Getting Banana and Clove flavors

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EthanDH

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Hey all,
I am brewing my fifth or sixth wheat beer soon. The first I made had this wonderful banana/clove flavoring to it. I know it was imparted by the yeast and possibly the temps I was fermenting at. I went on the high side around 70 degrees. I have yet to replicate this taste to the degree I want in my later attempts. I don't remember the yeast I used however. I just ordered white labs american hefe WLP320. Will these American strains of yeast give me the banana clove flavor I want, or do I need to use the more traditional bavarian/german yeasts to get it? Also, can anyone recommend to me a suitable fermentation temp to do this at? Thanks a bunch.
 
I believe the german wheat yeasts are better known for these qualities. I am going to be using wyeast 3068 soon. Also, good aeration or even open fermentation should increase these flavor qualities. Check out brewingtv.com and watch their "topless hefe" episode.
 
the banana and clove esters in American wheat is quite suppressed because it is not to style, I have always used Wyeast 3068 in my wheats and have had great banana/clove flavors, I believe that the warmer you ferment the better the banana comes through, the cooler you go yields more clove. I would keep a log of your beer recipes, yeast, and the fermenter temps, so you can get a repeatable brew by following the notes.
 
Yeah you get clove at lower temps and banana/bubble gum at higher temps. You need to let the temp vary for complexity.
 
I'll say go for Wyeast 3068. I started it lower-mid 60s by accident and then let it warm up to mid-upper 60s and one day accidently let it hit lower 70s (blew off). I have a banana bomb that I think is awesome.

I was talking to the guy at the LHBS about it and he said he planned on doing his next wheat by tossing in a few cloves in at the end of fermentation.
 
Wyeast 3060 or White Labs 300, they are supposedly the same. Ferment at 64 for more clove, 68-70 for more banana. Throw that American Hefe yeast in the toilet. It does absolutley nothing for me, personally I feel its totally bland.
 
WLP-300 and a ferm temp of 68 deg F is perfect for me. Plenty of nana! Love it.

I have brewed more of this style than any other...
 
Thanks for the input guys. I already purchased the hefe yeast so next time around i'll go on your yeast suggestions.
 
EthanDH said:
Hey all,
I am brewing my fifth or sixth wheat beer soon. The first I made had this wonderful banana/clove flavoring to it. I know it was imparted by the yeast and possibly the temps I was fermenting at. I went on the high side around 70 degrees. I have yet to replicate this taste to the degree I want in my later attempts. I don't remember the yeast I used however. I just ordered white labs american hefe WLP320. Will these American strains of yeast give me the banana clove flavor I want, or do I need to use the more traditional bavarian/german yeasts to get it? Also, can anyone recommend to me a suitable fermentation temp to do this at? Thanks a bunch.
Click to expand...

I was looking for a stronger banana tasting Hefe, I used WL300, and fermented it high like 74*, and got exactly wha I was looking for, along with a nice clover aftertaste.
 
Thanks for the great posts. I have very little experience, and not such good luck with 1 hour boil kits for some reason, and my first Hefe was a disappointment, but the open fermentation video about the Wyeast 3068 and how it brings out the banana and clove aromas gave me the fuel to try again. I got a taste of Licher beer a few weeks ago and it is delicious. Now I cannot find it and the local Aldi stores are not selling it anymore. Just my luck.

Thanks. rb
 
+1 on Wyeast 3068. At 70-71°, my hefe came out all banana and no clove. If I were to do it again, I would leave it at or near the bottom of the temperature range for the first several days and then bring it up for the remainder.

I also used 3068 in a pale wheat with citra, amarillo, and cascade hops at 55 IBU- the hops shove the banana to the background almost to the point of non-existence. So if you want banana, you may want to keep the IBUs down below 30.
 
^^ I'm brewing my first hefe in a few days. Everything i read you only want 10-13 IBU using one or more noble hops.

I'm just going to use Hallertauer Mittelfrüh for one single 60min addition for 12-13 IBU's.
 
WLP300, do an acid rest at 110 degrees for 30 or more minutes, ferment 60-63 degrees in a low pressure fermenter or open fermenter.
 

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