Kveik Bitter

[MarkA]

I had a couple of sachets of Mangrove Jacks Kveik yeast in the fridge that I hadn't got round to using yet, so thought I'd give them a try.

Day 1 Brew Day

•5kg Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt (88.5%)
•350g Crystal/Caramalt 175EBC (6.2%)
•300g Torrified Wheat 5 EBC (5.3%)

•50g First Gold @ 60 minutes (34 IBU)
•20g First Gold @ 30 minutes (13 IBU)
•30g First Gold @ 00 minutes

Mash 66deg 60 mins
Boil 60 mins

Fermentation temp 32 degrees C

SG - 1.048

Day 3
Checked gravity and it was 1.009

Day 7
I left it over the weekend and checked again just to make sure - still 1.009

Transferred to King Keg (top tap) and added 68g sugar, left at 22 degrees to prime

Day 8
Out of interest, I thought I'd check the barrel pressure. Usually after 24 hours there wouldn't be much, but I managed to draw off a pint complete with a decent head. I have to say, for a week from grain to glass, the beer tasted really good. No off-flavours from the yeast being at such a high temperature, and only a hint of 'green' flavour and with only a slight haze. I enjoyed it so much, I managed to pour two further pints. I'll leave the rest for a couple of weeks before tasting again.

I have used the second batch of yeast in a simple recipe, a pseudo 'lager' sort of, just to see how it performs.

[drjim]

Kveik and lager didn't go well for me last year. I actually found a keg full of it in my spare fridge the other day, over carbed and been at ambient temp since last May at a guess. still tastes weird so planning to pour it down the drain!

[MarkA]

Ooh, that's not good drjim! What was the weird flavour?

[drjim]

Funny yeasty taste.

Caveat - I made it shortly before my Dad died. It was left in the fermenter for about 3 weeks after it had finished, I remember tasting it out of the fermenter and thinking it was OKish. It then got hurriedly kegged and force carbed, then abandoned in the shed throughout the summer. Really needed to have been chilled. The other barrel of lager I made around the time also tastes a bit odd. So the abandonment might be a significant factor.

I'd get it off the yeast as soon as fermentation is done and get it crash cooled/kegged, or bottled primed and then straight in a big cold fridge/freezer!

You may have more success with it.

[MarkA]

Fermentation should be finished tomorrow or Saturday and I was hoping to leave it for a week or so in the cool before bottling as I'm away next week. Maybe I'll rack it off into my bottling bucket before I leave instead.

Cheers

[drjim]

How did it turn out?

[MarkA]

How did it turn out?

Both beers turned out well. I racked the 'lager' into a secondary for a week and bottled with 1 teaspoon of sugar per 500ml bottle. It took about three weeks to prime, whereas the bitter in the barrel was done in a couple of days.

Both are very drinkable with no off flavours from a 30-35 degree fermentation!

[PeeBee]

One of my favourite commercial beers is William Bros. "Sapien". Described as a "Kveik Double IPA", it put paid to any aversion I may have had to using "kveik". (Olay, hard to do wrong with a 7.5% beer ).

I'm sure Mark's "Kveik Bitter" was fine. Pseudo Lager? Maybe wasn't be like a common-garden Lager, but surely, it'd be good?

[MarkA]

One of my favourite commercial beers is William Bros. "Sapien". Described as a "Kveik Double IPA", it put paid to any aversion I may have had to using "kveik". (Olay, hard to do wrong with a 7.5% beer ).

I haven't tried that one, I'll have to look out for it

I'm sure Mark's "Kveik Bitter" was fine. Pseudo Lager? Maybe wasn't be like a common-garden Lager, but surely, it'd be good?

The idea was to make a really simple beer with little malt or hop character so any yeast off-flavours had nothing to hide behind. It's perfectly decent and drinkable, and I would make it again as it was quick and easy, though wouldn't be my first choice.