wyeast 3068

used this for my first time to brew a dunkle weizen. i usually use wlp300, but thought id try something new. used the same recipe i always use, with the yeast being the exception.

what i notice is a kind of tartness, without any smell associated with the tartness (e.g. no green apple smell). not like Acetaldehyde, just somewhat tart finish.

anyone ever use this yeast before and get this from the yeast? i must also say it did produce a sulfur during fermentation, that hung around until 2-3 weeks of cold conditioning in the corny.

hog2up said:

used this for my first time to brew a dunkle weizen. i usually use wlp300, but thought id try something new. used the same recipe i always use, with the yeast being the exception.

what i notice is a kind of tartness, without any smell associated with the tartness (e.g. no green apple smell). not like Acetaldehyde, just somewhat tart finish.

anyone ever use this yeast before and get this from the yeast? i must also say it did produce a sulfur during fermentation, that hung around until 2-3 weeks of cold conditioning in the corny.

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What temps did you use for fermenting your dunkel? I've used this strain a few times for hefeweizens and found it to be amazingly temperature sensitive. I've loved the results at lower temps and hated the results at warmer temps. There is tons of discussion on 3068 in Edwort's Hefe recipe thread that might be helpful, here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/bee-cave-brewery-bavarian-hefeweizen-35679/

dcHokie said:

What temps did you use for fermenting your dunkel? I've used this strain a few times for hefeweizens and found it to be amazingly temperature sensitive. I've loved the results at lower temps and hated the results at warmer temps. There is tons of discussion on 3068 in Edwort's Hefe recipe thread that might be helpful, here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/bee-cave-brewery-bavarian-hefeweizen-35679/

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68f. For what I'm reading, seems like tartness is common with this yeast. May be better suited to crystal weizen instead of a malty hefeweizen.

It is indeed exceedingly tart especially at lower gravities. I tried to make a light 1.040 hefe beer that was devoid of body and full of a bizarre tartness. I also struggled with persistent sulfur that appeared after 3-4 weeks of bottle conditioning.

I have given up on this yeast after several tries with various recipes and strengths.

Hefeweizens in general have been the most disappointing of all beer styles for me to get a handle on. They are so incredibly fleeting in their flavors that a 5 gallon batch requires the devotion of an alcoholic to drink before the banana fades into the void -- but they're good beers for quick turnaround. I'm moving on to witbier and, in the future, going to try a different strain that produces more clove.

I've used this yeast many times and I've never encountered tartness that was overwhelming in any way. Would you mind posting your recipe so we can try and figure out where this tartness is coming from.

I used both 3068 and wlp300 last year and definitely enjoyed the 300 more. From my notes I did get a tartness/twang from the 3068 that I did not from the 300. However, the wlp300 I used was a second generation from a friend, so that may have had an effect.

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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 36.6 %
2 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 2 18.3 %
2 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3 18.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4 13.7 %
8.8 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5 5.0 %
8.8 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 6 5.0 %
5.1 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 7 2.9 %
1.00 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] - Boil 40.0 min Hop 8 13.8 IBUs