Kveik yeast instead of US-05?

Question

I found some good SMaSh IPA recipes, mainly using Safale US-05. Unfortunately I live in a small apartment house and the room temperature is approximately 22-23 °C degree (~71-73 °F), so the temperature inside the fermentor can be up to 25-26 °C (77-79 °F) and the internet told me that it is not pretty ideal for this yeast despite the fact that the temperature range of US-05 is 12-25 °C. I can't really (and hardly want to) change the room temperature down to the ideal ~18-20 °C (~65-68 °F), though I could try to use a fan and a wet t-shirt to do the job for the fermentor.

However I was wondering if someone tried Voss Kveik yeast for IPA recipes and if the result was "IPAish" enough? For example in my country Mangrove Jack's M12 is available (it is pretty new as I see) and it has a temperature range between 20-40 °C.

Any opinions from more experiences brewers?

UPDATE:

I tried Kveik at ~24 °C, it was really active for 24-36 hours, but now, after 2 weeks it seems, that it's stuck at 1.020 (I measured 1 week ago, also 1.020). The original recipe was with US-05, so I'm not sure, but FG should be somewhere at 1.015 or a bit lower. I tried warming up and shaking the fermenter, but it had no result. I want to dry hop soon or later, so I will be thankful for some other tips. Though, the beer is also delicious now with this gravity, I don't want my bottles to explode later...

Answer 1

We did a "Farmhouse IPA" a year or so ago with Omega's Voss Kveik yeast and fermented it at 90°F. I was pleasantly surprised with how clean it was. It had the expected citrus-y notes, and paired nicely with 3+ lbs. per barrel of dry-hopping, too (Simcoe, Citra, Galaxy).

"IPAish enough" is clearly a subjective term. If you're looking for something classic (British, West Coast American, New England &c), that's definitely not what you'll get, though it may well be close enough for your taste.

It will depend on your exact process, but fermenting warm (and if you don't practice any temperature control this yeast certainly can and will rip) will strip out a lot of any aromatics coming from late kettle hop additions, so expect less of that character to come through. For dry-hopping, though, it'll behave like any other beer.

I found this yeast gave a nice umami character (kind of hard to describe it otherwise), was not at all boozy/fusel-y, and the beer overall was really nice (IMO..), just totally distinct from what it would have been with a US05 (or equivalent) yeast fermenting at 66-70°F. But I love the idea of suiting your process to what's available to you at any given point. I think it's smart in general, and makes for a unique end-product that better reflects your brewing circumstances, as opposed to trying to force a process that you have reason to believe won't work as well.

Answer 2

Last Australian summer I did a few brews with Lallemand brand Kveik dry yeast at ambient temperatures around 26degC (79degF); actual fermentation got to between 28-29degC (82-84degF) according to my laser thermometer.

The results were excellent. Clean tasting beer and no off flavours whatsoever. Kveik is described as a neutral yeast, and my results support that claim.

No more swamp coolers for me in summer. Hooray!

Answer 3

I used Omega Lutra Kveik on a Bells THA clone last month and it turned out great. There is usually this slippery mouthfeel with the US-05 which wasn't there with the Lutra. I couldn't believe how clean the beer was when transferring. Be prepared for a blow off tube though. Fermentation was done at room temp which varied 72F to 75F.

(update) I had a couple pints last night from my Lutra batch and thought I would come back to mention I do not find any 'fruity' or off-flavors in the finished beer. Sometimes people say these flavors are present when fermenting with Kveik at higher temps but I do not taste these. I would guess 75F was not high enough to produce them. I also chilled the wort down to 75F when pictching where some people pitch in the 80s and 90s and ferment at those temps as well.

Answer 4

I have done a couple of brews with Voss Kevik and I think it would work well. I have used it in the past, not in IPAs, but I see no reason why it should not work for you.

Got a big batch of brewing next week with a combo of S04, Brett C and Kevik, touch of hops and a big bag of non-hop botanicals. I really like Kevik as a yeast and should probably use it more often.

Answer 5

I have breed multiple pseudo lagers with lutra now and under different temps. Between 25c and 35c. All where brewed under 15psi. Fermentation was always between 3 to 3 days but l leave it in the fermenter for between 7 to 10 days. Then pressure transfer to a keg with gelatin. 10 days later I have a super clear beer that is not a lager but most people that taste it do not know the difference. It is clean and crisp.