Quick Guide to Kveiks

Here is what we’ve been able to learn about some commercially available kveiks, their origins, and their personalities. The numbers and names follow the convention of Lars Marius Garshol’s farmhouse yeast registry (available at garshol.priv.no/download/farm house/kveik.html). All of the following yeasts should work well in the 70–100°F (21–38°C) range.

No. 1 Sigmund

From Sigmund Gjernes in Voss. This is one of the most widely available kveik strains. It produces orange citrus–like esters. Commercial examples: East Coast ECY43 Nordic Farmhouse, Escarpment Voss Kveik, Lalbrew Voss Kveik, Omega OYL-061 Voss, White

Labs WLP520 Sigmund Kveik, and Yeast Bay WLP4045 Sigmund’s Voss Kveik.

No. 3 Stranda

From Stein Langlo in Stranda. Per Omega yeast, this kveik has an “astoundingly wide temperature range and little change in flavor across the range.” It produces mango-honey notes. Commercial examples: OYL-057 Hothead and White Labs WLP519 Stranda.

No. 5 Hornindal

From Terje Raftevold in Grodås. More expressive at high temperatures, producing notes of stone fruit and pineapple. Complements tropical fruit–forward hops. Commercial examples: Escarpment Hornindal Kveik Blend, Imperial A46 Bartleby, Omega OYL-091 Hornindal, and White Labs WLP521 Hornindal. A strain within this culture is also the source of Omega OYL-071 Lutra.

No. 9 Ebbegarden

From Jens Aage Øvrebust in Stordal. Prominent tropical guava and mango esters. Accentuates hop bitterness. Commercial example: Escarpment Ebbegarden Kveik Blend.

library. Another idea is to add the Norsk Kornølfestival—the Norwegian farmhouse ales fest—to your beer-travel bucket list. (This year’s, scheduled for October 10, will be online-only due to the pandemic.)

Meanwhile, let’s look at how some American brewers have taken these cultures and run with them.

Kveik, Unleashed

If you show up at Chicago’s District Brew Yards at the wrong time—or is it the right time?—you may hear an unsettling sound coming from the brewhouse: violent, frightening, top-of-the-lungs screaming.

That would be the Burnt City Brewing team following the tradition of the g jaerkauk—the yeast scream—to scare away supernatural creatures and ensure a healthy fermentation. Ben Saller, head brewer, says they do it every time they pitch kveik. “We’ve taken to warning whoever’s in the brewery that we’re going

No. 10 Framgarden

From Petter Øvrebust in Stordal. Melon and tropical notes. Commercial examples: Isolated strains from this kveik are used to produce Imperial A37 Pog and Yeast Bay WLP4051.

No. 11 Lida

From Samuel Lien in Grodås. Stone-fruit and grape esters. Commercial example: Yeast Bay WLP4052.

No. 13 Årset

From Jakob Årset in Eidsdal. Similar to Hornindal but is said to work better with hop biotransformation (i.e., dry hopping during active fermentation). Commercial example: Escarpment Årset Kveik Blend.

No. 17 Midtbust

From Odd Midtbust in Stordal. Clean profile, low esters. Commercial example: Yeast Bay WLP4053 Midtbust.

No. 20 Espe

From Arve Espe in Grodås. Produces lychee, pear, and tropical-fruit notes. More expressive above 90°F (32°C). Commercial example: Omega OYL-090 Espe.

No. 41 Skare

From Gunnar Skare in Ørsta. Two strains from this kveik are the source of Escarpment Lab’s clean-fermenting Krispy yeast.

No. 43 Opshaug

From Harald Opshaug in Stranda. Traditionally used for kornøl (raw ale). Ferments cleanly, with low esters that complement hops. Commercial example: White Labs WLP518 Opshaug Kveik.

Others

Imperial Yeast produces at least two other products based on kveiks but isn’t precise about their origins: A43 Loki (possibly Sigmund), A44 Kveiking (possibly Hornindal). to do it because otherwise people will think something terrible has happened,” he says. “But yeah, you got to keep those ghosts out.” (Or, as one Norwegian brewer said, according to Garshol, “I’m not sure it works, but it costs so little.”)

As brewers go, Saller is enough of a kveik enthusiast that he organized the first Kveik Fest in Chicago in September 2019. Thirty breweries participated, each bringing beers brewed with kveik cultures—and those ran the gamut from gruits and robust porters to barleywines and milkshake IPAS.

“I go through phases where we’re using kveik all the time,” Saller says. That often includes some that are more inspired by the farmhouse traditions, but they’ve also used them for what Saller calls “quick IPAS.” They’ve tried out different kveiks— such as Voss, Hornindal, Framgarden, and Omega’s Hothead—and Saller says he would love to try out more.