I’ve been experimenting with different yeast strains to create or replicate lagers.
First up is Lutra Kveik. I crafted this pseudo lager for a friend’s wedding, and it was a huge success! While it wasn’t made with a traditional lager strain, the beer fully fermented in just three days, and everyone detected it as a good lager.
Next, I tried a hybrid yeast strain from Lallemand called NOVALAGER. It’s a bottom-fermenting yeast that can handle higher fermentation temperatures than regular lager strains. Apparently, it can ferment cleanly at temperatures as high as 68ºF, which is what I usually ferment my ales at.
I fermented the Lutra batch at 75ºF, and it turned out wonderfully clean.
I fermented the Nova batch at 65ºF, and I’m not a fan.
The malt bill was the same for both batches, but the hops were different. The Lutra batch used German Tradition hops, while the Nova batch used German Hersbrucker.
There shouldn’t be a huge difference between Hersbrucker and Tradition, so the difference should be most influenced by the yeast strain.
I preferred the Lutra batch; it tasted like a good Kellerbier with a light cracker finish. The yeast didn’t seem to make a major contribution.
The Nova batch had better clarity, but the flavor profile was completely different. I’ve made plenty of batches where I stressed the yeast. I suspect that’s what happened here. There’s an odd flavor on the finish that I can’t really identify. It doesn’t taste “bad”, but it’s not good either. It also has a sweeter finish than the Lutra batch. If I use this strain again, I’ll try it at a lower temperature.