Omega Yeast first became aware of the Norwegian kveik strains via Lars Marius Garshol’s blog where he shared with us not only the history of Norwegian farmhouse brewing but the strains being used to brew traditional Norwegian farmstead beers.
The temperatures they were fermenting at were practically unbelievable — up to, and sometimes exceeding, 100°F! Our thought was that they were either making terrible beer or that these were remarkable strains! After we ran some experiments, we confirmed that these unique strains ferment well at 70°F or 95°F with little difference in ester production.
Additionally, our newly released Hornindal Kveik (OYL-091) produces tropical flavors while our HotHead® (OYL-057) can be used to ferment a cleaner brew. Because of the wide versatility that the Norwegian strains offer, we couldn’t wait to make the strains available to you and now offer three (3) new kveik (“yeast” in Norwegian) strains from the farmsteads of Norway.
HotHead is Norwegian in origin — from the Stranda Kveik. The famous Lars of Larsblog collected it in Norway and then sent it away for isolation. This isolate has a uniquely pleasant fruitiness and an absurdly wide fermentation range, and ferments clean across the entire range. This is great for brewers who want to be energy efficient with temperature control, or who lack temperature control in warm climates. It maintains a stable ester profile, and we advocate it be used for hoppy American ales (non-phenolic).
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Voss Kveik is also a Norwegian farmhouse strain (from the Gjernes farmhouse) which is new to US brewers. Omega Yeast was the first to have this strain. It maintains character over a broad temperature range with subtle orange citrus notes that match fruity hops well. Best fermented warm! (non-phenolic)
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A wonderfully unique Norwegian farmstead “kveik,” Hornindal presents a tropical flavor and aroma of fresh pineapple, mango and tangerine, which complement fruit-forward hops. Add even more dimension to “C” hops with a high fermentation temperature, intensifying aroma and fermentation speed. Ferments well at 90+° F. (non-phenolic).
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Omega Yeast’s own Lance Shaner was featured on the Mead House Podcast and The Beer Scholar — discussing our wildly popular Norwegian Kveik strains and how much they love the heat. Check them out!
The Mead House Episode 87
The Beer Scholar: Expert Panel on KVEIK with Almanac Beer Co, Omega Yeast, & Beer Scholar at Old Devil Moon