Name: Kveik Wheat Ale
Brewer: Brewlab 2021 (Philippines)
Style: American Wheat Beer
ABV: 5%
Review Year: 2020
Martin Infante of Brewlab 2021 is back with three new outturns. One of the three latest concoctions is this Kveik Wheat Ale, an American Wheat Beer fermented using the Norwegian yeast strain, Voss Kveik. This strain is used traditionally in brewing Norwegian Farmhouse ales and is said to bring light earthy spiciness, tartness, and distinct ester profile and orange peel to a beer.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as an American Wheat Beer (1D) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website. Note that this beer was fermented using a Voss Kveik strain instead of the Clean American ale or lager yeast typical for American Wheat Beers as of this writing.
Recommended Reading: Rise of the Super Yeast: Will an ancient Norwegian yeast revolutionize American craft beer? (The Growler Magazine, 2019)
TASTING NOTES
Kveik Wheat Ale pours a clear straw color with a white head that does not last long. The nose is reminiscent of something akin to Sauvignon Blanc and mead. The flavors blend lightly: from sourdough to white grapes, from orange citrus to a notable malty character. A tandem of dough and wheat also surfaces and becomes more evident as the beer warms. Hop bitterness is a notch below average. Light lychee esters are noted but there are no style-inappropriate banana and clove flavors. Kveik Wheat Ale is medium-light in body and is moderately effervescent. Soft lychees characterize the aftertaste but the beer leaves a slightly dry and puckering sensation.
THE VERDICT
With Kveik Wheat Ale, it seems Brewlab 2021’s daring attempt to swap the standard yeast of an American Wheat Beer with a Voss Kveik paid off. Overall, it is a light, dry, and very drinkable wheat beer with accentuated tartness and citrus characters. For some, more hop bitterness could further improve this beer.
We have tried different types of beers (aside from the traditional Norwegian farmhouse ales) fermented using this yeast strain, but we think the American Wheat Beer is the most palatable beer style for this yeast so far.
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