Kveik

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For Stranda I always use Omega Hothead Ale. Never ever had any trouble with it, never done a starter either. The first use I pitch the whole packet and do something less reliant on yeast flavours. I then top crop it from high krausen, and subsequent brews I underpitched from this harvested yeast. I made quite a few delicious brews from the 1 packet of Hothead using this method, and got delicious mango and ripe tropical fruit smells during fermentation from the under-pitches fermented at about 28 degrees C, I never got over 30 degrees for Stranda, as then you get nasty flavours with it.

I have a pouch of Omega Hornindal sat in the fridge waiting to be used.

My one foray into using dried Kveik was a packet of Lallemand Voss. The beer is delicious, but I won't be using it again. The beer is a bit to acidic for my liking, and by the gods does the yeast make a mess of your FV compared to other strains I've used in the past. I can't even say that this meant clearer beer in the bottle, as it wasn't. lol

It's no secret though that for many years now I have been a fan of Omega's kveik strains (mainly their Hothead Ale Stranda...). No, I don't work for them, no I don't get anything for saying so either. I'm not an influencer, I don't post often enough for that. 🤪

I tried Lutra, but sadly my old FV decided that that was the time to spring more leaks than an allotment gardener. The beer got massively infected, fruitfly infested, and went to feed my compost (pro-tip right there that I found on the internet, ruined beer is fantastic for composters..... All that wonderful yeast and bacteria really accelerates compost production!). The FV went into the bin to be replaced by a stainless steel one. I've just been way too busy to brew since (hence I have been so quiet on here...).
 
I've just bought some of the Yeaster Bunny Ebbergarden and Voss. So the plan is to do a 1 litre starter but only pitch half and save half, and then ferment at 35C. I'm told that under-pitching is key getting the fruity taste but wondered if that was right or not....
 
Right it’s in for cold crash
29ABF6DF-7419-4B0B-B487-CFDEAA01C35B.jpeg
 
This stuff is a bit of a beast. Not really the right temps at the Moment but it was all I had. Never used it before,.
Absolutely ripping through an imperial stout and one bid for escape has already been thwarted!
 
If anyone's not seen this, Lars has written up a layman's version of a paper about how kveik manages to be so tough (short version - it's all about protecting cell membranes with trehalose), but it also has some useful measurements of eg how heat tolerant different kveiks are. They're not all the same - Voss1 and Hornindal1 suvive pretty well at 42°C, whereas Ebbegarden1 is pretty much dead by then.

https://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/423.html
 
If anyone's not seen this, Lars has written up a layman's version of a paper about how kveik manages to be so tough (short version - it's all about protecting cell membranes with trehalose), but it also has some useful measurements of eg how heat tolerant different kveiks are. They're not all the same - Voss1 and Hornindal1 suvive pretty well at 42°C, whereas Ebbegarden1 is pretty much dead by then.

https://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/423.html
I hadn't seen it, neither did I know he ran a blog. Thanks for the link.
 
I recently did a Kveik brew on a summer ale dont have the recipe with me but used cluster for buttering and Citra for aroma I’m drinking it now i brewed it at 34 totally fermented out in three days kegged it carbonated it and with every pint it’s getting better and better
 
My mate has had a brew on with MJ Kviek and he had hoped that without temp control it would be fine - he's had it fermented away at the start if August and it took about 2 weeks to ferment plus now he's got the acetylaldehyde - cidery smell. Any thoughts? My limited knowledge is he's maybe got some oxygen in during the fermentation but he's not one for poking about in his fermenting brews either that or the lack of temp control?
 
Well ethanol plus oxygen makes acetaldehyde.

CH3CH2OH + 1⁄2 O2 → CH3CHO + H2O

also formed as a by product in normal fermentation but normally only in small quantities.

If you keep oxidising the acetaldehyde I think you'll get acetone and then keep oxidising the acetone you'll end up with acetic acid ( vinegar ).

Certainly got a container of cider vinegar when an airlock dried out in the back of the garage on some cider, took quite a few months in a cool shed.
 
I’ve done quite a few home brews with Kveik but I’m still not happy with the aroma in my IPA’s, APA’s & NEIPA’s. So I’ve cut back on dry hopping and started keg hopping during packaging by using a small amount of lupomax hops (which have less veg material).

I’m still experimenting with the amounts but so far 20g produces a great aroma and taste.

My next experiment is to do no dry hopping at all in the fermenter and just do a whirlpool and keg addition.
 
My mate has had a brew on with MJ Kviek and he had hoped that without temp control it would be fine - he's had it fermented away at the start if August and it took about 2 weeks to ferment plus now he's got the acetylaldehyde - cidery smell. Any thoughts? My limited knowledge is he's maybe got some oxygen in during the fermentation but he's not one for poking about in his fermenting brews either that or the lack of temp control?
MJ Kveik is Voss, and Voss can leave Sulphur and Acetaldehyde unless it is fermented hot, I wouldn't take it below 25C. It also has above average nutrient requirements, like most Kveik.
 
MJ Kveik is Voss, and Voss can leave Sulphur and Acetaldehyde unless it is fermented hot, I wouldn't take it below 25C. It also has above average nutrient requirements, like most Kveik.
That would explain the bad batch I had last year, put me right off Voss for a while, but used it this year at close to 40°C and got great results.
 

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