*Sensory data pulled from brews from White Labs Brewing Co in a Hazy IPA fermented at 32°C

Traditionally, brewing with Kveik strains is done in very different conditions from the conventional brewing practices, especially the considerably lower pitch rate (< 0.25 million cells/mL/°P) and much warmer fermentation temperatures (> 32°C).
 

In order to assess how these very special yeast strains behave in both traditional and modern brewing conditions, White Labs R&D department tested all White Labs Kveik strains in different combinations of fermentation temperature (20 and 32°C) and pitch rate (0.25 and 0.75 million cells/mL/°P). All the fermentations were monitored for pH and gravity, and the final beers were analyzed for ethanol production, aroma compounds, and sensory profile.
 

*As these trials were lab-scale, proper conditioning times were not performed but be on the lookout in the coming weeks for how these strains behave in actual 5BBL brews!

 

Conclusion

 

• We found most of our Kveik strains prefer being pitched at a lower pitching rate producing a cleaner profile, while higher pitch rates had more metabolite production.
• We also found higher alcohol by volume and apparent attenuation rate at fermentations at 32℃/90℉ rather than 20℃/68℉. 
• Even with higher off-flavor levels,  our sensory panel preferred the 32℃/90℉ ferments over the 20℃/68℉ ferments due to it being a more balanced beer.

Want to experiment at different pitch rates?

Use our advanced calculator and customize the pitch rate by moving the Pitching Slider to your perfect pitching rate, larger or smaller!