Kveik Yeastery

Kveik Yeastery

Authentic Kveik Dried Yeast

Norwegian brewing traditions have inspired many brewers in later years. With the rediscovery of the ancient Norwegian yeast called "Kveik", brewers can produce unique beer with a distinct taste.

The founders of the Kveik Yeastery, Arne and Øystein, started playing with the thought of building a factory and producing authentic Kveik a few years ago. After a long journey and hard work, they set up a modern production facility in Brumunddal, Norway, where all the Kveik is produced.

Authenticity is everything

Original kveik cultures consist of several yeast types in each culture; without all the yeast types in place, it is not kveik. You cannot take the famous Mercedes Benz star, place it on another car brand, and still call it a Mercedes. Nor can you take one yeast type out of a kveik culture and still call it kveik. Each yeast type in the culture contributes to taste and aroma; the original composition gives a unique flavour and aroma.

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Kveik Yeastery produces the original cultures as the local farmers have used them. Their yeast is grown on Norwegian malt to simulate the environment the yeast cells are accustomed to. This creates the most authentic kveik possible. Authenticity is everything. 

What is Kveik?

Kveik is an old Norwegian name for yeast. Until the late 19th century, all yeast in the world was multi-cultures, meaning they all had several yeast types in one culture. It was common that households and farms had their own yeast culture that they nurtured and cared for to make beer and bread. 

After Louis Pasteur, in 1866, discovered that yeast was a living organism that made beer ferment, the work started to isolate single yeast types so the breweries could make stable and consistent beer every time. Carlsberg was the first brewery to brew beer with single-strain yeast, and soon every brewery worldwide would follow. When yeast reached the store shelves, this was the end for the multi-strain yeast all over the world except Norway (there are also found a few strains in the Baltics).

Brewing traditions in Norway

Since the old days, farms in Norway have produced beer; in the Middle ages, they were required by law to produce beer. If they did not make beer, they risked heavy fines, losing their farm or being exiled.

A few farms have upheld the old brewing traditions and taken good care of their kveik. The beer is often made in a copper boiler over an open fire in their brew house, and they often make traditional Norwegian Konnjøl (barley beer with local juniper).

The old brewing tradition has preserved the multi-strain kveik, and thanks to the farmers taking care of the yeast, we still have this fantastic ancient yeast today. What they have on their farm is an old cultural treasure.