Kviek Yeast

The use of different yeast strains can bring a different range of flavours to beers. Some specialist brewers are experimenting in this area and it is very much a developing style, rather than a clear and easy to define style. As brewers develop their skills it may be that this will be seen as a true style, but included here to show that UK brewers can be innovative and to encourage them to continue to be so. It may be that this does not get much further and will remain as a very small part of an already niche product. Speciality beers like this may take several years to emerge and develop into a recognisable style. Other beer styles have defined themselves over many years, in some cases hundreds of years.

Kveik is a type of yeast, traditionally used in Norwegian farmhouse brewing and ferments beer quickly and at high temperatures, higher even than a traditional ale yeast. It is well suited for beers with a tartness or sour beers even where it can be used in conjunction with lactic acid bacteria to give characteristic funky notes. However it can also be used for non-sour beers where Kveik can impart tropical and citrus fruit flavours as well as spicy notes. So overall a bit of a multi purpose yeast which can be used to produce several different tastes within a relatively quick period of time.