Bottling with Kveik yeast

[Osangar]

Hello brewers,
I have searched the forums and the internet and found varying information.

my question is - does anyone bottle their beer when using kveik yeast as the primary fermentation yeast ? (common strains from Lallemand, or such, like Voss)

I see a lot of people using kveik, but in a keg situation - I'm simply not to be trusted around a keg at home; so I bottle.

the reports are varied, some say it is the same as other yeasts, some suggest adding more priming sugar, and yet others say it does not work and to use a secondary yeast for priming.

are there any homebrew bottlers that use kveik and can share any tips ?

thanks chaps

 

[duncbrewer]

There has been a fair amount about this on other forums, some add different yeast. Some have no problems.
Plenty of people are bottling their kveik fermented beers though.
I've not bottle conditioned any kveik beers just counter pressure filled so can't comment from personal experience.

 

[MHB]

Haven’t used it either, did go and have a look at some manufacturers sites on the yeast (Voss) and they don’t give any warnings. On some of their other yeasts they do so I suspect they don’t see any problems.
Mark

 

[fdsaasdf]

I have bottled kveik beers in glass and PET with no change from typical bottling processes - conditioning in the warmer month the PET bottles firm up noticeably faster than typical ale yeast

 

[Osangar]

I have bottled kveik beers in glass and PET with no change from typical bottling processes - conditioning in the warmer month the PET bottles firm up noticeably faster than typical ale yeast

thanks mate, much appreciated. that's just the encouragement I needed to give it a go with some level of confidence.
have a good one

 

[Jazzafish]

Depends on your strain of kveik. Most of the commercially viable strains are listed here
If you have a single strain isolate, you shouldn't have an issue bottling and it should perform like a generic yeast you are used to.

Personally, I have some of the Mainiacal Voss, without any of the microbes isolated. The full, unpurified (no microbes isolated or removed) culture. Bottled a couple of batches with it, and I'm pleased with the results. But.... In my experience with it, even when the ferment seems to be done... it isn't done. All signs and measurements point to it being completely fermented out before I bottle. Both times I let it sit warm for an extra week from its "done" point without change to pH or gravity. However, there is definitely a microbe in the mix that keeps on going very slowly once the others are done... Both times I bottled, resulted in an expected carbonation at first... But as they aged, they slowly continued carbonating.

The second time I bottled, I used less priming sugar in anticipation but sure enough. It still dries right out to the same point very slowly. No bombs yet but over a year or two the carbonation will be champagne like. Gushes etc... but tastes great.

Great for saison/farmhouse type beers but you need to know what you are working with.

 

[Osangar]

update:

well, I brewed a golden (blonde) ale recipe that I've used a ton of times before. 65% pale ale, 20% vienna, 15% carahell.
I subbed the usual UK hops for an all cascade hop-driven profile at 40IBU

i pitched M21 at 30c fermentation.

bottled after 3 days - and it carbed in 24 hours. perhaps I did bottle a bit early, but it worked. dam it worked.

tried an early bottle today. wow, what a treat. cascade is dominant, but there is this other taste of yeast that is very nice indeed. and complimentary to the hops

my concerns are - I dropped the temp to 35, then it went from the kettle into the fermentor. but...I followed my usual process of trying to aerate the beer but I realised too late the temp may be high enough to encourage oxidations. I guess ill find out in a few weeks if this is the case.

my interest is now; how to aerate beer at this kveik temp of above 30c

 

[duncbrewer]

@Osangar Yes I have worried about this.
Have done several now, tend to start the transfer at 45 C and so it's about 35 by the time the fermenter is filled. I've used a couple of minutes of pure oxygen on all of them ( ferment at 35 plus ) . Including a NEIPA that was open ferment ( under airlock ) for the first 48 hours then sealed and pressure for the rest of ferment and dry hopping. No oxidation at all and still 6 weeks later is pouring great taste and colour from the keg.
I'd favour the ability for the kveik to get growing quickly and metabolise any oxidised ingredients and feed it well.

 

[Osangar]

interesting. perhaps it's another magic aspect of the yeast. and a much welcomed one indeed.

 

[duncbrewer]

interesting. perhaps it's another magic aspect of the yeast. and a much welcomed one indeed.

Don't expect you need to add much heat in Singapore?

 

[Osangar]

indeed. after boil, cooled to 35c and then just left the fermentor at ambient air temp. it was in a fridge, to try to keep it somewhat even temp, but it just stayed naturally at 31 for a few days. then into bottle, and again, on the shelf at around 30c. all seems to have gone well. it is the perfect yeast for this location

 

[duncbrewer]

I also reckon that when it suddenly needs a supplement of heat to stay hot then it shows the ferment is basically done.
Going to try a blend of opshaug and laerdal kveik with my next NEIPA see what clash I get with that.

I do wonder with adding hops at the end of active ferment how good it is doing this at 35 celsius, might try cooling it a few points off final and then adding the first dry hops.

 

[Osangar]

so with your kveik, you are fermenting at 35c. and to achieve this, you add a heating source ?

have you tried a beer made with kveik fermented at 30c and if so, how does it compare to yours at a higher temp ?

adding hops late - I read somewhere this can be problematic, but I'm not certain why. I recall something to do with an increased potential for infection; but that said, my own dry hop beers never seem to turn out as good as my other beers. always seems to get a 'hop burn' sort of result. not sure if its oxidation, or perhaps some other factor I'm messing up.

 

[duncbrewer]

Yes I either use plastic milk bottles full of hot water around the fermenter base ( fermentasaurus ) or the heating belt and cover the whole thing with a 3 season sleeping bag.
I haven't done a side by side comparison of same beer different temps. I am fermenting under pressure at least from the end of fermentation. Two brews at the moment of an NZ ipa and American stout roaring along and spunding at 35 celsius. Dry hops in bag waiting to magnet into the IPA first lot at the end of ferment and then next lot after cooling to 14 celsius for 5 days. Hopeful for them.