The Norway Way: Ancient Norwegian Yeast in New American Beer

Kveik, a group of unique yeast strains used in Norway's farmhouse brewing traditions, is gaining popularity among craft brewers

Karben4 Brewing's Midwesty Pilsner is brewed with Lutra, a yeast strain that is more of a minor player in the mixed cultures of Norway, but has become popular in the United States. (Courtesy of Karben4 Brewing)

The word “kveik” comes from an Old Norse word that’s related to the English “quick,” as in “alive”—think the Quick and the Dead—rather than “fast.” The effect of yeast is to bring life to a brew or bread dough, making things bubble and rise. But the speed definition of “quick” would be just as relevant, as it can shorten brew times with its enthusiastic conversion of sugar to alcohol. As a result, the terms “kveik” and “Norwegian-style” are increasingly showing up on tap lists and bottles.

Fascinating Strains

You’ll find debate among beer fans about how to pronounce it, but the pronunciation of kveik varies even within Norway. While there’s agreement that the “v” is a “v,” some Norwegians pronounce it so softly or quickly that it sounds more like a “w.” And the ending is either -ike or -ake, depending on the regional accent. With a clearly pronounced “v,” the word takes on a sort of second syllable: “ki-vike,” “quake,” “kwike.”

The way kveik is used in Norway is as a mixed culture of many different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is ale yeast as opposed to lager yeast, but it’s considered a distinct subgroup.

One of the most fascinating traits of these yeasts is their tolerance for heat. Lager yeasts work best in colder temperatures (45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit), while ale yeasts function optimally in a range from 55 to 70 degrees F. You can go warmer, but it will bring unpleasant flavors.

Kviek, on the other hand, does just fine with temperatures from 86 to 104 degrees F. A brewer doesn’t need to bring the temperature down as far before pitching the yeast, and they don’t need the energy of cooling a fermentation tank in a warm brewhouse. The whole process of fermentation moves faster.

As Joe Walts, quality manager and research brewer at Karben4 Brewing, pointed out, the higher the temperature you ferment with kveik, the faster it’s going to go.

“I’ve heard of people doing it in a day or two. I would say three days is pretty common if you’re fermenting pretty hot,” Walts said.

In contrast, ales take up to five days and two weeks or more in conditioning, and lagers take even longer, requiring up to six weeks with their low-temperature fermenting and the necessary lagering.

Time is money, and lagers are more expensive due to their lengthy creation process. Kviek is sending beer to consumers sooner.

Pass It Around

Brewers in Norway share their yeasts with each other. After fermentation, the yeast settles out of beers, and it can be used for your next brew—or your neighbor’s. Traditionally, Norwegian farmhouse brewers would often pass their yeast among the community.

Another one of its odd and compelling characteristics is that the yeast is easily preserved.

“Sometimes it would be crudely dried out and left in the sun,” Walts said.

He also noted that it would then be passed along in a dried chunk. They might also keep it in bottles or create handmade contraptions for distribution, such as carved wooden yeast logs or Scandinavian yeast rings.

For the latter, the leftover yeast sludge from a brew is applied to a sort of wreath made of small, interlocking wood pieces or braided straw or tree bark. Add the dried wreath to the next brew, and the yeast hydrates start working again. Some centuries-old designs for Scandinavian yeast rings have survived, and creators on sites such as Etsy sell them for decoration. You can even make your own.

For commercial purposes, particular strains are isolated from the typical Norwegian mix to give brewers greater control over the end result.

“The yeasts that come out of these mixed cultures are really interesting,” Walts said. “Most of them tend to produce a lot of fruity esters, and that’s why people like using them in hazy IPAs.”

That said, there are strains being used in all sorts of styles.

“There’s one strain that’s been isolated by Omega Yeast that ferments very cleanly [without the fruity esters]. That’s been used to make quick pseudo-lagers,” he said.

Karben4 Brewing uses this strain, Lutra, to brew one of its flagship beers. Midwesty is a crisp and clean pilsner in the sense that it’s an easy-drinking American macro lager—although it’s technically not a true pilsner, which is traditionally a cold-fermented lager. According to Walts, Lutra is more of a minor player in the mixed cultures of Norway but has become popular in the United States. A normally six-week or more pilsner-style beer now is ready by the weekend.

Giant Jones Brewing’s Jessica Jones, who loves to explore historical styles, recently brewed Kornol Norwegian-style ale and did so without even performing a boil in the brewing process. The result was “a unique texture and ultra-low bitterness.” In keeping with Norwegian custom, she included spruce tips in addition to the hops and fermented it with temperatures topping out at 97 degrees F.

Kveik is adding a whole new facet to the craft beer scene. Check your local tap lists!