Summer’s always fun. The long evenings, the barbecues, the beach… It’s great ! 😎
It’s time to offer your beer around the pool.
Only… you’ve got an enemy.
HEAT ! If you’re not equipped to regulate the temperature of your fermentation, summer brewing WILL become a real ordeal.
Your biggest problem…
Imagine yourself in the middle of August. It’s a heatwave. You’re struggling to keep the temperature in your home below 30°C.
Without cooling, it’s hard enough for us to stand the heat. Then think of your little yeasts at work. It’s like doing masonry in a fleece, under a blazing sun. 🥵
For many strains, inoculating above 25°C will produce esters that are totally out of control.
In an economic context that’s driving raw material prices ever higher, every € counts. So you rack your brains to come up with a superb recipe. You carefully select all your ingredients. Your beer has great potential. It’s great !
And would you really risk all that work being ruined by a temperature failure ?
A brew in the garbage can is a brewer’s worst nightmare.
Don’t worry, many of us went through this before buying our own 😉
Our solution for equipment-free summer brewing
Even if temperature control remains the best option, other solutions exist to get around this problem. And that’s exactly what we’re going to offer you with our catalog of ultra heat-resistant yeasts. 🏋️♂️
These “thermotolerant” yeasts will totally change your summer brewing… And we’re not just talking about kveik here. Supply has literally exploded since last year. The strains we’re talking about can withstand temperatures of up to 40°C, and their aromatic profile is extremely versatile !
The little extra ?! All the yeasts in this top list are dry ! And yes, heat + transporting liquid yeast inevitably means making a starter. Here, this format guarantees total yeast viability. You’ll be able to use them comfortably and without headaches.
🎁 And then… a few recipe ideas are included, of course !
Top 10 yeast strains for fridge-free summer brewing
| The strains 1.Mango Madness 2. High Voltage 3. Ragnar Voss Kveik 4. Bjorn Hornindal 5. Ebbegarden 6. Stalljen 7. Voss K.1 8. Eithreim 9. VOSS 10. Farmhouse Bonus |
The Top WHC Lab.
As you may know, we like our friends at WHC. Beyond the beautiful packaging, their strains are super interesting and innovative. There’s Kveik, of course, but that’s not all.
WHC offers a variety of fermentation profiles. From clean to fruity, there’s something for everyone. Whether you prefer to brew a good thirst-quenching beer or a fruity cocktail, you should easily find what you’re looking for.
1. Mango Madness
We know you love a good Hazy IPA… Because so do we 😅! The name of this strain is pretty self-explanatory. Expect an explosion of mango and guava.
This yeast, which ferments ideally between 31°C and 37°C, is clearly geared towards brewing juicy, fruity IPAs.
Ever experienced Hop Creep? This phenomenon, which reactivates fermentation after a dry hop, is a real disruption to the beer’s texture and taste. Mango Madness withstands dry hops above 25°C, and thus gets round this problem.
The little extra ?! WHC has boosted the yeast’s biotransformation capacity. The fruity aromas of the hops are enhanced tenfold. We love it, so don’t miss out !
Don’t hesitate to try Mango Madness with our gorgeous Hazy IPA Azacca recipe !
2. High Voltage
The 27°C-35°C version of US-05. Here, the desired fermentation profile is neutrality. Even at 35°C, this strain produces no esters. It’s incredibly clean.
High Voltage is clearly the most versatile yeast on this list. It allows malts and/or hops to shine without any interference. And that’s not all.
It allows you to create dry, thirst-quenching beers. Perfect for summer. Pseudo lager, session, American pale ale… the list goes on.
Our suggestion ?! A fruity sour or gose at less than 5% ! The character of this strain makes it a perfect candidate for this type of beer. We’ve also prepared a superb Apricot/Rosemary Gose Recipe
3. RAGNAR – Voss Kveik
This strain of kveik can withstand temperatures of up to 40°C. It will considerably reduce cooling time and therefore water wastage.
A Viking cliché, this strain lives up to its name by resisting alcohol very well. If you want to explore powerful styles to ferment all summer long, Ragnar will be perfect.
Although very versatile, this kveik will give beautiful orange aromas. It is therefore perfect for enhancing the citrus flavors of certain hops.
Recipe idea : Cascadian Dark Ale (or Black IPA). A dark beer in summer? 🫨
It’s a bit surprising, but this style is quite nice for the summer season. Hops such as cascade and citra add a pleasant freshness. The discreetly chocolaty notes of roasted malts will bring a little twist reinforced by the orange aromas of RAGNAR.
4. Bjorn – Hornindal Kveik
Hornindal is well known to kveik enthusiasts. Until a few years ago, it was very hard to find in dry form. Yet it has always been ultra-popular!
Bjorn resists temperatures of 37°C. It produces incredible tropical aromas. Pineapple, mango, tangerine… The warmer the fermentation, the more these fruity esters will express themselves.
Brewers of big IPA have been using it for years.
Our suggestion : Brew our Mango/Pineapple Sour IPA. Or simply Mango/Pineapple IPA, if you don’t have time to make a Sour Kettle. These fruits are easy to find (here, for example) and will go perfectly with this strain.
Kveik Yeastery’s Top
Definitely one of our favorites! Admittedly, this Norwegian lab only produces 4 strains. And yet… Kveik Yeastery is a complete game-changer.
Arne and Øystein have decided to return to the original farmhouse form of Kveik. Where the other beasts in this top list are isolated, Kveik Yeastery offers multi-cultured strains.
They have harvested the yeasts directly from their farms of origin and have not isolated their profiles. As well as being raw and authentic, each strain offers a unique aromatic profile. Kveik Yeastery will be a great asset to your summer brewing!
5. Ebbegarden K.9
It was all the rage at our house last summer, and our packs went like hotcakes ! We even made a special recipe around it.
This yeast comes from Ebbegarden Farm. This farm has always produced fruit. No one really knows if this production has had an impact on the strain’s aromas, but it gives a fruity explosion in the beer.
With Ebbegarden, 5g of yeast is enough to ferment 20 to 30 liters of beer in 48/72h.
The higher the temperature (38°C max), the more intense the tropical fruitiness.
6. Stalljen K.22
The fermentation range of this yeast is just insane: from 8°C to 38°C! Technically, Stalljen is a Hornindal. However, it is quite different from the WHC version presented above.
The strain takes its name from its original dairy farm. As well as presenting discreet aromas of apple, pear, aniseed and clove, Stalljen produces a light note of milk caramel that is very interesting.
This strain is at the origin of the Norwegian farmhouse beer par excellence: Kornøl. If you have juniper growing near you, don’t hesitate to try this amazing recipe. You can find it in this article : Kornøl recipe
7. Voss K.1
The original voss. Discovered, preserved and popularized outside Norway by Sigmund Gjernes (and Lars Marius Garshol). Quite similar to the WHC version, this strain is used at 5g for 20 to 30L of beer.
If your brewing temperature is low enough (62/63°C), Voss K.1 will reveal notes of anise and clove. It’s also an ultra-resistant yeast, as it can go up to 42°C without problems.
Last summer we were very pleased with our Gose Kveik Citron and Acid Tripp Recipe !
8. Eithreim K.14
Eitrheim offers one of the most astonishing profiles in this “summer brewing” top. It’s more oriented towards malty beers, with aromas of ripe pear, plum, raisin and honey.
There’s plenty to play with. For example, it can give a fresh blonde ale a twist. Be imaginative, Eithreim is full of possibilities.
Like Voss, it ferments up to 42°C, and 5g is enough to ferment 20 liters.
Lallemand’s Top
The third yeast maker to join this top list. Lallemand’s reputation is well established. Its yeasts are used by breweries the world over.
The creator of great classics like Bry-97, the laboratory also offers “hybrid” strains like Philly Sour and Nova lager.
9. Voss
A classic among classics. We’ve brewed almost every summer with it.
Its relatively citrus-oriented profile makes it quite versatile. Its degree of attenuation leaves some body to the finished product. Voss is therefore perfect for fruity, sweet beers or round hazy IPAs.
It works very well up to 40°C and completes fermentation in around 3 days. In 2022, we made a refreshing kveik with New Zealand hops
10. Farmhouse
For a change from fruity or hoppy styles, discover Farmhouse, Lallemand’s hybrid saison yeast. Why hybrid? Because, unlike other saison strains, it is not diastatic. So it ferments without breaks.
While its heat resistance is the lowest of this top, it is around 29/30°C that it will take on all the markers of the traditional saison. Below this level, its rustic, peppery, floral and spicy character is much more discreet.
Imagine a good grisette at 3.5%. Dry, fresh, thirst-quenching… the Farmhouse strain would be perfect for this kind of beer. Find our recipe for summer grisette right here !
Spoiler, it won the bronze medal at the France Bière Challenge 2021 😉
Over View
Well… we’re saved! We can now do a summer brew without being equipped. That’s the good thing about brewing in 2024: there’s still plenty to choose from. Levers offer us ever greater freedom. And comfort too! No need for a starter, or even to be ultra rigorous about storage conditions. Everything is so much simpler today!
So there’s no excuse not to brew this summer, just visit the site to order the little beasts in this top list !
Bonus :
| Summer recipes : 1. Hazy IPA Azacca (NEW !) 2. Gose Abricot/Romarin (NEW !) 3. Grisette Estivale (NEW !) 4. Sour IPA Mangue/Ananas (NEW !) 5. Summer IPA 6. Kornøl 7. Gose, Citron/Acid Tripp 8. Kveik NZ IPA |