Banana Esters Question
 

:ban:

Ok folks.. I have brewed many IPA's, Stouts, and Ales without issues of having a strong Banana smell coming from my primary carboy. This is the first batch of a wheat beer that I have ever brewed. I used the standard Midwest Kit for Honey Weizen recipe. Followed the recipe with perfecting temperature control during the brewing process. I pitched the White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast strain. Fermenting started like crazy right away. I kept the primary at a constant 68-72 degrees for the past 7 days. Not once did it get above 72. Today I noticed an extremely strong banana smell coming from the basement. After further investigation I realized the beer was giving off the banana smell. I started researching about it and read all about how beer that ferments too warm gives off too much Isoamyl acetate which causes this strong smell. Is this desired for a Wheat beer? Is it normal for a WLP300 to just cause this strong banana smell? Someone please set my mind at ease with this one. Thanks. :ban:

It's normal for wheat beers to have banana and clove odors, sometimes bubblegum and plum too.

and it's ester. esther is a lady in the bible.

But if the bananas are dancing it's not good.

Yes, this is normal for this yeast. I use it frequently and the banana notes are desirable. Wheat beers are my favorite and I use WLP 300 for my dunkelweizen and WLP 320 for my regular wheat beers.

I was thinking that I wanted to have the banana/bubble gum flavors in this wheat brew. Wow.. What a difference in fermentation by using WLP300 versus a dry brewers yeast packet. It amazed me how fast the little boys took off and went to eating.

Yes, it is a fast fermenting yeast. Did you make a starter? I do a 2 vile 2 quart starter on a stir plate and with the wheat yeast I need a blow off tube for about 2 days. Usually finishes in about a week.

Should I transfer a Honey Weizen into a secondary vessel? I have read about people doing that? My thoughts are that with a wheat beer you are not aiming for clarity so what is the point unless you are adding fruit or some sort of flavoring agent. Am I right for thinking that? Should I just let the beer sit in the primary for a total of three weeks and then bottle?

I have never gone three weeks with a weizen, but yes you've got the idea! Leave it in the fermenter until the fermentation has finished and then add at least three days.

Even though a weizen won't be clear, you still want to let most of the crud drop out and in that sense the beer will be clearing. It will have a wheat haze and some suspended yeast, but still shouldn't have obvious particles floating it it. That's when it can be bottled- usually about day 14 for me.

I'm on day 14 now and still fermenting. Active particles still floating and co2 still rising. Wow... This is a long active ferment. Is this normal for a wheat beer.

14 days is awhile, with the weather we are having and the changes in pressure it is probably done and just off-gassing. I would pop it open and take a gravity reading to see where it's at, it should be done:) Wheats are also cloudy by nature so while most of the krausen and crud drop, there is still a bit of yeast in suspension and that's normal. If it's done, bottle it up!