Kveik: Old World Yeast for New Age Brewing
BSI Kveik Strains- Versatile option for brewing
At BSI, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide you with a diverse selection of yeasts to brew that personalized, sought-after style. Kveik yeasts are a versatile option for creating a wide variety of beer styles. Kveik is best described as a culture, rather than a single strain. Since 2014, researchers have collected and studied 30 or more Kveik cultures. Some of these original cultures contain multiple strains, even species of bacteria and wild yeast. This family of yeast has a deep, perhaps prehistoric, tradition of farmhouse brewing in western Norway and parts of the Baltic.
History of Kveik
The word Kveik is a common word for yeast in Norway that translates to something like “breathe life into”. This phrase is a creative way to express essentially what yeast does for beer. The term also implies that traditional farmhouse brewing heritage is typically applied to a family-reared culture. By 2018, Kveik was made far more accessible to brewers, including regions far outside of Scandinavia. Kveik’s versatility has made it a popular strain for many brewers outside of its original brewing range. The commercially bought brewer’s yeast in Norway is called gjaer.
Kveik is closely related to the English ale yeasts, but has tropical fruit aromas that are more potent. Simply put, Kveik belongs to Beer 1 (a category of yeast classification) along with German, British, American, and Belgian top-fermenters. Kveik strains are most closely related to on another than to yeast strains outside of western Norway. Due to the Kveik strain similarities, brewers may pitch Kveik cultures into many English styles such as bitters, porters, [imperial] stouts, and more. For example, the Voss stain is known to be excellent for brewing barleywine, but is not often seen as a traditional yeast for the brew. Kveik is also quite useful in turning beers around quickly because they can attenuate and flocculate so effectively, allowing brewer’s to tap these earlier than many other styles.
Kveik Attributes
These cultures are thermo-tolerant and tend to ferment warmer, typically ranging from 30-42C. They are said to ferment quicker, taking just a couple of days depending on the batch size. Kveiks are non-phenolic, non-diastatic, have a high flocculation rate, will attenuate thoroughly (results in the past have indicated 60-90%) and requires a short maturation as it produces less off-flavors, such as diacetyl and acetaldehyde. In 2018, Garshol and Priess claimed that the aromas produced by Kveik could be managed by altering pitch rate. Evidently, more yeast pitched will actually reduce the potency of the aroma. Scientists have suggested that the high flocculation rate is evidence for its domestication.
Incorporating Kveik cultures into your brewing arsenal opens the door to both tradition and innovation. With its deep roots in Norwegian farmhouse brewing, rapid fermentation, high-temperature tolerance, and unique aroma profiles, Kveik yeasts offer brewers a versatile option for creating a wide variety of beer styles. BSIs dedication is to providing these time-honored, yet modern yeasts to help you explore new flavors and push the boundaries of what’s possible in your brewery.
• Nornes
o Origin: Nornes Family Farm, Norway
o History: The Nornes Kveik strain originates from the Nornes family farm in Norway, where it was traditionally maintained by farmhouse brewers. Like other kveik strains, it was passed down through generations and stored in dried yeast rings or wooden containers.
o Flavor: fruity and floral characteristics
o Brewing Specs:
▪ Attenuation: 80%-85%
▪ Flocculation: Medium-High
▪ ABV: 14%
• Hornindal
o Origin: Grodås, Norway
o History: Hornindal Kveik originates from Hornindal, Norway. This strain was preserved by Norwegian farmhouse brewers and passed down through generations. Traditionally, Hornindal has been dried and stored on wooden yeast rings or cloth. The strain became widely known thanks to the beer historian Lars Marius Garshol.
o Flavor: balanced fruity, mild spicy profile, “milky caramel, mushroom, and tropical fruit”
o Brewing Specs:
▪ Attenuation: 75%-82%
▪ Flocculation: Medium
▪ ABV: 16%
• Kveik-Voss
o Origin: Voss, Norway
o History: Voss Kveik (sometimes known as #1 Gjernes) is a traditional Norwegian farmhouse yeast strain famous for its ability to ferment cleanly at high temperatures while producing a distinct citrus-forward ester profile. It originates
from Voss, Norway. Known for its rich farmhouse brewing tradition, Voss has become a powerhouse in the region since the 1980’s. The strain preservation is passed down through generations by local brewers, notably Sigmund Gjernes, who maintained and shared his kveik culture.
o Flavor: bright flavors such as orange peel with a slight spice
o Brewing Specs:
▪ Attenuation: 75%-80%
▪ Flocculation: High
▪ ABV: 14%
• Kveik – Oslo
o Origin: Oslo, Norway
o History: Oslo does not originate from traditional Norwegian farmhouse brewing in the same way as strains like Voss or Hornindal. Instead, it is a modern discovery, sourced from Norwegian brewers experimenting with kveik yeast for clean fermentations. Unlike typical farmhouse kveik, which thrives on producing fruity esters, Oslo was isolated for its neutral character. This neutrality makes it particularly valuable for brewers wanting to achieve lager-like beers without the extended fermentation times and cold storage required by traditional lager yeasts.
o Flavor: clean, fruity, slightly floral notes
o Brewing Specs:
▪ Attenuation: 75%-80%
▪ Flocculation: Medium-High
▪ ABV: 12%
Sources and Further Reading:
https://www.mbaa.com/education/webinars/Documents/Kveik Yeast Questions and Answers.pdf
https://beerandbrewing.com/versatile-kveik-for-the-modern-brewer/
https://beerandbrewing.com/ferment-hot-fast-and-clean-beer-with-kveik-norwegian-farmhousestrains/
https://beerandbrewing.com/brewing-with-kveik-what-have-we-learned-so-far/
https://beerandbrewing.com/kveik-the-ancient-and-modern-way-to-brew/
https://www.brewersassociation.org/seminars/kveik-yeast-from-farmhouse-obscurity-to-craftdarling/
https://www.mbaa.com/meetings/archive/Documents/
307911910-1817_KveikLabEvolution_Preiss.pdf
https://www.brewingnordic.com/farmhouse-ales/practical-guide-to-kveik-farmhouse-yeastintroduction/
“How to brew with Kveik”, Garshol and Preiss. MBAA-TQ, vol. 55, no. 4, 2018. p.76-83
“The Farmhouse Yeast Registry”, Garhsol, Lars. MBAA-TQ, vol. 57, no.3, 2020. p. 123-128
“Historical Brewing Techniques: The Lost Art of Farmhouse Brewing”, Garshol, Lars. Brewers
Publications. Boulder, CO. 2020.
Preiss, Richard et al. “Traditional Norwegian Kveik Are a Genetically Distinct Group of
Domesticated Saccharomyces cerevisiae Brewing Yeasts.” Frontiers in microbiology vol. 9 2137.
12 Sep. 2018
Written by David Pritchard- Microtechnologist