Kveik

[Jake Michael]

I think my issue was I was expecting my Opshaug to perform like some other kviek I've used which have blazed through fermentation and I now realise that my naivety overtook common sense. I should have just followed the numbers/gravity and used that as my guide not how I thought the yeast 'should' perform. I dry hopped earlier than i would have liked but the beer shouldn't suffer too much as a result. What I am pleased with was the malt character which has been retained which I often find can be present at the start of fermentation but is often less present at the end. Could be a process thing but this yeast appears to be just fine and is still bubbling intermittently.
No complaints other than my own foolish whims!

I used WLP Osphaug on an IPA I brewed this Saturday and after 4 days (pretty much to the hour) it had gone from 1.060 to 1.011 which is an apparent attenuation of 81%. I did ferment on the slightly high side at 30 degrees C though. Cooled it down to 20 degrees C and dry hopped. It might drop a couple point by the time I keg on Monday but it's fermented around the same time that the Voss I used on my previous brew did. Think that took 5 days to go from 1.066 to 1.013 and stayed on 1.013 for about 2 weeks as didn't have time to keg, although I didn't have a fermentation fridge for that so the temperature definitely fluctuated more for that.

 

[krispn]

Odd! I’ve had mine at a constant 28c and I’m still getting some airlock action after initially dropping the temp. My experience with other Kveik is mod win line with what you’ve described.
Every brew is different!

 

[Jake Michael]

Odd! I’ve had mine at a constant 28c and I’m still getting some airlock action after initially dropping the temp. My experience with other Kveik is mod win line with what you’ve described.
Every brew is different!

Yeah it certainly is and as long as I'm happy with the end result I'm not too fussed about how it has got there (within reason...)

 

[An Ankoù]

My Opshaug has now been going for 15 days and the bubbler is kicking at one glug about every 20 seconds. Had a little taste and it's just about there, so no attenuation problems. Funny old stuff! If it does condition quickly, though, then all will be forgiven. Certainly going to use it again and save some slurry for the summer months.

 

[krispn]

So an update...
I let my yeast bash on and do it's thing raising the temp back up to 28c, White Labs Opshaug, having dry hopped a bit earlier than I should have. It was a Centennial single hop/Two Hearted clone which I made last year with a Cali style yeast.
I've since kegged the beer and had a sample tonight and while last years version was certainly more hop forward - think piney/resinous - (it was wonderful to have a glass sitting by the Douglas Fir Christmas tree as it really brought out the resinous pine quality...honest) some of that grapefruit bitterness from the Centennial and the sweetness from the kviek is conjuring up a tangerine type taste!

While I think I 'preferred' last years version this has it's own qualities and while different it's neither worse or better. As ever with a few weeks in the keg things might change subtly.

I do enjoy this hobby! If only I was more scientific!

 

[BeerCat]

Hornindal from eBay produced a fantastic hoppy raw beer. Started of at 15c due to no chill and rose to 30c.
Would of been ready in 5 days if I did not dry hop.

 

[johncrobinson]

As long as its NOT the Andromeda strain.

 

[An Ankoù]

Day 10 and my Opshaug is still working. I've got about 1 glug every 3 seconds now, in the airlock, so I've added a teaspoonful of nutrient and taken a gravity reading, which is 1015. When I took it, about 4 hours ago, I could have sworn it was 1018! might just have been bubbles adhering to the hydrometer. Anyway it tastes and smells good, if still too sweet, and I can see the beer very gently fizzing away in the trial jar. This stuff isn't supposes to be open fermented is it, by any chance? I've also raised the ambient 20C and wrapped a second towel around it.
Still hoping for a good result.

21 days and the gravity is down to 1011 so I'm going to dry hop, cold crash and bottle. Batch was brewed short and overstrength. target OG was 1060 for 20 litres and I ha d 18 litres at 1068. Liquored back with 2 litres of water to bring the recalculated OG to just over 1061 and the FG to 1009.9 and an ABV of about 7½%.
So that's my first encounter with kveik. The proof will be in the drinking and it tastes ok already. The slurry's going in a jar at the back of the garage (together with my Higg;s boson and fragment of the True Cross) until summer and then I'll try it again when it gets hot.

 

[Mrobson]

I have frozen it many times and it did not kill it.

Just gone into the fridge in the garage to get some Voss for the brew I’m doing at the moment and all of my jars of yeast are frozen solid!

Thankfully I’ve got backup dried yeast in the freezer for all the strains I’ve got.

Will the jars of slurry that have froze be ok to use once defrosted or shall I sling them? There’s a fair bit of each, seems a shame to waste it all

 

[BeerCat]

Just gone into the fridge in the garage to get some Voss for the brew I’m doing at the moment and all of my jars of yeast are frozen solid!

Thankfully I’ve got backup dried yeast in the freezer for all the strains I’ve got.

Will the jars of slurry that have froze be ok to use once defrosted or shall I sling them? There’s a fair bit of each, seems a shame to waste it all

Once it's defrosted you can reinvigorate it with fresh wort. Keep them all its not a problem.

 

[BeerCat]

I pitched some Hornindal into a 1050 wort 6 days ago and its just blown the airlock. Still fermenting away like mad at 27c. Something definitely not right with it. Makes me think i pitched brett by mistake . I pitched at 10c and it took a couple of days to warm up. Changed the airlock on day 2 then it settled down until today.

 

[Pennine]

WHC Bjorn kviek... available from malt miller ..has anyone used this? I'm probably placing an order tomorrow and fancy trying it in a Brewdog Slot machine clone as I want the brew finished quickly.

I realize this is late but I have used both the Bjorn and Ubbe kveik from WHC. I have pitched them both cold (18c) and Bjorn at 30c. At both temps I seem to get this earthy and sulfur note from Bjorn, kind of like fuggles in a lager. The sulfur does seem to fade with aging though. They both seem heavy on the sulfur intially however Bjorn worse than Ubbe. I just bottled a helles bock that was really good going into the bottle though so depending on style they might be great.

Two others were pales ales sampling hops Amarillo and Summit. I'm not happy with these though. To much sulfur for me.

Next batch I'll ferment entirely warm.

 

[Mrobson]

Have people ever experienced a lag time using kveik?

I pitched 1.2g of dried Opshaug from EBay at around 14.00 yesterday afternoon (27 hours ago) and still have no sign of a krausen.

 

[An Ankoù]

Mine took off like a bat out of hell.

 

[Mrobson]

Mine took off like a bat out of hell.

I’ve used the sellers strains twice before this and had no issues, not sure if it’s just an under pitch or duff yeast. Have you used the seller before?

 

[An Ankoù]

I’ve used the sellers strains twice before this and had no issues, not sure if it’s just an under pitch or duff yeast. Have you used the seller before?

No. Mine was a phial of Whitelabs and the yeast was in suspension in liquid.
I'd give it overnight. Have you got any other yeast you can chuck in, just in case it's dead?
By the way, what was the temperature of your wort when you pitched it? You need to get it up to at least 30C, and even then it's temperamental. I tried mine, for the first time at around 20C and I think it has finally done the business, but it took ages. Someone else used this kweik, I think it was Zephyr, and I don't think he was too impressed.
Get it warmed up. Take it to bed and cuddle it if you have to. Good luck and try explaining that one to the missus.

 

[Mrobson]

Pitched at 23c-24c as per the registry, the fridge is set to 22c

 

[An Ankoù]

Pitched at 23c-24c as per the registry, the fridge is set to 22c

It's not looking promising, then. I should give it until the morning and then decide whether to chuck something else in.

 

[Mrobson]

It's not looking promising, then. I should give it until the morning and then decide whether to chuck something else in.

That’s what I’m thinking, got some Espe out of the freezer ready for the morning. Don’t really want to warm the wort up again if I’m honest

 

[An Ankoù]

That’s what I’m thinking, got some Espe out of the freezer ready for the morning. Don’t really want to warm the wort up again if I’m honest

Not the end of the world. If I understand this kveik business correctly, what we get is single varietal strains or "isolates" taken from a right old muddle of mud. Sticking another yeast in with it would be probably more authentic than otherwise. Good luck.