When I eventually open my own brewery, my lightly colored lager will be called "Acid Test." I call beers like this such because brewing lagers can be a bit tricky, especially for the discerning brewer and drinker; and it is the style that I'll order first for a quick test to determine if a brewery is worth its salt.
But is there a way to get a crisp, (relatively) clean, malt-forward beer that scratches that lager itch in a simple, quick, and easy process?
This post is not a claim about making traditional lagers with Norwegian ale yeast: it is to talk about the realistic expectations of brewing a beer like this without the hype of the yeast or to completely discredit the merits of this beer based solely on tradition. There can be middle ground, and this yeast treads it beautifully (and quickly too!).
For those who may be unaware, Kveik yeast has taken the homebrewing world, and even the commercial beer community, by storm in the last few years...with many claims of easy-to-use, incredibly high fermentation temperatures, and surprisingly clean ales. While a few of my personal Kveik ale experiences differ significantly from these claims, I decided to try out a dried version of Omega's Lutra Kveik Ale yeast...and it certainly did not disappoint!
Dried Lutra yeast from Omega's website.
Just to talk about a few of the Kveik experiences I've had (both at home and on large-scale pro equipment), they were not particularly pleasant based on the internet claims for Kveik yeasts. From a light blonde ale to a heavily hopped IPA, every beer I made and tried had a distinct "Kveik" flavor to it that was much easier to pick out than describe and decidedly not my cup of tea. However, a bit of reframing expectations could yield a nicer product with some tweaking -- a far cry from what is touted online. But with Lutra appearing on the scene with claims of being very clean and lager-like to the point of advocating its use in seltzer production, I wanted to test it out. After all, seltzer is quite difficult to make without a bunch of esters and sulfur making their unwelcome appearance...and a Kveik strain being marketed for seltzers piqued my interest and curiosity enough to give this Norwegian fungus one last try.
And because I'm not a huge seltzer fan (no issues if you are!), I decided on a light lager made with rice. I wanted something easy-drinking, light, and thirst-quenching. German pilsners are usually my go-to for such an experience, but I had never attempted an American light lager made with adjunct grains. With only about 6lbs (2.7kg) of light pilsner malt left over and some flaked rice itching to be used, the choice was clear and the goal unclouded -- making a clean light lager with leftover ingredients and Lutra...just to see what happens.
And the result was good. I will not sit here and type out claims that it makes amazing lager with no hassle -- although I think I could without an ill conscience. But I am writing as and for the discerning brewer and drinker, so here are my thoughts on this yeast and the lagers it can make.
First off we'll talk about appearance: this is probably what most people look at in lager beer before going in for smell and taste.
My beer (left) in comparison with a local brewery that makes great, brilliant filtered lagers (right, obviously). As you can see, my beer is not quite as clear as the pros, but it is still transparent and with a slight touch of haze that remains even when warmed up a bit. And even though I gave the packaging keg a bit of Biofine to clear things up, this seems to be the clearest it is going to get after a few weeks of conditioning. While there are many factors involved in a beer's clarity, I have gotten much more brilliant results with traditional lager yeast strains. Side note that Pure Project in San Diego, CA is highly recommended if you have the chance...
Color is quite pale and inviting. Even though it has a slight haze to it, I personally think it looks refreshing and quaffable.
It has great head retention, and not just for a light beer. My lager had better head, retention, and lacing than the commercial beer seen next to it; but that may be due to its lower ABV and potentially higher carbonation. In any case, it looks pretty darn good throughout the drinking experience; and I have no qualms with its appearance. It took a bit of effort, but the clarity you see now is fairly decent for a home brewery without dedicated filtration.
Aroma: this is where the lager-like qualities seem to break down a bit. There is some sulfur (which is fine for lager, even desirable for me in low levels), but there is an overtone of lemon-like citrus. Not that it makes it an undrinkable lager by any means, but the citrus that is not traditional for lager bier is present. Besides that, there is a delightful pilsner malt aroma of raw dough and sweet enriched breads. And, while a logical error in sensory may be present, I get a hint of lightly flavored rice. I also used some Barbe Rouge hops in the boil to try and give it a bit of stonefruit quality, but that doesn't seem to come through very much. Overall, this is a pleasantly light aromatic beer that has no cardboard or oxidized quality to it (something I get in most, if not all, commercial lagers I buy).
Flavor: the flavor mimics the aroma almost identically. There is some bitterness on the end that compliments the sweet pilsner malt quite well and in good balance. The citrus is even more pronounced on the flavor, however. This may be due to the lower pH that this yeast strain tends to create, but it is not overpowering or distracting. It's just kinda there. Traditional lager? no. Still delightful? yes, and I don't even need to put a qualifier here. Reframe the expectations and don't get too caught up in tradition. This is a fine beer to drink in large quantities with some slightly untraditional characteristics.
Mouthfeel: not much to say here...it's light and highly carbonated. Some astringency was present for the first couple of pours; but now that some of the sediment is gone after pulling a few pints, I don't detect that at all. It's cold, light, and spritzy...that's all I need in a good lager.
Overall Impressions: this 5-gallon keg will not last long. Time to brew another...
Joking aside, this beer is light and low alcohol. At 3.5%, I can drink it all day if I wanted to and not be useless the day of or incapacitated the next. Lutra fermented the beer in 3 days. And because it is so clean, and I didn't get a hint of diacetyl throughout the fermentation process, I could cold crash and package all within a week of brewing this beer. I was able to get a decent lager-like beer that would pass my acid test ready in short order, and that is beautiful.
Recipe (this is for 5 gallons of beer. Scale linearly for different sized batches):
O.G. - 10°P or 1.040 F.G. - 3.5°P or 1.014
ABV - 3.5%
IBU - 25
SRM - 3
Grist
6lbs (2.7kg) Root Shoot Pilsner (any pilsner malt you have would be welcome)
2.5lbs (1.2kg) Flaked Rice
Hops (feel free to sub in any traditional hop you want in here)
10g Barbe Rouge (9.8%AA) at 60 minutes
15g Barbe Rouge (9.8%AA) at 20 minutes
28g Barbe Rouge (9.8%AA) at Flameout
I enjoyed these hops in this beer, but you will probably get something more in the realm of tradition with some noble hops if that is what you're after.
Yeast
1 Sachet of Dried Lutra Kviek from Omega
fermented at 70°F or 21°C
Happy brewing!
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