Banana Esthers Question

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.

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.

dkarnoscak said:

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.

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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?

dkarnoscak said:

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?

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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!