West Coast Brewer Home Brewing Blog

Category: Beer Kits (Page 1 of 2)

Battle Hammer Viking IPA & Kviek Yeast

Kviek Yeast
Perhaps  the biggest brewing trend of 2019 has been the explosion in popularity of Kveik (pronounced Ki-Vike) yeast. Kveik is a group of Norwegian yeast strains that were previously best known for their use in Norwegian farmhouse brewing. Kviek yeast has been used in brewing for over 400 years now, but recently has seen a resurgence in popularity because of some of its unique properties.

So what is so special about Kviek? Primarily it boils down to temperature! Unlike typical ale yeast, which ferments best around 68F, Kviek yeast strains ferment well up to temperatures of 100°F (a temperature that would kill most lager or ale yeast strains).  In fact, the sweet spot for Kviek yeast strains is between 70°F and 95°F  and at high temperatures it imparts little noticeable difference in ester production. The ideal fermentation temperature for a lager is typically between 45F and 60F ; for an ale it is 68F and 72F.  Unlike Kviek, most lager and ale yeast strains produce undesirable off flavors / esters once they exceed their optimal fermentation temperature ranges. If a home brewer does not have the ability to control their fermentation temperature this often times translates to sub par beer.

The high fermentation temperature range of Kviek yeasts has another big benefit, SPEED! You know how cold blooded animals like snakes and lizards move slower when it is cold outside and faster when it is hot? Well yeast works the same way.  When the temperature is high, yeast gets super charged.  It is the reason why lagers ferment so much slower than ales. Using Kviek yeast is kinda like trading in your old 2007 Dodge Caravan for a 2020 Porsche GT2 with a carbon fiber spoiler, reduced weight seats and upgraded suspension package.

Not wanting to drive a Minivan any longer, I figured I would give Kviek a shot and see what all the hype was about.

 

Kviek Yeast Fermentation TemperaturesTEMP: 65–100F (18–38C) FLOCCULATION: MEDIUM-HIGH ATTENUATION: 75–85% ALCOHOL TOLERANCE: 10% Norwegian Voss Kveik Strain. Highly versatile, can be used in a wide variety of beer styles. A traditional Norwegian Kveik strain that has an extremely wide fermentation temperature range. This strain has been traditionally used in Norwegian farmhouse style beers however, due to it’s fermentation temp range can be used in a variety of beers from pseudo lagers, Belgian inspired, and hop forward beers. The possibilities seem endless when fermenting with Loki. On the cool end of the range Loki is super clean; producing little to no esters. On the high end of the fermentation range, 85-95F, it tends to produce a huge fruit ester profile.

Home Brewing with Kviek Yeast

To take full advantage of the Kviek fermentation benefits, I purchased a dual stage temperature controller and an “always on” heating pad for my fermentation chamber (converted chest freezer).  Keep in mind that as yeast ferments it is releasing a bunch of energy as it replicates, digests sugar, pees out alcohol and burps out CO2. In the image at the top of this article, you can see that I set my fermentation temp to 86F and the yeast brought the temperature all the way up to 90.1F during primary fermentation. It is advised that you make sure you keep that in mind as you set your desired fermentation temperature into your temp controller if you happen to use one.

For my first Kviek batch, I fermented a Double IPA and used the Imperial Loki Kviek yeast strain. Here is some of Imperials information on it:

Imperial Loki Kviek Yeast

TEMP: 65–100F (18–38C) FLOCCULATION: MEDIUM-HIGH ATTENUATION: 75–85% ALCOHOL TOLERANCE: 10%
Norwegian Voss Kveik Strain that can be used in a wide variety of beer styles. A traditional Norwegian Kveik strain that has an extremely wide fermentation temperature range. This strain has been traditionally used in Norwegian farmhouse style beers however, due to it’s fermentation temp range can be used in a variety of beers from pseudo lagers, Belgian inspired, and hop forward beers. The possibilities seem endless when fermenting with Loki. On the cool end of the range Loki is super clean; producing little to no esters. On the high end of the fermentation range, 85-95F, it tends to produce a huge fruit ester profile.

I created a yeast starter with the Kviek yeast the night before. The brew day went well with no mishaps. I pitched the wort, placed the fermenter in the fermentation chamber and checked in on it periodically.   The fermenter was already bubbling after just a few hours. I had never seen fermentation begin so rapidly. Primary fermentation concluded in just 3 days which was incredibly fast for a beer with an approximate ABV of 8.5%.  I dry hopped the beer for 3 additional days and then cold crashed for 2 days at 45F. My highest fermentation temperature reached was 91F.

 

Battle Hammer - Viking IPA with Kviek Yeast

Battle Hammer – Viking IPA with Kviek Yeast

I named my first Kviek beer Battle Hammer – Viking Double IPA. It is extremely hoppy, but with a name like Battle Hammer, I figured it needed to be. I had only let the beer condition in the keg for about a week and at this point it is still a little cloudy;  I am hoping it will clear a bit over the next couple of weeks. The beer tastes fantastic; very clean and with no off flavors that might have come from the yeast. I was unable to taste any noticeable difference between brewing with this Kviek Loki yeast to when I had brewed this same beer in the past with a Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast strain. The beer came out great, my only change would be to perhaps swap out some of my old school hops for some Citra to brighten the hop profile a bit.

To celebrate the beer, I had created a tap handle inspired by it’s Norwegian heritage.

Norwegian IPA - Battle Hammer - Kviek Yeast

Norwegian IPA – Battle Hammer – Kviek Yeast – Tap Handle Being Welded

 

Norwegian IPA - Battle Hammer - Kviek Yeast - Finished Tape Handle

Norwegian IPA – Battle Hammer – Kviek Yeast – Finished Tape Handle

The runes on the tap handle read “IPA” or at least that is what the Google tells me.

I already have another Kviek fermented beer in the works. For this batch I am using the Omega Kviek Hornidal strain. It is going to be a Coconut Milkshake Hazy IPA.  I am hoping that some of the tropical not from them Hornindal Kviek strain take hold in the beer. The hop profile of this beer is far more subtle than my Battle Hammer Viking IPA, so the yeast should have a greater impact on the flavor of this beer.  Here is some information on the Kviek yeast stains put out by Omega.

HotHead

HotHead is Norwegian in origin from the Stranda Kveik. The famous Lars of Larsblog collected it in Norway and then sent it away for isolation. This isolate has a uniquely pleasant fruitiness and an absurdly wide fermentation range, and ferments clean across the entire range. This is great for brewers who want to be energy efficient with temperature control, or who lack temp control in warm climates. It maintains a stable ester profile, and we advocate it’s be used for hoppy American ales.

Attributes:  Med-High Flocculation, 75-85% Attenuation, : 72-98° F Temp Range, 11% ABV Alcohol Tolerance

HotHead Kviek Yeast can be purchased here for $8.99

Voss Kveik

Voss Kveik is also a Norwegian farmhouse strain from the Gjernes farmhouse which is new to US brewers. It maintains character over a broad temperature range with subtle orange citrus notes that match fruity hops well.

Attributes: Medium Flocculation, 75-82% Attenuation, 62-98° F Temp Range, 12% ABV Alcohol Tolerance

Omega Voss Kviek Yeast can be purchased here for $8.99
Hornindal Kveik

A wonderfully unique Norwegian farmstead Kveik.  Hornindal presents a tropical flavor and aroma of fresh pineapple, mango and tangerine, which complement fruit-forward hops. Add even more dimension to C hops with a high fermentation temperature, intensifying aroma and fermentation speed. Ferments well at 90+° F.

Attributes: High Flocculation, 75-82% Attenuation, 72-98° F Temp Range,  16% ABV Alcohol Tolerance

Omega Hornindal Kviek Yeast can be purchased here for $8.99

 

Celebrate IPA Day!

Happy IPA Beer Day!

Happy IPA Beer Day!

Happy IPA Beer Day! In honor of this beloved beer drinkers holiday, you can reap the rewards at MoreBeer! From now until Sunday, you can save 15% on all of MoreBeer’s IPA home beer brewing kits including their famous Pliny the Elder beer kit! Here are the details and links to this More Beer promo code.

Promo Code Description: 15% OFF IPA BEER KITS AT MOREBEER.COM WITH THIS MORE BEER PROMO CODE
Promo Code Date: 8/2/2019 to 8/4/2019
MoreBeer Promo Code: IPADAY – Click for Promo Code Offer 
MoreBeer.com Promo Code Type: MoreBeer Coupon Codes for August, 2019

MoreBeer Click For The Promo Code: SAVE 15% ON ALL IPA BEER KITS AT MOREBEER.COM

MoreBeer.com Promo Code – Save 25% On Pliny the Elder Homebrew Kits

Pliny the Elder Home Brewing Kits

Pliny the Elder Beer Kits

 

More Beer Coupon Code Date: 8-27-2018 to 9-2-2018
MoreBeer.com Promo Code Details: Save 25% On Pliny the Elder Beer Kits
More Beer Promo Code: KOTW – CLICK HERE
Availability: In Stock
MoreBeer.com Coupon Code Description: This week at MoreBeer, they have an incredible new promotion running that will save you 25% On Pliny the Elder All Grain and Extract Home Brewing Beer Kits! In order to take advantage of this limited time More Beer deal on Pliny the Elder homebrew kits, make sure that you enter the MoreBeer.com promo code KOTW at checkout and save 25%! Click the link for all of the details and to take advantage of this homebrewing deal from MoreBeer! Don’t forget, you will also get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $59 at More Beer. This is perhaps More Beer’s best beer kit in my opinion and I have brewed it many of times.

Click the link to take advantage of this More Beer limited time promo code offer.  This is a limited time and limited quantity promo code and items commonly sell out very quickly!

PLINY THE ELDER HOME BREWING KITS

 

The Kegerator Has Been Filled

The Kegerator has been filled to capacity once again thanks to lots of holiday home brewing. I am carbonating a hazy New England IPA and MoreBeer’s Hop Gatherer IPA. I plan on reviewing them in a week or two once they are fully carbonated and have some time to condition.

I dry hopped both of these batches, but what was unique about the Hop Gatherer IPA beer kit is that it came with something I had not previously used, Chinook distilled Hop oil. It comes in a tiny vial but smells incredibly potent! It is used as an alternative to dry hopping but I decided to use it in conjunction to help really develope the aroma in this West Coast IPA!

Distilled Hop Oil

Distilled Hop Oil

As you can see from the photo above, the vial is tiny and only holds about 10 drops or so of the distilled Hop oil. I dumped it right in to the keg immediately prior to putting the hatch on the keg to carbonate. The oil smelled strong to say the least. I put the empty vial on a shelf and my garage still smells like hops, which makes me happy; talk about aromatherapy!

Give The Gift Of Home Beer Brewing!

Give The Gift Of Home Beer Brewing! #homebrew #homebrewing #gift #beer #brewing #kits

Give The Gift Of Home Beer Brewing! #homebrew #homebrewing #gift #beer #brewing #kits

 

With the Holidays upon us and people scrambling to find the perfect gift, tis the season to give the gift of home beer brewing! 

 

A beer brewing kit is one of those gifts that any beer fan is thrilled to receive! Not only does it provide the recipient with a batch of their very own home brewed beer to enjoy, it also educates them on the beer brewing process! With one of these home beer making kits, you actually produce beer similarly to how current craft breweries make beer; only on a smaller scale.  You doing everything from boil wort and add hops additions to pitch yeast and ferment your beer!

 

Over the last several years, home beer brewing has really surged in popularity and there are several options out there for home brewing kits.  There are a few things to consider when picking the perfect beer making kit.

 

1 Batch Size: Most beginner home beer making kits will come in either a 1 gallon or 5 gallon size.  The 1 gallon kits are typically less expensive, but if you can afford the 5 gallon kits, I highly recommend them.  I know 1 gallon of beer sounds like a lot, but it is only about 8 glasses of beer and will go very quickly if shared with friends!  A 5 gallon kit is only about twice the cost of the 1 gallon kits, so it is a much better value.

 

2 What Does The Kit Include: There are few things more frustraiting  than brewing your batch of beer and then at the very end realizing that you are missing a critical item and your beer is ruined! So make sure that you purchase a complete kit, so home beer brewing kits do not even include the beer ingredients or yeast!

 

3 Cost: It is easy to spend way to much for a home beer brewing kit, especially when brewing kettles and shipping charges come in to play. I have listed 3 kits that are a great price, include everything needed to start brewing a batch of beer and ship free when the order is $59 or higher!

 

Home Beer Brewing Kit #1

This is the home beer brewing kit that I would recommend if you are on a tight budget or only want to brew 1 gallon beer batches.  With this kit, you will need to supply the brew kettle, but just about any large kitchen pot will do the trick! Click Here to purchase this home made beer brewing kit.

 

Home Beer Brewing Kit

Home Beer Brewing Kit #homebrew #homebrewer #homebrewing

 

 

Home Beer Brewing Kit #2

This is the best deal out there for a 5 gallon home beer brewing kit, especially when you consider that it ships for free, comes with a 5 gallon stainless steel brewing kettle and a beer ingredient kit! Click Here to purchase this 5 gallon beer brewing kit.

 

5 Gallon Home Beer Brewing Kit

5 Gallon Home Beer Brewing Kit

 

 

Home Beer Brewing Kit #3

Lastly is a premium home beer brewing kit that comes with some advanced home brewing items including a copper wort chiller and upgraded 8.5 gallon stainless steel brewing kettle with a valve. This is a fantastic home brewing kit to get started with!  Click here to purchase this home brewing kit.

Premium Home Beer Brewing Kit

Premium Home Beer Brewing Kit

 

If you have any questions on home brewing or need any advice, please feel free to reach out to me, I am always happy yo help when I can.

Adventures in Homebrewing Beer Kit Promotion

Just $20 For Palmer Beer Kits #homebrew #homebrewing #palmer #beer #kits #recipe #ingredient #homebrewer #extract #allgrain


Sale Date: 5-20-2017 to While Supplies Last
Promotion Details: Just $20 For Palmer Beer Kits
Home Brewing Link:  Beer Kit Sale
Product User Rating: 5/5
Availability: In Stock
Sale Description: Adventures in Homebrewing has an incredible beer kit sale going on right now that can save you a bundle.  For a limited time you can pick up any John Palmer Home Brewing Ingredient Kit for just $20! That is more than a 50% savings in many situation!  Some of the beer kits on sale include:

 

All-American Pale Ale by Palmer Brewing
Hoppiness is an IPA by Palmer Brewing
Biere De L’inde English IPA by Palmer Brewing
Programmer’s Elbow Extra Special Bitter by Palmer Brewing
Glorious Abyss Black IPA by Palmer Brewing
Black Widow Robust Porter by Palmer Brewing
McQuaker’s Oatmeal Stout by Palmer Brewing
Cerveza de Malta Seca Dry Irish Stout by Palmer Brewing
Nutcastle Northern English Brown Ale by Palmer Brewing
Triple A American Amber Ale by Palmer Brewing
Ruabeoir Irish Red Ale by Palmer Brewing
Raison D’Saison Ale by Palmer Brewing
Kent’s Hollow Leg American Wheat by Palmer Brewing
Harold – is – Weizen Hefeweizen by Palmer Brewing
North of the Border Vienna Lager by Palmer Brewing
To George! Bohemian Pilsner by Palmer Brewing
Munchen Grobes Bier Munich Helles Lager by Palmer Brewing
JZ Fruh Kolsch by Palmer Brewing
Snatch the Pebble American Pilsner by Palmer Brewing
Weed, Feed and Mow Cream Ale by Palmer Brewing
Hop Hammer Double IPA by Palmer Brewing
Strict Observance Belgian Tripel by Palmer Brewing
Munich Madness Oktoberfest/Marzen by Palmer Brewing

 

Homebrewing.org Beer Kit Sale

 

John Palmer Beer Recipe Sale

John Palmer Beer Recipe Kits

John Palmer Beer Recipe Kits

Coupon Code Date: 4-20-2017 to 4-21-2017
Promotion Details: Save 15% On John Palmer Beer Kits!
Promo Code: PALMER15
Coupon Description: Celebrate 420 with More Beer and Save 15% On John Palmer home brewing kits! These delicious homebrew beer kits were designed by John Palmer, author of the best selling book How to Brew.  John also co wrote Brewing Classic Styles with brewer Jamil Zainasheff, and these world class home brewing recipes come directly from that great book. These kits are all inclusive and come with all the ingredients you need to brew a great batch of beer.  Here are the beer ingredient kits available for this More Beer Coupon Code:
  • Weed, Feed, and Mow – Cream Ale
  • JZ Früh – Kolsch
  • Kent’s Hollow Leg – American Wheat
  • All-American Pale Ale – American Pale Ale
  • Black Widow – Robust Porter
  • Biere De L’inde – English IPA
  • Hoppiness is an IPA – American IPA
  • Munich Madness – Oktoberfest
  • Programmers Elbow – Extra Special Bitter (ESB)
  • Strict Observance – Belgian Tripel

 

MoreBeer.com Promo Code John Palmer Beer Kits

 

Juicy IPA Recipe

Juicy IPA Recipe #juicy #ipa #recipe #homebrew #homebrewing #home #brewing

Juicy IPA Recipe #juicy #ipa #recipe #homebrew #homebrewing #home #brewing

So I started doing some research and decided that I was going to start with the “HAZE CRAZE IPA” all grain hazy IPA beer kit from More Beer.  The name did not sell me on the kit, but the recipe and hop additions certainly did.  I made a couple of small tweaks to the recipe, but they were pretty insignificant. Here is what I ended up with:

 

Water Additions:
1 tsp Calcium Chloride (Mash 60 min)
1/2 tsp Gypsum (Mash 60 min)

 

Grain Bill: (Mash at 150F)
12 lb Pale Ale Malt
1 lb Flaked Oats
1 lb Flaked White Wheat
8 oz Flaked Barley
4 oz Honey Malt

 

Hop Additions:

60 min .5 oz Warrior
5 min 1oz Citra
0 min 2oz Mosaic
0 min 1oz Citra Bavaria (I love this hop)
Whirlpool 15 min
Whirlpool 15 min

 

Dry Hop Additions:
I know this is not typical, but add the dry hops about 3 days after the start of fermentation.  Begin fermenting at 65F and then boost the temp to 70F when adding the dry hops.
1oz Citra (Did I mention I love this hop?)
2oz Mosaic

7 days after the start of fermentation
2oz Citra
1oz Mosaic

 

Yeast:
London Ale III (This is important for fruity ester and haze production)

 

The beer came out fantastic! If you are considering brewing up a Hazy IPA, I highly recommend this recipe.  Homebrew Supply also has a extract version of the recipe available for extract brewers.  The beer kits can be found here:

 

Haze Craze IPA Home Brewing Recipe

 

Save 10% On Homebrewing Beer Recipes with this HomebrewSupply.com Promo Code

Save 10% On Your Homebrew Recipes #beer #recipe #ingredient #kit #extract #all #grain #allgrain #promo #code #coupon #homebrew #homebrewing #supply #deal

Save 10% On Your Homebrew Recipes #beer #recipe #ingredient #kit #extract #all #grain #allgrain #promo #code #coupon #homebrew #homebrewing #supply #deal

Promo Code for the Month of  January, 2017
Homebrew Promo Code Date: 1-22-2017 to 1-25-2017
Coupon Details: Save 10% On Your Homebrew Recipes
Homebrewing Supply Coupon CodeRECIPE10
Coupon Description: Homebrew Supply has a promo code that will save you 10% and their full line of extract and all grain home brewing recipe kits. This includes recipes in the following beer categories: Amber Ale, American Wheat, Belgian Dubbel, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Specialty Ale, Belgian Tripel, Blonde, British Mild, Brown Ale, California , Common, Cream Ale, ESB, Hefeweizen, Honey Wheat, IPA, Irish Red, Kölsch, Oktoberfest, Pale Ale, Pilsner, Porter, Saison, Stout and West Coast Ale! Do not forget to take advantage of their flat rate shipping offer!

HomebrewSupply.com Coupon: Save 10% On Beer Kits

HomebrewSupply.com Coupon Code found at:  https://homebrewingdeal.com/

 

Pliny the Elder All Grain Homebrewing Recipe

Pliny the Elder All Grain Homebrewing Recipe

Pliny the Elder All Grain Homebrewing Recipe

 

For anyone who is interested in brewing an all grain homebrew batch of Pliny the Elder, I have posted the recipe that I brew.  It is a great recipe and tribute to one of the most famous and hard to get Double IPA’s out there. In fact it is so hop packed that this home brewing recipe even calls for a hop addition to the mash!

 

Click here to view the Pliny the Elder Homebrewing Recipe

Updated Homebrewing Beer Recipe Listing

Hot Girl Chugging Beer Animated Gif

Girl Chugging Beer Animated Gif

 

Beer drinkers and home brewers rejoice!  I am happy to announce that I have updated my homebrewing beer recipe archive and will be adding additional recipes shortly including my Pliny the Elder All Grain Beer Recipe and my Squanto Pilsner Homebrew Recipe.  So please check back often and let me know if you have any suggestions!

Home Brewing Beer Recipe Archive

 

MoreBeer Home Brewing Beer Kit Sale – Save $5 On Each Kit

More Beer Promo Code

More Beer Promo Code

MoreBeer.com & MoreBeer Home Brewing Coupons
Coupon Codes for MoreBeer.com Homebrewing

 

Limited time and quantity promo code from MoreBeer
Promo Codes for the Month of  July  2016
Coupon Code Date: 7/28/2016 to 7/29/2016
Promotion Details: Save $5 On MoreBeer Home Brewing Beer Kits
Promo Code: SAVEME5
Coupon Description:  MoreBeer has a fantastic deal going on where you can save $5 on every MoreBeer home brewing kit.  This includes all of their most popular kits like Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig by Russian River.  So stock up and save big while supplies last!

 

Click Here For MoreBeer.com $5 Off Deal

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