l3agel

Recipes 

I made a starter for my second brew last week which used WLP 530, and it gave off a really appealing banana aroma from that, how can I get that aroma to stick around in a beer? I placed my fermenter in the same room as the starter was kept in for two days. I was thinking it would be a good idea to wash this yeast if I can and use it to replicate that. The starter was made up of about 1.5 L each of LME and water, boiled quickly, cooled, and then the vial was pitched with mini-wort into a tin-foil covered container.

WVbrewer

Recipes 

I've used that yeast for a belgian dubbel/trippel (abv 8%), and it worked very well. The banana aroma you describe came through, but was not overpowering. I think that's just the characteristic of the yeast. I fermented at 67f. What style beer are you making? I assume a belgian.

l3agel

Recipes 

You are correct, I am making a belgian, or at least my best attempt at an interesting approximation. I posted my recipe here. The pantry in which it is fermenting fluctuates from about 68 to 73, slightly higher than the suggested range, not to mention that's just the ambient room temperature and the fermentation could have gone higher. Will that affect it? I don't have a good way of monitoring temperatures within the carboy just yet(suggestions?). Good to know that what I smell from the yeast will stick around in the final product!

WVbrewer

Recipes 

That recipe, and that yeast should work just fine. Yes, 73 f is a bit high, but it will add some more esters, and if you like the banana aroma it will accentuate it. Good luck, keep us posted.

JaimeTheLimey

Recipes 

Fermenting at higher temps will bring out that flavor; lower temps will bring more clove flavor forward in a lot of Belgian strains.
I don't use White Labs but it looks like most of theirs have a cooler top end than Wyeast strains. If you really like that flavor you could go for almost any of them, but I know from experience that the Belgian Strong Ale(banana/apricot) and Trappist High Gravity (banana) will give out a lot of that flavor between 70-75 degrees.

__________________
On deck:
WTFunk 100% Brett; Basic Lambic
On Tap:
WTFunk Farmhouse Ale; English Strong Bitter
Bubbling:
One Pound IPA; Black Halo on Cacao Nibs; ****s and Giggles Cherry Blonde Sour; Berliner Weisse
Cellar:
Black Halo (Belgian Dark Strong)

l3agel

Recipes 

My dad brought up the hydrometer sample for me today so I could have a taste myself. He's doesn't have the greatest tasting vocab, but he described it as "like a belgian" so that was definitely good news. Now that I sit here with my sample I finally know what all the talk about beer tasting green means. It tastes like it is going to be REALLY delicious with lots more time in the fermenter, and then a good sleep in the bottle. The banana aroma kinda smells almost like under-ripe bananas. The honey I used is there in the aroma but not as much in the taste. The fermentation actually attenuated much more than I was anticipating. The gravity reading my father took was 1.010, down from an OG of 1.068 :O luckily the alcohol (7.58% if I'm correct) isn't too present or hot. I have to stay patient... sigh....