WHAT IS KVEIK YEAST?
The word "Kveik" means "yeast" in a Norwegian dialect ("gjær" is the word that is most commonly used). Although nowadays it refers to the unpurified yeast that contains multiple domesticated (non-wild) strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has been transmitted and reused throughout generations for the production of beer in traditional farmhouse brewing in Norway.
Kveik, in addition to being genetically very diverse, has a series of characteristics that are not very common in other types of yeast. It is worth mentioning that much of the knowledge that exists today about it has been investigated and published by Lars Marius Garshol on his blog, Larsblog, and in the book "Beer and Brewing Traditions in Norway by Odd Nordland" (1969).
Thanks to the efforts of Garshol, Håken Hveem, and the Norwegian brewers Svein Rivenes, Sigmund Gjernes, Bjarne Muri, Terje Raftevold among others, the interest of laboratories and yeast suppliers for this type of strain has increased in recent times, to the point that its development, standardized cultivation and commercialization has spread to brewers, professionals and home brewers all over the world. (Source consulted: mikthefunk.com)
TALKING WITH ROMAN JOVE, HEAD BREWER AT CERVECERA PENÍNSULA
But what's so extraordinary about the Kveik, and what makes so many brewers rave about it? To find out, here at C R A F T E D we had the pleasure of chatting with Roman Jove, Head Brewer at Cervecera Peninsula.
Roman's interest in craft beer was sparked as early as 1994, when he was living in Fort Collins, Colorado, and his father began brewing at home. Fort Collins is also a city with an important craft tradition with famed brands with plenty of history, such as Odell Brewing Co. or New Belgium Brewing, to name a few.
After returning to Venezuela, his country of origin, and while he was pursuing a Master's degree in finance (he was an engineer), Roman began to recover that homebrewer spirit that marked him so much in the United States and decided to set up a small laboratory in which he made batches of fifty liters.
It was at that time when he realized that the time had come to professionalize himself. In order to do this he traveled to California, completed the Master Brewers Program of the University of California (UC Davis) and, subsequently, obtained the Diploma of Brewing Science & Technology from The Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) in the United Kingdom.
As Roman himself points out, when recalling his time in the US, "I really liked the solidarity in the industry, since I am one of those who consider that it is better to have a market share of 10% than to all fight for 2%." Along the same lines, he says that one of the greatest learnings he took away from this, in addition to the technical aspects, was “the fellowship” of the industry.
When seeing that fulfilling his dream of having his own brewery in Venezuela was impossible, Roman, with Spanish family roots, decided to come to Spain. He states: "I fell in love with the craft beer scene, with the growth, with Madrid's water, ... and the truth is that it was easy to make the decision to settle here". A dream that manifested under the name of Cervecera Peninsula.
One of the aspects that I consider important to highlight is that Cervecera Península is a 100% independent and family-owned brewer, whose majority control weighs on Roman himself. This situation allows him to do things his own way and continuously work on improving his beers. However, it is not easy, because as Roman acknowledges "being a brewer can seem 'sexy', but behind it there are many hours of work, plenty of sacrifice, and requires a significant investment in money and labor". Having passion is essential, something that I can assure you that Roman transmits when talking about his project.
As for the evolution of Cervecera Península, I think it goes without saying that the emergence in the craft beer scene of the brewery captained by Roman has been meteoric, and that in little more than two years, it has become, deservedly, one of the most highly recognized projects in our country.
Today, Cervecera Península brews around 30,000 liters per month, has a seven-person team in the brewery, and something they all have in common is their commitment and passion for the product.
Innovation in its beers is also very important to the brand. And although it is true that innovating always involves a risk that sometimes works well and sometimes does not, when talking about it Roman reminds me of a phrase that Americans often use: “If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough”. An innovation that is undoubtedly reflected in his fantastic beers, excellent results, and their constant development.
Finally, and before starting to talk about kveik yeasts, I would like to comment on something that probably many people still don't know. Cervecera Peninsula, Roman tells me, has been working on their own program of mixed fermentation and barrel aging beers for almost two years, and has a separate room in their Alcobendas brewery dedicated to Spanish liquor and wine barrels (such as Brandys, Riojas or Riberas del Duero). And I admit that I can't wait to try those promising brews.
Having said this, I will leave you with the answers to some of the questions that we have asked Roman about the use of kveik in beer making, but first I want to thank him for his kindness and attention, despite the complicated and extraordinary times we are currently facing. Thank you so much Roman!
Ø: What are the main benefits that kveik offers when making beer?
Roman: Kveik yeasts have several benefits, but worth highlighting is the rapid fermentation due to its ability to work well at high temperatures (35-40º C), and the ability to generate very fruity profiles that can be obtained by using these yeasts in different conditions.
It is important to mention that there are many Kveik yeast strains, and in fact, each region originally had its own yeast blend that was made up of different strains. Today they have been isolated and their use can give more repeatable results.
Another benefit that we can find in the Kveik is the reduction of off-flavors in the beers due to the high temperature in the fermentation. An example of this is that it produces practically no diacetyl, since the hops recapitulate it and transform it again, and the reabsorption of the diacetyl is practically immediate.
Ø: Besides its flexibility concerning speed and temperature, what other properties make this yeast so unique and special?
Roman: For me the aromatic profile of these yeasts is the most important characteristic, with each strain very different profiles are achieved depending on the temperature at which it is fermented.
Ø: If we ignore the importance of the fact of being able to make batches in less time and what this implies at the production level, and in line with your previous answer, could you tell us what character it offers when it comes to aroma and flavor in beers?
Roman: In our case, time is not a factor we give the most importance to, since in fact it requires the same time as other yeasts, such as Burlington or London Fog, since it needs time for conditioning in order to eliminate for example any sulfurous aromas.
Using them at high temperatures, 39-40º C, very tropical and citrus aromas are obtained, but again it depends on what strain you are using, as they work very differently. My recommendation is to choose the Kveik strain very well according to the profile you want to obtain.
Another aspect that would also stand out in this type of yeast is that they have a very clean attenuation, and they create very dry and balanced beers with a fruity profile.
Ø: Regarding styles, apart from the possibility of recreating profiles inspired by the traditional Norwegian farmhouse beers, which ones fit best with this type of yeast?
Roman: It is a very versatile yeast both for making traditional Norwegian beers or, in our case, for brewing very fruity IPA's, DIPA’s and Hazy IPA’s.
In my opinion, and from the experiences I have had, it works very well in beers where a citrus fruit profile is sought.
Ø: How many times can it be reused without losing performance?
Roman: If you work with pure strains, you can reuse them until you see a change in profile or a mutation is observed in the yeast, always taking into account the hygiene conditions with which you are working (eight generations).
There are some that come mixed with different yeasts, and these are more difficult to use to obtain constant results, since the tendency is for one strain to dominate at one time, although this does not always have to be the case.
Ø: Could you give us some advice for its storage?
Roman: Like all yeasts, its storage is delicate and requires hygiene and temperature procedures that allow it to be kept in optimal conditions. My recommendation would be to treat them the same as any other yeast that we store (in our case, we do not store this yeast, we only reuse it fresh).
Ø: Finally: in addition to the IPA "Kveik" in collaboration with Alefarm Brewing and Cervezas Yria (fermented with the Svein Riveness strain), which of the beers you have made with this yeast is your favorite?
Roman: We have made many beers using Kveik yeast, the first one as you said was with the Svein Riveness strain, with the eight original strains, obtaining a very good result.
Since then we have tested with Hornidal (for Back to the East, with Espiga), and recently we made an IPA with experimental hops and Voss yeast from Lallemand, with an incredible result in my opinion (Prototype).
One of the most interesting experiences I have had with this yeast, was when brewing together with Cyclic Beer Farm in their brewery, where we brewed a Sour IPA fermented with the Voss strain and which I am very much looking forward to trying.