Yeast ring
A yeast ring (Norwegian gjærkrans) is an open wooden carrier that holds yeast from a previous brew while it dries for reuse. Lars Marius Garshol documented a linked-block ring in use at a farmhouse brewery in Vestbygda outside Voss.
Equipment · Yeast culture carriers
Yeast log
kveikstokk · Norwegian yeast log · gjærstokk
A carved wooden carrier used in Norwegian farmhouse brewing to dry and keep yeast-rich material between batches; its holes and hanging loop distinguish it from a linked wooden yeast ring.
Form and name
A yeast log is a deliberately worked wooden carrier for preserving brewing yeast. Norwegian names include gjærstokk and kveikstokk. Surviving forms vary: many are elongated, with round, square or faceted outlines; numerous examples have holes or recesses that retain yeast, and a hanging fixture is common. The Store norske leksikon photograph from Bud shows a deeply carved log with a loop at one end. These are documented variations, not a single standardized design.
Sources for this section
Keeping yeast between brews
The log is exposed to yeast-rich material during brewing, then dried and stored so the culture can be reused. Store norske leksikon describes two ways to load it: a brewer may apply foam skimmed from the early fermentation, or place the log in the emptied brewing vessel to contact yeast-rich sediment. It is then hung to dry. The implement supports preservation of an existing culture; the wood itself does not create yeast. Preiss and colleagues place kveik within a Norwegian farmhouse-brewing tradition in which cultures were passed down and reused.
How it differs from a yeast ring
A yeast log and a yeast ring share a purpose and can use similar harvesting and drying methods, but they are not the same object. The log is a carved block or short length of wood, commonly perforated or recessed. A gjærkrans is an open ring assembled from linked short wooden pieces. Store norske leksikon describes both as ways to retain and dry brewing yeast. The related page on the yeast ring documents its linked construction; the ring is not a log with a hole through its middle.
Sources for this section
Norwegian context and historical evidence
Kveikstokk use is particularly associated with western Norway, where kveik was a common brewing yeast. Preserved examples are held by Norwegian museums, including a spruce log at Hardanger Folk Museum; birch is also reported as a common wood. Preiss et al. cite a specialized yeast log dated to 1621. That date establishes an early surviving example, not the invention of the practice: the researchers infer that yeast reuse likely preceded specialized storage implements. They do not date the origin of yeast logs.
What the record does not establish
The cited descriptions do not provide a standard size, capacity, maker, cleaning procedure, or reliable storage-life figure. Wood species and shape vary. The account explains traditional drying and reuse, but it does not establish that every old wooden object carries a viable or desirable brewing culture, or that a carrier alone guarantees fermentation. Those details should be treated as unknown rather than supplied by analogy.
History
Preiss et al. cite a yeast log made specifically for storing kveik and dated to 1621. That is an early dated example, not the start of the practice; the researchers infer that yeast reuse probably predates specialized storage technology. Eivind Falk's account reports a recent rise in interest in kveik, but does not establish whether yeast logs remain in use.
Equipment details
PowerNo power The carrier is hand-held and unpowered; its use relies on drying and storage.
How you get oneNot established The sources identify museum-preserved historical examples but do not establish current makers, suppliers, or how a reader can obtain one.
CareAfter yeast-rich foam or bottom sediment is applied, the log is hung to dry and stored for later brewing. The source does not specify a cleaning or sanitation protocol.
Made of
- Wood — culture carrier
Store norske leksikon reports birch as common and spruce also used; it does not identify the wood species of every individual log.
Limits
The log retains yeast-rich brewing material; it does not generate yeast or independently turn arbitrary liquid into beer.
Source →The sources do not specify a standard capacity, dimensions, cleaning method, or guaranteed storage life.
Source →Places
Norway
Traditional use · Country evidenceThe sources identify yeast logs with Norwegian farmhouse brewing; no national distribution claim beyond the documented tradition.
Western Norway
Traditional use · Region evidenceStore norske leksikon says logs were particularly common in western Norway because kveik was used there; this is a regional association, not evidence of uniform use across the region.
Related
Same method
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Sources
Store norske leksikon / Norsk håndverksinstituttForm · Names · Materials · Use · Geography · Image reference
gjærstokkA wood carrier coated with brewing yeast is hung to dry for later use.
Shapes vary; many are elongated, have holes, and include hanging fixtures.
Birch is reported as common, spruce also used; preserved examples are especially found in western Norway.
Top foam or bottom sediment can inoculate the log; it is dried and stored.
A spruce example is at Hardanger Folk Museum; the Bud photograph is credited to Atle Ove Martinussen.
SNL describes the log and yeast ring as distinct forms used in similar ways.
Cited in: Form and name; Keeping yeast between brews; How it differs from a yeast ring; Norwegian context and historical evidence; What the record does not establish
Store norske leksikon / Norsk håndverksinstituttComparison
gjærkransA yeast ring is assembled from short linked wooden pieces and is distinct from a yeast log.
The page describes yeast harvesting and drying use for rings.
Cited in: How it differs from a yeast ring
Frontiers in MicrobiologyHistory · Context
Traditional Norwegian Kveik Are a Genetically Distinct Group of Domesticated Saccharomyces cerevisiae Brewing YeastsDescribes kveik as a Norwegian farmhouse brewing culture passed down across generations.
Cites purpose-built yeast logs for kveik storage dated at least to 1621.
Interprets that date as evidence that yeast reuse probably predates specialized storage technology; it does not state the log's exact origin date.
Cited in: Keeping yeast between brews; Norwegian context and historical evidence; What the record does not establish