New Dry Hefeweizen Yeast is Gross

Pure and simple. I tasted it this past weekend, then I tasted one with liquid yeast and the distinction is clear. I actually poured out the dry yeast one and so did the guy who brewed it.

You sure it was the yeast?

i was wondering if those new dried yeast varieties were any good. thanks for that il probably stick to liquid for my hefes. how did the guy brew it? typical hefe ferment temps?

I was curious about that yeast. I'm thinking of making a two 1 gallon batches to compare.

Thanks for confirming it for me. I didn't think it could compare to Wyeast 3068 from Weihenstephan.

Is there a comparable White Labs yeast to 3068?

Ó Flannagáin said:

Pure and simple. I tasted it this past weekend, then I tasted one with liquid yeast and the distinction is clear. I actually poured out the dry yeast one and so did the guy who brewed it.

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I wish you would have posted this last week. I did a weizenbock this weekend with WB-6. It certainly smells good fermenting. I'll report back when I rack it to the keg.

At what temp did you ferment? Maybe that was the problem...

Ah, good to know. I saw this at the store and was thinking about giving it a try....well I guess I won't now.

EdWort said:

Thanks for confirming it for me. I didn't think it could compare to Wyeast 3068 from Weihenstephan.

Is there a comparable White Labs yeast to 3068?

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According to this, Wyeast 3068 and WLP300 are the same strain, Weihenstephan 68 strain. Next spring I am going to split a batch and compared the WLP300 and 351 (Weihenstephan 175 strain).

EdWort said:

Thanks for confirming it for me. I didn't think it could compare to Wyeast 3068 from Weihenstephan.

Is there a comparable White Labs yeast to 3068?

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WLP400 is KINDA close...you get the bananas and cloves, but it's no 3068. Having used both, I prefer 3068.

I've used the Brewferm Blanche yeast on a hefe and I thought it gave a pretty darn near identical flavor to the times I've used liquid yeast... Can't speak to the new (Safale?) WB-6 or whatever though.

WLP351.

It's a seasonal thing, though. Get a vial and culture it for use year round!

ErikH said:

I wish you would have posted this last week. I did a weizenbock this weekend with WB-6. It certainly smells good fermenting. I'll report back when I rack it to the keg.

At what temp did you ferment? Maybe that was the problem...

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Likewise, I have used WB-06 with my Hefe LHBS kit, it does smell OK, banana-ey for sure, but I have an untrained n00b nose, so...


BTW my basement fermentation is approx. 66 F.
Is that an adequate temp for this Hefe, and most other ales?

EdWort said:

Thanks for confirming it for me. I didn't think it could compare to Wyeast 3068 from Weihenstephan.

Is there a comparable White Labs yeast to 3068?

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Cheesefood said:

WLP400 is KINDA close...you get the bananas and cloves, but it's no 3068. Having used both, I prefer 3068.

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WLP400 is a Wit strain. WLP300 is a Hefe strain. I've used WLP300 several times and was pleased with the results. I always use WLP400 for Wits.

Per the White Labs website, there are also additional hefe strains available:

WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast
This famous German yeast is a strain used in the production of traditional, authentic wheat beers. It produces the banana and clove nose traditionally associated with German wheat beers and leaves the desired cloudy look of traditional German wheat beers.
Attenuation: 72-76%
Flocculation: Low
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-72°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

WLP320 American Hefeweizen Ale Yeast
This yeast is used to produce the Oregon style American Hefeweizen. Unlike WLP300, this yeast produces a very slight amount of the banana and clove notes. It produces some sulfur, but is otherwise a clean fermenting yeast, which does not flocculate well, producing a cloudy beer.
Attenuation: 70-75%
Flocculation: Low
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-69°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

WLP380 Hefeweizen IV Ale Yeast
Large clove and phenolic aroma and flavor, with minimal banana. Refreshing citrus and apricot notes. Crisp, drinkable hefeweizen. Less flocculent than WLP300, and sulfur production is higher.
Attenuation: 73-80%
Flocculation: Low
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 66-70°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

djmd said:

This stuff is fabulous. I recently tapped a hefe made with 06. I have only used 3068 in the past and I would say it compares very closely.

I did an intermediate rest at 111 and fermented high, so there are plenty of cloves and bananas to go around. I will be using this a lot in the future!

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http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=49077

I gotta disagree. I made 3 brews with that yeast and they were all solid. The only difference I noticed is that it needs to ferment warmer than the liquid if you want banana. Otherwise its more clove than the liquid. The first batch I made with that yeast was kicked in about 2 hours :rockin:

edit - My hypothesis for why the liquid throwing more banana is because I don't use starters with liquid hefe yeast. Stressing the yeast means more banana esters. So I'm thinking because there are more cells in the dry pack, there is less stressing of the yeast. As usual, its possible I'm full of $***...

I'm not willing to pass judgment just yet. There are dozens of reason why the batches you tasted might be different. I've got a couple packets in my fridge, and I plan on at least trying it out.

I, too, have used this new yeast, but my experiences have been good. I got a load of banana aroma and taste which subsided with time. I think it is a great yeast for anyone looking to brew a simple hefe.

I've used WLP380/WYeast 3333 with great success. Less banana, more bubblegum. Supposedly the beer is more cloudy due to reduced flocculation.

Should I switch over to WLP300/WYeast 3068? Hmm, maybe I should make a split batch and compare....

I could be wrong, but the flavor just wasn't right. I didn't brew it, so I'm not 100% sure of the process, but I brewed with the guy and he knew what he was doing and his grainbill seemed right on for a hefe. The flavor was just ... eh, a tang at the end of the drink that could almost relate to a hefe, but nothing up front and aroma was practically not there at all.

Ó Flannagáin said:

I could be wrong, but the flavor just wasn't right. I didn't brew it, so I'm not 100% sure of the process, but I brewed with the guy and he knew what he was doing and his grainbill seemed right on for a hefe. The flavor was just ... eh, a tang at the end of the drink that could almost relate to a hefe, but nothing up front and aroma was practically not there at all.

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Maybe he did something wrong during fermentation. Like I said, I enjoyed this yeast...

Hey, I'm not sure if it's the 06 or whatever, all I know is it was a dry hefeweizen yeast. I'll ask the brewer. Are there any other dry hefeweizen yeasts out there?

OK, the brewer said it was safale 06

Any updates on this? I didn't realize this was out and if it is a good yeast, I'd love to have some on hand.

I brewed a hefe this weekend and pitched the safale wb-06. Fermentation looks great and smells normal. I'll make sure I report back about the taste.

What dry yeast did you use? I've seen dry wheat/wit/white yeasts, but haven't seen a dry hefe yeast.

david_42 said:

What dry yeast did you use? I've seen dry wheat/wit/white yeasts, but haven't seen a dry hefe yeast.

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http://www.fermentis.com/FO/EN/00-home/Article.asp?ArticleId=158

Interesting, but they aren't calling it a hefe. Sounds more like WLP400 (Belgian Wit) than any WLP3x0.

Has anyone used T-58 for a heffe? Mine is bubbling away now, and I am curious how it's going to turn out.
-J

WB-06 is a hefe strain for sure. I've read several times that many people think it's the same weihenstephan strain. I just wish they would say so.

Here's one report
http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1083840

And another from one of our own members earlier in this thread.

Soulive21 said:

gotta disagree. I made 3 brews with that yeast and they were all solid. The only difference I noticed is that it needs to ferment warmer than the liquid if you want banana. Otherwise its more clove than the liquid. The first batch I made with that yeast was kicked in about 2 hours :rockin:

edit - My hypothesis for why the liquid throwing more banana is because I don't use starters with liquid hefe yeast. Stressing the yeast means more banana esters. So I'm thinking because there are more cells in the dry pack, there is less stressing of the yeast. As usual, its possible I'm full of $***...

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I also found these. I think they're the same product, only renamed.
http://www.fermentis.com/FO/EN/pdf/SafbrewW-68.pdf (This one clearly states it's a hefeweizen strain from Weihenstephan)
http://193.238.150.33/shared/doc_51019.pdf

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the genus and species for just about every brewer's yeast. Strains will differ quite a bit, though.


TL

Again, I did not brew the one I tasted, but his recipe was straight up traditional hefe and it just tasted "bleh"

Ó Flannagáin said:

Again, I did not brew the one I tasted, but his recipe was straight up traditional hefe and it just tasted "bleh"

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Everyone's experiences are different. I don't think anyone should be directing anything at your brewing techniques. In the past I've used WLP300 successfully and unsuccessfully. Homebrewing is always a crap shoot, sometimes just moreso than others...

I made a Paulaner clone with 06 and it turned out ... just OK. I had higher hopes for it, but was slightly disappointed. It's definitely a drinkable beer and fairly pleasant, but not what I had hoped for.

I looked more for the banana-ester and purposely fermented at higher temps (+70°F) but ended up with very little banana esters. Overall, I would say I didn't end up with alot of esters at all and a fairly neutral hefe. It looks awesome and the floccuation is perfect, just not quite the flavor I looked for.

srm775 said:

I made a Paulaner clone with 06 and it turned out ... just OK. I had higher hopes for it, but was slightly disappointed. It's definitely a drinkable beer and fairly pleasant, but not what I had hoped for.

I looked more for the banana-ester and purposely fermented at higher temps (+70°F) but ended up with very little banana esters. Overall, I would say I didn't end up with alot of esters at all and a fairly neutral hefe. It looks awesome and the floccuation is perfect, just not quite the flavor I looked for.

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It sounds to me like a good candidate as a WLP320 substitute.

My theory with the lower banana aroma is that there are so many yeast cells in the dry packs. Do you guys think only pitching half the packet, un-rehydrated, would stress the cells enough to throw banana esters?

Soulive said:

My theory with the lower banana aroma is that there are so many yeast cells in the dry packs. Do you guys think only pitching half the packet, un-rehydrated, would stress the cells enough to throw banana esters?

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Sounds like room for an experiment eh?

Soulive said:

My theory with the lower banana aroma is that there are so many yeast cells in the dry packs. Do you guys think only pitching half the packet, un-rehydrated, would stress the cells enough to throw banana esters?

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That's not a bad idea at all.

zoebisch01 said:

Sounds like room for an experiment eh?

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Yeah, if it'll work I'll try it. I want to get a good amount of banana esters and then I'll use the cake for my weizenbock. I was nervous about pitching onto the full packet's cake anyway. I think I would've been overpitching in that case...

I brewed a hefe on 12/08 and used WB-06. Transferred it to a keg today and I thought I'd share my thoughts on my first post-fermentation taste.

There were some of the classic hefe flavors, but mostly it just tasted really yeasty. This is my first time brewing a hefe, so I don't know if that's normal or not. Anyone confirm?

The FG was 1.011 and fermentation had been done for several days, but the wort was still VERY cloudy. It fermented between 70-75º for the first 5 days or so. Then we went out of town and the temp dropped to the low 60's for a few days. It's been right around 70º for the last several days. Hopefully the temperature swings didn't dork anything up. The fermentation was pretty much done before the temperature dropped, so I don't think it would've done much harm.

I'll report back again in a few weeks when I get to sample it from the keg.

Lil' Sparky said:

The FG was 1.011 and fermentation had been done for several days, but the wort was still VERY cloudy. It fermented between 70-75º for the first 5 days or so. Then we went out of town and the temp dropped to the low 60's for a few days. It's been right around 70º for the last several days. Hopefully the temperature swings didn't dork anything up. The fermentation was pretty much done before the temperature dropped, so I don't think it would've done much harm.

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If it fermented then it's no longer wort but beer. And that was my experience as well. It had very low floccuation, which is good, and it looks like a classic hefe, but the taste just wasn't that outstanding ... kind of bland.

I brewed my hefe with T-58, and post fermentation it tasted quite good. Should be carbed in a few days. I'll let you know what I think.
-J