Banana Bread Holiday Ale

You've never had anything like this before. This ale utilizes the sweet banana esters of the Wyeast Weihenstephan yeast to bring out a smooth, banana bread taste. The flaked oats give a soft mouthfeel. The specialty grains give a hint of nutty bread. This will be the Edwort's Apfelwein of Spiced Holiday Brews.....or not.

No real bananas will be harmed making this beer , although they can be used in the secondary at your discression.

8 lbs. American 2-row
2 lbs flaked oats
1 lb. biscuit malt
1 lb. honey malt
.25 lbs. crystal 90 (optional for raisin banana bread)

1 oz. Mt. Hood 60 minutes

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract into secondary
1/2 Tablespoons of almond or walnut extract into secondary
1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon into secondary

Wyeast Weihenstephan 3068 with 500ml starter

Mash at 154 for 60 minutes

Ferment near 72° for 10 days.
No secondary fermentation

I'm interested in how this turns out. I'm thinking of formulating a gingerbread type Holiday Ale this year. I also think I'm gonna make a keg of something for my Office Christmas Party (that'll probably be the first run and I'll tweak it for Christmas present bottles).

This might be a good one to work off of if it turns out well....It sounds promising.

now that sounds just plain delicious.

The Jamil show has a good podcast on spiced Holiday beers. You should give it a listen:
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/jamil.php

This is in the Secondary and I'm about to Keg. I'll keep you updated....

It might not turn out like I expected but it will at least be beer.

actually that sounds interesting to me... How'd it taste headed into secondary?

I put this in the keg today and it smells wonderful.....it really does have a lot of banana bread smell. I fermented this at a really high temp to bring out more banana esters from the Weihenstephaner yeast. If fermented down to 1.008. I drank the hydrometer sample and it could probably use a little more vanilla. The taste was really smooth. Mellow bitterness and warm malt profile.

I'll wait and see how it tastes carbonated and chilled. I can always add more spice in the keg.

If you want to try something different, try this recipe. I think it will be great for the holidays

Cheers.

Awesome beer. I've given some taste tests to friends (some who don't even like beer) and all like/love the taste. This is a winner. It's very smooth, the vanilla lingers on the tongue, the cinammon is nice and up front. I will brew this again. A very subtle banana flavor from the yeast. Next time I will add a couple bananas to the secondary.

Try this recipe if you want something different for the holidays. This will be send to a couple homebrew competitions. I'll post any results.

Thought i would give this one a "face" to go along with the name. This is definitely a different kind of beer. At first, I didn't much care for it. But as the OP has said, it's like Apfelwine- Reserve judgement till three glasses.

I'm a bit confused. All your spices are listed as going into the secondary, and you even have a post on 10/23 as it being in the secondary. But your ingrediats say No Secondary. Did you just change your mind?

Anything new on this beer? I'm thinking of making some soon for this winter

This sounds delicious, but I'm not up for All-Grain just yet... any recipes for an extract version of this?

I would like to know more info on the secondary and primary, whether there actually is a secondary or not. Would love to try this out!

Ive got a fever! And the only prescription is more banana!

I brewed up my standard chocolate stout a few weeks agao but used the 3068, I can let you know in a few weeks how it turns out.

i had a banana bread beer at dirty dicks in london and it wasnt that bad my wife loved it. and jhollender you need to clear your mail box on here out i cant send you any messages.

McTarnamins,

What steps you have found to be best for adding the spices and possibly extra banana (for the Banana Nut Bread Ale). Do you add it all flavorings and extracts into the secondary? How long should it stay in there?

I just kegged this a few days ago. I've got to say, I am less than pleased. I did go with banana extract as opposed to the real thing for simplicity sake, and because I heard bananas can leave large chunks behind. But overall, I don't like the spices very much, or the hop selection. I think it can be a good bear if those were changed to my liking. But that's why were brew, learn, and grow.

Is there a partial mash recipe of this somewhere?

so, im seriously confused on the recipe, and only with the "no secondary" as the spices are listed to be put in during secondary. other than possibly changing the hop profile, sounds delicious I use a conical so i always secondary anyway, but...anyway....cheers

Bump. Anybody have experience with the secondary flavor additions?

So how did this turn out. Has onyone had a good experience with this recipie. Thoughts on the yeast and stressing it enough for that strong banana flavour.

Im going to make the jump to all grain and was just wondering about the OP's thoughts/comments/improvements on this recipie.

This turned out to be the best beer I've made so far for non-beer drinkers. It was a bit hit at our family Christmas Eve party. Sometimes the best way to deal with in-laws is to drink. I would try a whole vanilla bean next time instead of the vanilla extract. It didn't have enough vanilla/almond flavor for me. I went a bit light though because I read on here that it's easy to overdo flavor additions.

This was just my second all-grain and it came out pretty well. The novelty of a beer that tastes like a baked-good was a big hit. Good luck with it.

Oh, to get that banana flavor just ferment near the top-end of the yeast's temp. range.

I've been off this forum for a long time but I'm glad this recipe was a hit for some folks.

I absolutely loved this recipe as did my friends. The key is to ferment at high temperatures. It definietly tases like baked goods. Going into fall season this is one to try. Make sure you have a big yeast starter or a couple dry "Munich" yeast packs.

I added a tad of banana extract in the secondary for a little more banana bread effect.

Cheers all,

I tried a Banana Bread Ale last winter and the results were...monstrous...in a bad way. Poured the whole carboy out because, although it was beer, I couldn't enjoy drinking it. Couldn't detect any banana flavorings, and it really didn't have much of a bready taste to speak of.

What would you say the keys are to this recipe? The yeast selection? The flavor additions?

Appreciate any help. Thanks!

McTarnamins said:

I added a tad of banana extract in the secondary for a little more banana bread effect.

Cheers all,

Click to expand...

+1...have not tried this yet but my father in law LOVES Well's Banana Bread Beer and so I think I am going to take a stab at it.

Well's commercial interpretation says on the label that they "brew" with bananas and add bananna flavor.
I am getting ready to try Reno_envy 's Punkin' Ale and I am thinking the grain bill might be suitable for another baked product beer like this and the banana in the MLT seems as good of an idea as Pumpkin so...Hmmmmm......

This one....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/punkin-ale-145060/

I am thinking same GB and hops insert "banana" where it says "pumpkin" and omit pumpkin pie spice in mash for some vanilla bean and bourbon in secondary and/or with banana extract in bottling bucket... Yeast? Hot ferm with S-05 or wyeast 3056?

I had success with my recipe at the beginning of this thread.

A key is to use a german style wheat/wiess yeast. I prefer wienhenstephaner yeast but you could also use Munich dry yeast.

Ferment warm.

No too many spices.

Can I make this recipe with an extract?
If so, then how?