Kviek yeast for lagers...talk to me

[leedspointbrew]

I have a question for this thread : I did an Oktoberfest-style with Lutra once. It was decent, no off flavors; it was NOT a true lager, I understood and understand this, going into the future when I try this recipe again. My complaint about the beer wasn't its flavor, but body : very thin. I've heard that this is a characteristic of Kveik / Lutra yeast. Is there any way to counteract it?
Thanks.

 

[G_robertus]

I have another 1 gal test using it planned. I'll let it go longer. Maybe the batch of yeast I received is having issues? Exp date isn't until 3/2026.

Pitch rate is ~4.6-6g. Based off science because 2 sachets = 23g/5gal so 1 gal only needs 4.6 min (I'll go get the popcorn now)

Aeration could be low. Most of what I do is use a whisk when cooling in the sink. It takes about 10 min and I have plenty of bubble, but that might not mean much.

Maybe try a split batch once with a different yeast that doesn't throw off weird flavours for you. It's possible that you have a bad batch of yeast, but if anything you're over pitching in the warm batches. I doubt it's that. Aeration shouldn't matter too much with fresh dry yeast, nor should nutrients.
Another possibility is that you are a super taster of diacetyl (welcome our dreaded club) and you pick up minute amounts in otherwise clean beers with little extra flavour. Some of these beers have been malty styles with little hop presence, though W34/70 accentuates the exact opposite. I'm a super taster myself unfortunately, but I haven't picked it up from my recent batches with this yeast I think. I did pitch a lot and waited quite long to package, so that might be part of the reason I haven't noticed it recently.

 

[eliastheodosis]

I have another 1 gal test using it planned. I'll let it go longer. Maybe the batch of yeast I received is having issues? Exp date isn't until 3/2026.

Pitch rate is ~4.6-6g. Based off science because 2 sachets = 23g/5gal so 1 gal only needs 4.6 min (I'll go get the popcorn now)

Aeration could be low. Most of what I do is use a whisk when cooling in the sink. It takes about 10 min and I have plenty of bubble, but that might not mean much.

Dry yeast is pretty rugged. Unless it was really mistreated then my money is on something else being the problem.

Fair point made above that aeration probably isn't necessary. I think it's worth mentioning that the warmer the liquid the harder it's going to be to get oxygen dissolved, though. If you're whisking it warm then I think there's a good chance you're not really aerating at all. Those bubbles are not gasses that are staying in solution. Aeration might not be as important for first pitch of dry yeast but I still do basic aeration and don't find it to be detrimental. If you ever use liquid yeast you should definitely keep this in mind. If you want to aerate then once you get to pitch temp do something to get oxygen in there. Shake it or pour it back and forth between vessels or whisk it or something. If you're troubleshooting and stuck then it could be worth trying this just to see. I'd try letting it sit longer first. Agreed with @G_robertus that some people are ridiculously sensitive to tasting diacetyl. You might be plagued by this...