Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co. - "Nordic Brume" IPA

For another entry in the "striking can art" list, enter Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co., located just outside the Beltway in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I'd never heard of Elder Pine, but we suddenly got a whole stack of their stuff into the store, so gotta try it out.

This beer is called "Nordic Brume" and is a 7.00% ABV IPA made with kveik yeast. Kveik yeast is nothing new to the world - it's just a Norwegian word for "yeast" and in modern contexts refers to a relative-unchanged style of farmhouse yeast untouched by modern cultivation methods. Zach Fowle at Draftmag.com covered it, calling it "the hottest new centuries-old beer yeast you've never heard of." Although a full phylogenetic analysis has yet to be performed, we do know a few notable characteristics of this yeast - it ferments at a super-high temperature, almost 104 degrees F; it ferments in a matter of minutes; the yeast can be reused and dried; and it very quickly drops out of suspension. Because of the high tolerances for heat, some brewers are pushing the limit with this yeast - head beermaker Weedy Wiedenthal, of Tombstone Brewing Co. in Arizona, is quoted in Draftmag saying “I think this yeast is a good candidate for something that will ferment up to 15 or 16 percent ABV."

That's something I'd like to see. Let's crack this open - projects a bright and fresh aroma, lots of zesty citrus.

OK, interesting. From the beer I'm detecting flavors of lime rind, a bunch of fresh citrus zest, passionfruit, and kiwi. Similar to IPAs like Treehouse, but not sugary, though - a critical distinction. I think the biggest thing here is the unusual texture - it's soft, somewhat salty, but at the same time lush. Finish is a bit soft and aftertaste is of passionfruit, thin but present.

I like how it straddles the line between a crisp, West Coast IPA and a full, delicious, hazy New England-style brew. The off-dry texture coupled with the citrus flavors is a nice marriage, and might be nice for someone looking to try a new kind of IPA. Keep an eye out for other breweries that are using this yeast - Väsen Brewing Company out of Richmond has been using Kviek, too.