Banana Extract to fix a Hefe?

I have a large batch of Hefe that turned out...not so good. Everything short of an infection went wrong.

Bottom line, I have 8 gallons of 6.8% ABV "Hefe" that does not taste anything like a hefe.

It is drinkable. Just not very good. I may wind up dumping it, but am going to try to improve the taste. Luckily, it is in kegs, so that is an option.

I'm looking at Banana Extract.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=8524
My thought is, to add one ounce to the five gallon keg and let it sit for a while, then taste it. If it needs more, I can add it. If that actually works, I may add banana or some other flavor to the 3 gallon keg.

Sound like a waste of time?

Sounds like a bad idea to me. Instead, just drink it and use a different yeast that will give you more banana's the next time.

Throw a party. Sure fire way to rid yourself of bad beer.

Test the extract in a "test bottle" first. Add the 1% or whatever and let it sit overnight and then try it the next day. I find that extract is not something that tastes great right off the bat.

Try it with a glass of beer first instead of the whole keg. In my opinion, banana flavoring tastes nothing like bananas. In fact, I avoid banana flavored anything at all costs (jello, candy, whatever) except when it is from real bananas.

rocketman768 said:

Try it with a glass of beer first instead of the whole keg. In my opinion, banana flavoring tastes nothing like bananas. In fact, I avoid banana flavored anything at all costs (jello, candy, whatever) except when it is from real bananas.

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I put a drop or so of McCormick banana extract in a liter bottle, then filled it with the hefe, shook it up, and let it settle.

It's...not bad.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

I'm drinking crap and I like it!

Really, it does give it a little flavor. Which is an improvement.

Details on what went wrong? Off the bat, 6.8% is a little high for a hefeweizen.

Cpt_Kirks said:

I'm drinking crap and I like it!

Really, it does give it a little flavor. Which is an improvement.

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Haha, well as long as it tastes good to you.

Edcculus said:

Details on what went wrong? Off the bat, 6.8% is a little high for a hefeweizen.

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It was my first stuck sparge. I got in a hurry (really should have waited to brew) and dumped in the grain too fast.

Wound up having to scoop out the malt and put it in a grain bag for sparging. Took forever. The wort was very cloudy. I thought my efficiency would be crap, so I added some corn sugar to the boil. When I checked after the boil, it came out 1.066! The yeast added no flavor at all. It's like there is no hefe.

So, this is Quasiheffeweisenbockwitneinheffe (Germans have a word for EVERYTHING).

rocketman768 said:

Haha, well as long as it tastes good to you.

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It has a KICK. One little glass and I have a buzz. Maybe I'm poisoned?

What yeast did you use?

I'm of the belief that life is simply too short to drink sh!tty beer, whether it is one that I brewed or a commercial. Consider this a learning experience, feed the garden with the high test swill and call it a day.

What strain did you use?

flyangler18 said:

I'm of the belief that life is simply too short to drink sh!tty beer, whether it is one that I brewed or a commercial. Consider this a learning experience, feed the garden with the high test swill and call it a day.

What strain did you use?

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Danstar Munich. I have NEVER had problems with it before. Bad batch, maybe.

I've made two Hefe's and didn't get the banana flavor in either

Next time, I'm gonna ferment it at 75F to get a banana and bubblegum bomb!

Banana liqueur might do the job!