Kveik

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Kveik Ring. Photo by Lars Marius Garshol.

Kveik (click here for pronunciation) is a dialect word for "yeast" in Norwegian ("gjær" is the common word for "yeast" in Norwegian [1]), and today specifically refers to yeast that has been reused for generations in traditional Norwegian farmhouse brewing. Most farmhouse brewers have started buying their yeast, but some kveik cultures have been passed down from generations and inherited by modern farmhouse brewers in Norway who still use this yeast today and brew with traditional farmhouse methods. Much of the knowledge about kveik and historical farmhouse brewing in Norway has been researched and publicized by Lars Marius Garshol on his blog, Larsblog, and in the book Beer and Brewing Traditions in Norway by Odd Nordland (1969). In recent years kveik cultures have been sent to yeast labs for propagation and distribution to brewers around the world [2]. The use of kveik is one of the many traditional methods still used by a few farmhouse brewers and homebrewers in Norway, along with other historical methods such as infusing the mash or boil with juniper, not filtering, using short fermentations to achieve low carbonation, the use of wood-fired copper or iron kettles, and sometimes not boiling the wort (Raw Ale) [3].

Brief History and Description of Kveik

Brief History

Kveik was passed down from generation to generation within the family, and also shared among fellow brewers in the region. At one time kveik was the only available form of yeast in Norway (and, of course, similar methods for reusing yeast were used all over the world prior to Emil Chr. Hansen's introduction of the pure-yeast system in 1883). Today kveik remains in the districts of Hardanger, Voss, Sogn, Nordfjord, and Sunnmøre, at least. Today, kveik is only used by homebrewers who still brew in the traditional methods of Norwegian farmhouse brewing [4]. Kveik was sometimes also used to ferment bread. Farmers seemed to have different preferences for top or bottom collecting their kveik [2].

Kveik was stored many ways. It was often stored in bottles with water or in a well. It was also dried on straw rings, on linen, or pieces of wood with holes drilled through them called "yeast logs". Often ashes were used to help dry the kveik quickly, or in the case of yeast logs, were lowered into the fermentation vessel to collect the yeast and then rolled in flour and allowed to dry for a few minutes, then dipped again to repeat the process. The log was then hung to dry. Although dried kveik was said to last for months or maybe longer, fresh kveik was always preferred, and often given away to those who needed new kveik (moldy kveik was thrown away) [2].

Sensory and Fermentation Profile

Kveik is not a single type of yeast. In fact, very likely the different kveik cultures don't even belong to the same species. So the term "kveik" means "ancestral non-lab yeast" rather than any specific strain of yeast or any specific characteristic of the yeast itself. Further, only a small fraction of the kveik cultures that exist have been sampled so far, so what is described here applies only to the cultures explored so far. The ones that still exist only "in the wild" may not fit this description.

The general flavor profile of kveik yeast is ester-driven, although a wide range of differences exist between strains. Kveik in its traditional form is usually a blend of closely related strains. The "Stranda" kveik was described as "lemon, nuts, grain, and straw" by Lars Marius Garshol. The "Hornindal kveik" with bacteria was described as "fruity, milky caramel, honey, and mushroom with a very unique aroma". The "Muri kveik" was described as "earthy on the nose, and fruity tasting with hints of rubber and sulfur and a thinner mouthfeel than the others" [5].

Omega Yeast Labs describes their two isolates as being non-phenolic and fruity, and complimenting of American citrus hops. They also note that the yeast has a very high temperature range (~68-98°F or ~20-37°C), attenuates high, tends to flocculate well, and also tends to ferment faster at the mid to high temperature ranges, while producing similar ester profiles throughout the entire temperature range.

Recent Yeast Lab Analysis

Thanks to efforts by Lars Marius Garshol and Håken Hveem, and Norwegian farmhouse brewers Svein Rivenes, Sigmund Gjernes, Bjarne Muri, Terje Raftevåg, and others, kveik has been made commercially available to brewers around the world. Much of the analysis has been performed by the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC).

Sigmund Gjernes's Voss Kveik

The NCYC found that a sample of Sigmund Gjernes's kveik was made up of three strains of S. cerevisiae. No bacterial contamination was found. DNA fingerprinting found the strains to be closely related [6]. See Larsblog Kveik analysis report for more information.

Omega Yeast Labs and The Yeast Bay independently isolated one of the strains from the Voss Kveik. It is not known if these are the same strains, or which NCYC strain they correspond to. However, they are thought to be similar in their flavor profile [7].

Svein Rivenes's Voss Kveik

Brewer Svein Rivenes deposited a sample of kveik in 2009 via Håken Hveem. No bacterial contamination was found [5]. Seven strains were isolated from the blend.

John Nornes's Voss Kveik

Martin Warren collected a sample from brewer John Nornes in Voss in 2015. The kveik has been analyzed by NCYC, but the strains have not been assigned numbers yet.

Bjarne Muri's Olden Kveik

Stein Langlo's Stranda Kveik

Terje Raftevåg's Hornindal Kveik

Terje's kveik was mixed with 2-3 other kveiks. This probably explains the wider variety of isolated strains. See "Kveik testing" and "Hornindal: interviews and collecting kveik" on Larsblog for more information.

Dagfinn Wendelbo's Lærdal kveik

This one has been sent to NCYC for analysis, but has not been assigned NCYC numbers yet.

In Other Countries

Until the introduction of Emil Chr. Hansen's pure-yeast system in 1883, all yeast was treated in effectively the same way as kveik. However, pure lab yeast generally replaced the ancient cultures all over the world. In farmhouse brewing, the old practices continued until quite recently in several Nordic and Baltic countries. Farmhouse brewing still continues in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. As far as is known, Lithuania is the only country other than Norway in which the old yeast cultures are still alive, and used in the same way as they were in the past. See Lithuanian beer - a rough guide for more information.

Relevant Larsblog Posts

Kveik

  • Kveik: Norwegian farmhouse yeast - An introduction to kveik and an initial report of DNA analysis by NCYC from 2009.
  • Kveik analysis report - 2014 DNA fingerprinting of two more kveik samples sent to NCYC; one sample could not grow in the lab. The other found three closely related strains of yeast and no bacterial infection (Sigmund Gjernes's Voss Kveik).
  • Brewing with kveik - Sigmund Gjernes, a homebrewer in Norway, brews traditional Norwegian farmhouse ale with kveik.
  • Hornindal: interviews and collecting kveik - An attempt by Lars to collect three more samples of kveik which would not grow in the lab.
  • Kveik testing - Lars brews using 5 different samples of kveik he's collected, and compares tasting notes.

Raw Ale

  • Raw ale - Definition of "raw ale", and the methods used to brew it in historical and traditional farmhouse brewing.

Norwegian Farmhouse Ale (Maltøl)

  • Norwegian farmhouse ale - A brief history of traditional Norwegian farmhouse brewing (Lars refers to it as "homebrewing"), and what it is like today.
  • Maltøl, or Norwegian farmhouse ale - An updated description of Norwegian farmhouse ale (broadly called "Maltøl"), substyles (Vossaøl/Hardangerøl, Råøl, Stjørdalsøl, and others), where they are being brewed today, and to what extent they preserve traditional processes,
  • Norwegian Ethnological Research - Garshol's own research of the data that formed the basis for the definitive book on Norwegian farmhouse ale, Odd Nordland's "Brewing and beer traditions in Norway," published in 1969.
  • Herbs in Norwegian farmhouse ale - Survey analysis of herbs used in traditional Norwegian farmhouse ale.
  • Norway: climate and ingredients - Survey analysis of the distribution of brewing malts in traditional Norwegian farmhouse ale.

Videos

Traditional farmhouse brewing (video is in Norwegian, but the imagery is still worthwhile if you do not understand Norwegian):

See Also

Additional Articles on MTF Wiki

External Resources

References

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