Kveiks from Kveik Yeastery
$9.99 per 5 g sachet
We first heard about Norway-based Kveik Yeastery in mid-2023, but we were reluctant to write about their dried yeast cultures until they were available in North America—and now they are, through Northern Brewer (northernbrewer.com). Here’s why they’re different: Virtually all other yeasts sold as “kveik” are single strains (or, in rare cases, double strains) that were isolated from the original cultures in Norway. However, the original cultures are made of multiple strains, “and without all the yeast types in place, we don’t call it kveik,” the company says. Besides the small sachets for homebrewers, there are 200-gram pouches available for commercial brewers.
As you’d expect with kveiks, all can ferment quickly at warm temps (64–100°F/18–38°C) without the off-flavors you’d expect from other yeasts. Cultures available include K.1 Voss (notes of orange, citrus), K.9 Ebbegarden (tropical fruit), K.14 Eitrheim (ripe pear, plum/prune, honey), and K.22 Stalljen (apples, ripe fruit, cloves, anise). —J.S.
New Hops
Looking for new hops to try? Bearing in mind that it can take years and substantial investment to develop a marketable variety and produce enough to send to market, “new” is always relative. Here, we focus on varieties named in the past two or three years and only now trickling out to homebrewers—plus a few more to hunt in the months and years to come.
Alora: Named by Hopsteiner in November 2023, the hop formerly known as HS17701 contains a high portion of an oil called selinene, contributing to an aroma profile of yuzu as well as apricot, peach, and melon (alpha acids: 7–10%). It’s also been bred for yield and sustainability, Hopsteiner says, ensuring a smaller carbon footprint. Typically $2/oz from various retailers.
Anchovy: Grown at Segal Ranch in the Yakima Valley. Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal and Fast Fashion put this hop on the map when he named it a few years ago. Said to have notes of watermelon candy, raspberries, and pine (AA: 12%). Small quantities are available to homebrewers ($3/2 oz) from Yakima Valley Hops (yakimavalleyhops.com).
Elani: Newly named in 2023, Yakima Quality Hops developed this variety—previously YQH-1320 EXP—from a hop found growing wild in Idaho’s St. Joe River Valley in 2015. Expresses notes of pineapple, guava, and white peach (AA: 9–11%). Available from a few online retailers, $3–4/2 oz.
HBC 1019: This variety from the Hop Breeding Company is still without a name but increasingly well-known among curious IPA brewers. Said to have notes of honeydew, peaches, tropical fruit, coconut, and orange (AA: 10–12%). $3/2 oz, Yakima Valley Hops.
McKenzie: Released in 2021 by Oregon’s West Coast Hop Group. Described as having notes of grapefruit, lemon, nectarine, melon, pine resin, and thyme (AA: 9–11%). $2–2.50/2 oz from a few online retailers.
PINK ID-158: This experimental hop from Idaho’s Jackson Farms is said to have notes of citrus, stone fruit, pine, and apple (AA: 14%). Various retailers, typically $2–3/oz.
Sasquatch: Found in the Canadian wilds and grown by Hops Connect in British Columbia and Ontario, this hop became available in the United States in 2023. Aroma notes include citrus, sweet fruit, hay, sweet cream, and rose (AA: 7–8%). $2.50/2 oz from Yakima Valley Hops. —J.S.
Hops that Homebrewers Probably Can’t Buy—Yet—But May Be Able to Drink:
Audacia: Developed by Oregon’s Indie Hops, which says “huckleberry, currant, lingonberry and pomegranate mingle with rose, lilac, and lavender.” New in 2023, and only small-batch beers so far, such as the Audacia Lager at SteepleJack in Portland, Oregon.
Luminosa: Another one from Indie Hops, with notes of “peach-mango lemonade, candied orange peel, boysenberry, papaya, and guava.” Featured, for example, in the Luminosa West Coast–style IPA from Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis.
Zumo: From Segal Ranch in the Yakima Valley, said to express soft, lime-forward citrus notes. Starting small but already has fans at Russian River, whose Zumo Wrestling Pale Ale features it. —J.S.
Barrel and Wood Extracts from Aroma Sciences
From $190 for 1 liter, aromasciences.com
We’re naturallly skeptical of magic bullets that claim a litany of benefits with no downsides, and let’s be clear—these extract wood and barrel flavors from Aroma Sciences are not a one-to-one replacement for barrel aging; they cannot provide the subtle aged character that only time and micro-oxidation together create. But brewing today is also about building sub-threshold depth and character, and these extracts—from American and French oak to more exotic renditions such as Caribbean-rum and French-oak brandy barrel—can be beautiful ways to add high-quality, compelling aromatic and flavor components to your beer. Choose your barrel type, choose your toast level, bench test your dosing rate, and go. In our testing, they worked best in beers with a bit higher finishing gravity, as the tannic component can amplify the perception of dryness. But the quality of the aroma was such that they could double as cologne. —J.B.