurry per five gallons. This brings out the esters, I tried it myself and it worked when pitching in 37c wort and wrapping the fermenter in a blanket afterwards.

If you already did that, than it might really just be masked by the roast. Wouldn't be too surprising with an imperial stout

 

[Dgallo]

I just brewed two beer with this yeast, a single hop Galaxy pale ale and a NEIPA featuring lavender flower. I went grain to glass in 6.5 days on the pale and 7.5 days on the NEIPA. So I totally can pick out the orange component in the ester profile, but does anyone else get a slight saison/Trappist bubblegum note in it as well? For me it’s very subtle but present.

Ran it at 90-95

 

[Rickdude]

The ester key is to underpitch heavily. You really want one teaspoon of slurry per five gallons. This brings out the esters, I tried it myself and it worked when pitching in 37c wort and wrapping the fermenter in a blanket afterwards.

Just to toss in an aside-- I was chatting with Jenny at Wyeast not too long ago and she was talking about how yeast will provide different profiles if you stress them with temp or, in this case, underpitching. I never really thought about it, but of course it makes perfect sense.

As a beer judge, I'm often explaining on the sheets why I'm dinging the beer a few points for aromas or flavors that are likely due to fermentation conditions. It just never dawned on me to do this on purpose!

(Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else... I just love sharing/pointing out other peoples' great ideas! )

 

[Rickdude]

How much yeast did you use and what was the OG? They say only a tablespoon of slurry is needed for these Kviek strains, but again, I still make at least a 500ml starter and save 50ml of that in an old White Labs tube for the next batch.

That's probably it, then. I took it straight out of the Omega pouch. I was amazed at how fast it started to propogate and cloud the fermenter, but that's still lag time. I'm pitching a big starter today and I'll post an update. Considering the comments on fluctuating temps, I won't worry at all-- this is supposed to be a "lawnmower beer," so cleaner is fine.

A couple cheap options for keeping things hot yet stable are, 1) swamp cooler with an aquarium heater plugged in and placed in the water to keep it warm, and 2) heat wrap plugged into a temperature controller. Option 1 requires you to use a thermometer to confirm the heater is heating the water to the correct temp. Option 2 requires probably purchasing the plastic heat wrap in bulk and wiring it up yourself with an old extension cord (what I did) then also having an extra temp controller.

I happen to have an extra temp controller and there's plenty of cheap heating tape on Ebay-- option 2 is perfect for me. My brain was going to loop systems, constant temp baths, etc. Thanks for the easy answer.

Rick

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I think you guys have answered my question about this (I only looked over the last page of posts, so forgive me if this is explicitly answered earlier), but I want to be sure about this...

One of our commercial breweries is using this yeast (and making great beer with it), and I really like the short timeframe. He told me that I didn't need to worry about the temp much because the heat of metabolism will keep it up over the day or so needed. Of course he's brewing much larger batches, but I thought it sounded good.

I'm still in active fermentation 5 days out. Clearly I needed to pay more attention to keeping the temp up in some way. But here's the question(s)--

1) Is a blanket enough, or do I need to rig up a heater?
2) It's been bouncing between 75 and 100 here in Richmond, and the fermenter is on my screened in porch. Am I asking for trouble by having the temp vary this much (I'm thinking how fluctuating temperatures seem to emphasize off-flavors/aromas by yeast with other strains)?
3) I've been trying to downsize my brewing footprint since I moved recently (I know, it sounds crazy, but I have good reasons)... what's the simplest yet cheapest way of keeping my temp up if I need a heater?

Thanks!

Rick

Was Vasen the brewery you talked to? I noticed they're using this a lot in their hazy IPAs and making some fantastic stuff.

 

[Miraculix]

Just to toss in an aside-- I was chatting with Jenny at Wyeast not too long ago and she was talking about how yeast will provide different profiles if you stress them with temp or, in this case, underpitching. I never really thought about it, but of course it makes perfect sense.

As a beer judge, I'm often explaining on the sheets why I'm dinging the beer a few points for aromas or flavors that are likely due to fermentation conditions. It just never dawned on me to do this on purpose!

(Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else... I just love sharing/pointing out other peoples' great ideas! )

I had the idea from larsblog, which is written by the guy who basically introduced the world to kveik yeasts on a broader scale.

Interestingly, My very first Kveik was not a commercial yeast, but an original yeast mix from a Norwegian village which I got from a friend who went there and met local brewers. I made a starter to see if the yeast is valid (was home dried slurry) and it took off like a bomb. I then pitched the whole starter which basically was a huge overpitch for kveik but I still got loads of esters with that one. Wouldn't clear properly though but as I said, it had all the esters without the underpitchin and the haze did not taste like yeast haze so it was not a problem to me, only a cosmetic issue.

I later brewed some beers with Voss Kveik and this yeast really needed the underpitching and high temperatures to shine.

I have no idea why the original mix didn't need it but the commercial single strain did.

 

[Amadeo38]

Interestingly, My very first Kveik was not a commercial yeast, but an original yeast mix from a Norwegian village which I got from a friend who went there and met local brewers.

I have no idea why the original mix didn't need it but the commercial single strain did.

I have three strains of Kviek currently on hand (stranda, Voss, and hornindal) but this link shows many, if not all, of the known variants. Perhaps the one you got was a blend or a slightly different strain?

http://www.garshol.priv.no/download/farmhouse/kveik.html#kv5

 

[Miraculix]

I have three strains of Kviek currently on hand (stranda, Voss, and hornindal) but this link shows many, if not all, of the known variants. Perhaps the one you got was a blend or a slightly different strain?

http://www.garshol.priv.no/download/farmhouse/kveik.html#kv5

All of the traditional ones are blends as they have been handed down from generation to generation and there was nobody isolating strains on the farms. It is probably a mix of different yeasts and bacterias, and the bacterias play probably a role in flavour production as well as the yeasts do. It wasn't sour but there is still so much stuff in those traditional mixes that it is hard to track down what organism contributes what in the final product.

But what was interesting to see was that the hot fermented and underpitched Voss came pretty close to the original Kveik taste wise. Maybe it was isolated from a mix close to the one I got on hand.

 

[Rickdude]

Was Vasen the brewery you talked to? I noticed they're using this a lot in their hazy IPAs and making some fantastic stuff.

I didn't know that Vasen was using it, but I love their IPA's, too! It's Kindred Spirit I was talking about. My cycling/beer/pizza group meets there on Wednesdays.

 

[Miraculix]

I didn't know that Vasen was using it, but I love their IPA's, too! It's Kindred Spirit I was talking about. My cycling/beer/pizza group meets there on Wednesdays.

Hahahahahah I like the disguise. The CYCLING(beer, pizza)GROUP.

I guess I am also kind of a cyclist myself

 

[NGD]

Curious if anyone has had success with Voss getting clear? Seems like even with fining I still get a considerable amount of chill haze.

 

[Julian Høstan Urrea]

Even with the original strain you'll have differences because of the way its handled, and passed from brewer to brewer. What I mean is that my Voss isn't the same as your Voss. Who knows how many generations, or how many bacterias I have that others don't. I've heard about some beers clearing easily and some that won't clear even with finnings. I've heard some beers finishing after 36 hours, mine took 3 days to finish under pressure. Some give the orange flavor easily, others don't. It would be interesting to get the real strain from different locations and brewing the same recipe and checking the difference between the two.

 

[Calaeb]

Curious if anyone has had success with Voss getting clear? Seems like even with fining I still get a considerable amount of chill haze.

i had used voss in a blonde and it cleaned decently, wasn't crystal clear but didn't look like a neipa either. I used whirlfoc and gelatin on it.

 

[restless]

Was Vasen the brewery you talked to? I noticed they're using this a lot in their hazy IPAs and making some fantastic stuff.

Vasen's sours are sooo good.

 

[Amadeo38]

After back-to-back, clean, delicious beers that went grain to glass in less than a week, I’ve decided I may never use another yeast again. Perhaps if I’m feeling like I need to do a saison or other type of Belgian, I’ll track down a strain that gives off phenols, such as FY#16: Simonaitis, FY #32: Jovaru, or WY #36: Gardsøy

 

[marc1]

Does fermenting at high temperatures like this degrade hop flavor and aroma? Or is it finished so quickly that it doesn't matter as much?

 

[Amadeo38]

The two beers I’ve done haven’t been hop or even malt focused, so it’s hard to tell. The first one was a lime zested gose, so detecting any hop or malt contributions through lactic acidity, lime, salt, and coriander is tough. The second beer was a white ale with orange peel and coriander, which has the same story. Big citrus flavor and slight coriander, and a nice malt/wheat profile but couldn’t pull out the hops.

Others who’ve done IPA with this yeast should be able to comment better.

 

[Julian Høstan Urrea]

Does fermenting at high temperatures like this degrade hop flavor and aroma? Or is it finished so quickly that it doesn't matter as much?

I havent noticed anything but I've read that you should lower the temps when dryhopping. It can cause a lot of bitterness.

 

[NGD]

I remember running across this. I would say it hold true. The IPAs I’ve tried with Kviek tend not to have the orange bomb flavor. Also of the lower ABV beers I’ve done do not seem to have the esters usually associated with kviek.

However @bigdawg86 tends to get orange bombs with his..so it could be a technique issue on my part. The first beer I did was a high ABV (10%) imperial saison that was marmalade. The smell while fermenting was fantastic!

Propagating kveik at home


There are two main ways that people use kveik. One is to recreate the original styles, or at least make a beer where kveik is one of the key taste elements. In this case, beware of using lots of craft-style hops: the hops will completely dominate the beer and the yeast profile will drown. The other way is to make a normal beer (porter, IPA, etc), but use kveik because you don't have to worry (too much) about temperature control, and because you get a drinkable beer much more quickly. Either way is fine, but you may want to treat the yeast differently.

Source http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/393.html