13,703
edits
Changes
no edit summary
Pitching rates for kveik are also one of the unique things about these cultures. In general, pitching at typical ale pitching rates produce subdued esters. In order to express the yeast fermentation profile more, kveik cultures are traditionally pitched at a very low rate, perhaps somewhere around the 1-2 million cells/mL for 15-20°P wort. Brewers should experiment with the pitching rates for a given kveik strain of mixed culture, and determine which pitching rates produce desirable results. Oxygen should be at least in the 5-8 ppm range, although 10-12 ppm might be beneficial. [[Kveik#Kveik_Ring.2FKveikstokk_and_Drying|Dried kveik cultures]] have a cell density of around 9-18 billion cells per gram of dried yeast (Fermentis has around 31 billion cells per gram by comparison), and so pitching as little as 10 grams of dried kveik into 100L of wort could be fine. Dried kveik is generally rehydrated in first runnings for about 2-4 hours before pitching into the main batch, with a [http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/367.html yeast scream] being traditional to ward off evil spirits. Kveik cultures are heavily dependent on nutrients, and wort that is lower than 1.050 can benefit from doubling nutrient additions <ref name="garshol_preiss_mbaa" />.
Kveik mixed cultures tend to be very flocculant, even though only about 48% of the individual strains are highly flocculant (it is thought that high flocculating strains help the lower flocculating strains to flocculate). Top-harvested kveik form a thick krausen and tends to float on top of liquid even when stored in the fridge, while bottom-harvested kveik tends to form a thin layer of krausen (see the [http://www.garshol.priv.no/download/farmhouse/kveik.html Farmhouse yeast registry ] to see which kveik cultures are top vs bottom harvested; the listed harvesting method should be continued so as to continue to select for the correct strains). Harvested kveik can be stored in the refrigerator as a slurry, and survive 1-2 years (a starter should be made after about 6 months of cold storage). Attenuation ranges from 60-90% for single strains, but for mixed cultures, the attenuation is usually on the higher side <ref name="garshol_preiss_mbaa" />.
Kveik cultures have a wide range of fruity aromas, which is a result of above-threshold production of fatty acid esters, such as ethyl decanoate and ethyl caprylate <ref name="garshol_preiss_mbaa" />. Richard Preiss from [[Escarpment Laboratories]] shared his sensory notes after doing trial fermentations with various kveik strains/cultures. Fermentations were at 30°C in standard wort (1.050, 20IBU) with single strains, not the mixed cultures. 2/3 tasters were blind to the beers and order prior to tasting. This is a single data point on sensory information <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1336954522999425/?comment_id=1407412439286966&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Sensory data on kveik strains shared by Richard Preiss on MTF. 09/15/2016.]</ref>: