January 2, 2020, Written By Elizabeth Dobbins of the Lowell Sun
LOWELL — Viking Luau is an experiment gone right.
The whimsically-named beer — in part a nod to the Norwegian origin of the yeast — emerged from the experiments of Newburyport resident Michael Switzer. The hobbyist turned his molecular biology degree to beer and came home with a win for Merrimack Valley Homebrew Club this year.
Viking Luau, brewed by Switzer and submitted by the club, came in third place in The Boil Rumble, a contest for homebrewers held by Wyoming-based Melvin Brewing.
“It was great,” Switzer said. “It was kind of a surprise.”
The beer was released at The Keep in Lowell earlier this month and distributed by Melvin Brewing in Massachusetts.
Switzer is a 10-year member of the Lowell-based club led by Littleton resident Marco Borba. Borba said this is the first time the club has entered into this type of contest.
“We came in third so we’ll take it,” he said.
Over 80 home brewing clubs submitted entries, according to Melvin Brewing. To select which beer to send, Borba said the club had its own internal contest this spring.
Viking Luau used Kveik yeast, an old strain of Norwegian yeast only recently made available to home brewers.
“It’s kind of been revitalized and people are experimenting with it,” Switzer said.
The yeast ferments at 95 degrees, a higher temperature than most strains. Several elements of the brewing process are also unique, Borba said. The beer is not boiled. Instead it’s brought to a pasteurized temperature and the hops are added.
“What’s excellent about this yeast is it works really quickly. … From the day it was created to day it was pouring out of a keg was four days,” Borba said.
The resulting beer is a Nordic Pale, modeled after a hazy pale ale. Members of the club, including Borba and Switzer flew to San Diego to brew the beer with Melvin Brewing.
The beer was sold at Drum Hill Liquors in Chelmsford, Craft Beer Cellar in Westford and Red Stone Liquors in Andover, among other locations. Borba said it sold out in some places within days. He said they have discussed brewing it again and distributing it nationally.
New England Breakfast Ale, a brown ale brewed by East Bay Homebrew Club of Barrington, R.I. won first place in The Boil Rumble. Pinky Ring, a red rye IPA from Aurora City Brew Club in Colorado won second place.
Borba said the Merrimack Valley Homebrew Club has 37 members willing to give and take constructive criticism to improve their brewing. They meet in members’ homes and occasionally visit breweries or go on hikes.
Interest has increased since 2008 when the club was founded with five or six members, Borba said.
“We care about folks that are just open to learning, open to providing feedback, willing to teach, but whether or not you brew doesn’t really matter so much,” Borba said. “It matters that you like beer and you want to talk about it, share your perspective on it.”