My latest article for The Bulletin is out today: Super yeast is star of Boss Rambler’s Norwegian Cowboy. I (finally?) explore kveik yeast, with a closer look at Boss Rambler Beer Club’s kveik-fermented Norwegian Cowboy triple dry-hopped hazy IPA.

The brewery was also among the first of the local breweries to brew with a new super yeast that’s been taking the beer world by storm — kveik (pronounced “kwike”), a traditional farmhouse ale yeast from Norway. Boss Rambler utilized kveik in its Norwegian Cowboy, a triple dry hopped IPA available now.

I purchased a four-pack of the beer (ordered online for delivery) to experience this yeast in action, and emailed owner Matt Molletta to find out more.

“We’ve had fun using and learning the strain,” said Molletta, via email. “We find it to have certain characteristics that compliment certain hop flavors well and from a production standpoint it’s great because it’s hardy and easy to handle.”

Boss Rambler released a first version of Norwegian Cowboy last year, brewed with Mosaic hops. This “version two” used Galaxy and Comet hops. I tried last year’s version (which I believe may have been the first kveik-fermented beer I’d ever experienced) and found it to have berry-like aromas and herbal and bready flavors. How does this year’s compare?

Read the article to find out!

Also, I bought a four-pack of the brewery’s Chata Chill, a Citra-hopped lager, along with the Cowboy, so I’ll be posting a review of that one soon.